Business Strategies & Marketing Programs at 3M

Questions:

1. The 3M company's Industrial Tape SBU pursues a differentiated defender strategy in an industry where both the basic technologies and the customer segments are relatively mature and stable.

a. Is the objective imposed by top management of obtaining 30 percent of sales from products introduced within the last four years an appropriate objective for such a SBU?

b. What do you think top management hopes to accomplish by imposing such an objective on the SBU?

c. What are the potential disadvantages or dangers of imposing such an objective?

2. If you were the general manager of the 3M Industrial Tape SBU, which objectives would you argue are most appropriate for your business unit in view of its strategy and its external environment? Why?

Business Strategies & Marketing Programs at 3M (Case posted on BB Learn)

You will be working in your project teams for this case. Here are some common guidelines:

1. No one can analyze a case after reading it only one time, or even worse, doing the analysis during the first reading of the case. You should read through the case once just to get an understanding of the nature of the case. During the second reading, you can begin to structure and classify the issues as they appear. A truly comprehensive case analysis will probably require a third reading.

2. Don't get trapped into thinking the "answer" to the case is hidden somewhere in the case text. There is never a single answer to a case just as there is never a single strategy that is appropriate for all situations. Each case is unique. Looking for tricks or shortcuts is not appropriate.

3. Make an effort to put yourself in the shoes of the decision maker in the case. The use of role-playing as part of the analysis can be very useful. It helps you gain some feeling for the perspective of the key parties at the time the case took place.

The following instructions are meant to help you avoid common pitfalls in a case write-up:

• This is NOT a summary. Beyond a brief introduction of the company, you should avoid being descriptive; instead, be analytical and make your own unique imprint.

• Study questions are meant to help organize your analysis, but are not all of equal importance, nor is answering them a requirement for a good submission.

• Use case facts to illustrate statements and back up your arguments.

Attachment:- case_study.rar