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STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT  CHAPTER 13 Gregory G. Dess and G. T. Lumpkin

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STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT  CHAPTER 13 Gregory G. Dess and G. T. Lumpkin

 Chapter 13

Analyzing
Strategic
Management
Cases

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Learning
After studying this chapter, you should have
Objectives a good understanding of:
• How strategic case analysis is used to simulate real world
experiences.
• How analyzing strategic management cases can help develop
the ability to differentiate, speculate, and integrate when
evaluating complex business problems.
• The steps involved in conducting a strategic management case
analysis.
• How to get the most out of case analysis.
• How to use the strategic insights and material from each of the
12 chapters in the text to analyze issues posed by strategic
management cases.

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT  CHAPTER 13 Gregory G. Dess and G. T. Lumpkin

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The Process of Case Analysis
• Become familiar with the material
• Identify the strategic problems/issues
• Conduct the analysis, using appropriate course tools
• Propose alternative solutions
• Develop recommendations
• Revise the recommendations after you
– Integrate them (Do they fit together?)
– Re-examine them (Are they feasible? Can they be implemented?)
– Evaluate their risk/return (Are they justified?)

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT  CHAPTER 13 Gregory G. Dess and G. T. Lumpkin

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Case Analysis Skills
Differentiation -Isolate critical facts
-Evaluate assumptions, information
-Distinguish problems from symptoms

Speculation -Guesstimate “Why?”

-Imagine different scenarios
-Deal with uncertainty and incomplete
information

Integration - Develop an organization-wide

perspective
-Integrate parts/whole
-Integrate recommendations
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT  CHAPTER 13 Gregory G. Dess and G. T. Lumpkin
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Beneficial Points of View

• Executives at the Organization

• Members of the Board of Directors

• Outside Consultants

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT  CHAPTER 13 Gregory G. Dess and G. T. Lumpkin

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Preparing the Oral Presentation (1)
Organize your Become familiar with the material. Compare notes
thoughts about key points and share insights with team
members. Then, make an outline to organize the
flow and content of the presentation.

Emphasize Diagnose the problems and develop solutions.

Present the material in a way that lends itself to
strategic analysis—don’t just restate the case. This involves
analysis three major categories with the following emphasis:
Background/Problem Statement 10-20%
Strategic Analysis/Options 60-75%
Recommendations/Action Plan 10-20%
Reorganize the material so that the appropriate tools
of strategic analysis can be applied.

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Preparing the Oral Presentation (2)
Be logical and Be organized and clear. Present your arguments
consistent and explanations in a logical sequence. Support
claims with facts. Include financial analysis where
appropriate. The problems you address and
solutions you recommend should be clearly
identified.

Defend your Anticipate that others might disagree and prepare

position to defend your views. This means being aware of
the choices you make and the implications of your
recommendations. Be clear about your
assumptions.
Share Each member should have a clear role in the
presentation presentation. Coordinate the parts into a logical,
smooth whole. How well a team works together is
responsibilities usually very apparent during an oral presentation.

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT  CHAPTER 13 Gregory G. Dess and G. T. Lumpkin

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Preparing the Written Report (1)

Be The written analysis should be more thorough than the

thorough presentation. Provide the support for your arguments
and reference case or other materials more specifically.

Coordinate After analysis, develop team consensus and. coordinate

team effort responses before committing your ideas to writing.
Don’t prepare a written analysis that is contradictory or
looks like a a patchwork of disconnected thoughts.

Avoid Don’t waste space by recapping case details. Stay

restating focused on the key points. Only restate the information
that is most central to your analysis.
the obvious

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Preparing the Written Report (2)

Tables, graphs and other exhibits are one of

Present the best ways to present the materials that
information supports your arguments. Information such
graphically as product lists can be summarized
effectively by using a table or graph.

Exercise Mistakes that can be glossed over in an oral

quality presentation are often highlighted when they
appear in writing. Make your written
control
presentation as professional as possible.
Check spelling and grammar. Don’t let poor
appearance distract the reader..

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT  CHAPTER 13 Gregory G. Dess and G. T. Lumpkin