Module 2 - SLP: THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT, INTERNAL PROFILE, AND SWOT
Simulation
The Module 2 SLP requires that you continue with the scenario and simulation you began in the Module 1 SLP.
SCENARIO CONTINUATION
SLP2 - It is New Year's Day, 2016. You have finished analyzing the performance of Clipboard Tablet Co., and you have submitted the report requested by your CEO, Sally Smothers. You are ready to move forward to 2016, but.....
....as you turn on the TV, you notice something very strange. You recognize that the date is January 1, 2012, and that you get to make the decisions for the Clipboard Tablet Co. for the 4-year period beginning with 2012. Your challenge is to do better than Joe Thomas.
At the beginning of each year (2012-2015), you will determine your pricing, your R&D allocations, and whether or not to discontinue any products. You are required to make your decisions for each year, and to report your results to see what happened. You must keep track of your decisions, making specific notes supporting each of your decisions.
Run the Clipboard Tablet Co. simulation through the end of 2015. When you are finished, the date will be December 31, 2015. What is your total Score? Did you do better than Joe Thomas?
You organize your notes about your decisions, your analysis, and your reasoning into a well-written report.
Session Long Project
Run the Clipboard Tablet Co. simulation with your strategy, making decisions year by year for prices and R&D allocations. Write a 6-7 page paper, not including cover and reference pages, in which you discuss the decisions and the results for each year. Discuss why you did better (or worse) than Joe Thomas.
KEYS TO THE ASSIGNMENT
The key aspects of this assignment that should be covered and taken into account in preparing your paper include:
• As you run the simulation, keep track of your decisions and the results - both financial and marketing. Copy and paste the results into Excel or into a Word document. You will also want to record the information that you get from the Advisor. Make a note of your Final Total Score.
• Include your Final Total Score, some tables, and/or graphs showing key results. Using sound logic, be sure to clearly explain the differences from Joe.
• Remember that the key here is quality of analysis.
• Time Line Summary:
SLP1
• 2015: You are hired on December 15th.
• Turned in first report to Sally on December 30th.
SLP2
• You find yourself in a Time Warp that takes you back to January 1, 2012.
• You recognize that you can now revise the decisions made by Joe for 2012 - 2015.
• January 2, 2012 - input decisions for 2012.
• January 2, 2013 - input decisions for 2013.
• January 2, 2014 - input decisions for 2014.
• January 2, 2015 - input decisions for 2015.
• December 31, 2015 - You have gone through all four years, and you write your report to summarize how you did.
SLP Assignment Expectations
Your paper will be evaluated using the grading rubric.
TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS
Please note the following tips and suggestions:
• Include a cover page and reference page, in addition to the 6-7pages of analysis described above.
o Use section headings as appropriate. Use graphs, charts, or figures strategically - but do not use these as "space fillers." Include large graphs, etc. as an Appendix instead.
o Cite and reference all sources that you use in your work, including those that you paraphrase. This means include citations and quotation marks for direct quotes, and citations for that information which you have "borrowed" or paraphrased from other sources.
o Follow TUI Guidelines for well-written papers.
Module 2 - Case: THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT, INTERNAL PROFILE, AND SWOT
Assignment Overview
Remember that the Case in this course is an ongoing exercise, meaning that we will be taking an intensive look at one company over the course of our four modules. This session, we will be conducting a strategic analysis of the Coca-Cola Company.
The outcome of this Case is use a completed external and internal analysis of the Coca-Cola Company, in the completion of a SWOT.
Case Assignment
In a 7- to 10-page paper, integrated your external and internal company analysis, completing a formal company SWOT.
Keys to the Assignment
• Step 1: Perform research, and complete an industry analysis using each of the Five Forces in Porter's model. Support your analysis with current financial, operational, and marketing data.
• Step 2: Complete your external analysis using each of the four elements in the PEST analysis. When considering economic data, use the most current data you can find.
• Step 3: Write up the results of your external analysis, and be sure to label the impact of each of the Five Forces as high, moderate, or low. Taken together, the Five Forces analysis and the PEST analysis should lead to conclusions about the overall opportunities and threats facing the Coca-Cola Company as revealed by your research. All data and factual information that you report in your Five Forces and PEST analysis must be properly cited using APA style.
• Step 4: Conduct a critical and thorough internal analysis of the Coca-Cola Company, assessing as many of the company's key internal strengths and weaknesses as you can. Consider the operations, customer service, finance, human resources management, and marketing functions. See the following website, as it will help you decide which strengths and weaknesses you might wish to evaluate.
• Step 5: Discuss the results of your internal analysis, including your conclusions concerning the strengths and weaknesses facing the Coca-Cola Company.
• Step 6: Synthesize your internal analysis with your external environmental analysis, formulating a complete SWOT analysis. Provide a SWOT diagram (include as an Appendix - not as part of the written analysis!) in which you show - in each of the four quadrants - the most important 3-4 company strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Each of these should be discussed thoroughly within your written analysis.
• Based on your SWOT, give very specific and informed recommendations as to what the company should do. Give your overall analysis-does the company have more strengths than weaknesses? More weaknesses than strengths? Whatever you decide, you need to recommend (with strong, convincing support) what you believe should be the company's strategy - in response to your collective assessment of the organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You must demonstrate evidence of critical thinking - don't simply restate facts you've learned about the company! Interpret the data and factual information you've found instead!
• Step 7: Consider the Case as a formal business report that you are developing for the Board of Directors and CEO as the Coca-Cola Company's consultant. This is a professionaldocument. Follow the format below:
o Executive summary: This is a synopsis of the main points, conclusions and recommendations made in the longer report. If you would like a refresher on writing an executive summary.
o Introduction: State the main purpose of the paper (thesis statement), what you hope to accomplish, and how you will go about doing it.
o Main Body: The "meat" of the paper. Emphasize analysis, not just description. Delineate separate topics or sections with section headings.
o Conclusion: Summarize your paper in the light of your thesis statement.
Assignment Expectations
Your paper will be evaluated using the grading rubric.
Tips and Suggestions
Note the following tips and suggestions:
• Business school case-study assignments are meant to offer practice opportunities for future businesspeople who are earning their MBA degrees. Consider yourself a consultant hired by the company to make these critical assessments. There are no right or wrong answers to the Case questions - however, your position must be well-defended.
• Study the theoretical concepts provided in the Background materials section of the module, and identify main strategy concepts.
• Include a cover page and reference page, in addition to the 7-10 pages of analysis described above.
• Include section headings in all papers.
• Cite and reference all sources, including those that you paraphrase. This means include citations and quotation marks for direct quotes, and citations for information you have "borrowed" or paraphrased from other sources.
• Follow TUI Guidelines for Well-Written Papers.