Case Assignment

Tesla Motors, a unique company that manufactures automobiles that run 100 percent on electricity, has received a lot of attention in the media. In spite of loans from the federal government and various tax advantages given to alternative fuel vehicle manufacturers, the company has had huge ups and downs and has come close to bankruptcy at least once. However, they have recently had enough success to repay a large loan from the government.

Initially, Tesla produced expensive sports cars that only the very rich could afford, but now they are expanding into producing more cost-effective vehicles. But in spite of recent successes they do face many hurdles. They are a relatively small company compared to the world's major auto manufacturers. They face competition from hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius, which are much cheaper. Nissan has even come out with a relatively inexpensive fully electric vehicle - the Leaf.

Consumers may also be unwilling to face the inconvenience of a fully electric vehicle. There are very few recharging stations compared to gas stations in the U.S., and it takes far longer to recharge an electric vehicle than to fill a vehicle up with gas. So while there is large public support for environmentally friendly vehicles that will lower our dependence on foreign oil, Tesla does face many obstacles and must carefully plan their future in order to compete with the large auto companies and expand their consumer base.

Do some research on Tesla and the market for electric vehicles, and see what you can find regarding Tesla's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Here are a couple of articles to get you started:

Tilley, P. (2014, Feb 20). Tesla Motors offers the epitome of automobile innovation. The Dispatch[ProQuest]

Rechtin, M. (2014). Tesla's biggest test. Automotive News, 88(6603). [ProQuest}

Mandel, D. (2013). The great Tesla bubble. Automotive News, 88(6590) [Available on ProQuest]

Once you have completed your research write a 4- to 5-page paper addressing the following items:

1. Conduct a SWOT analysis of Tesla Motors with specific discussion about what you think are the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing Tesla. This part of the assignment should be roughly three pages in length and should include at least one paragraph discussing each of the four aspects of SWOT as applied to Tesla Motors.

2. Based on your SWOT analysis, give recommendations for some specific steps Tesla should take in order to grow and remain competitive. For example, what can Tesla do to address potential threats or address its weaknesses? Or what can they do to take advantage of strengths or opportunities? This part of the assignment should be at least one page in length.

Assignment Expectations

• Answer the assignment questions directly.
• Stay focused on the precise assignment questions, don't go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
• Make sure to use reliable and credible sources as your references. Articles published in established newspapers or business journals/magazines are preferred. If you find articles on the Internet, make sure it is from a credible source.
• Reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text citations. See theStudent Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 13-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the "Writing Style Guide", which is found under "My Resources" in the TLC portal.