It will be based on the Nike Case study for business strategy and policy class

Steps in Preparing a Written Case Analysis

MGT439.02W: Business Policy

Fall 2020 - Matthews

NOTE: In addition to material (pages) presented in your text on the company's assigned, you are to supplement that with current information gained on the web (Yahoo Finance), the company's annual statement, news about the company, competitors, the industry, the economy, etc.

A case analysis is just that, it is not a restatement of the facts, or a summary of the history of the company or its products or services. You could assume that I am the CEO of the company and that I have asked you in as a consultant. You can assume that I know management/finance/marketing concepts/matrices therefore you dont have to explain them. I want your thoughts, opinions, recommendations on the case assigned.

You should have 6 major headings for your report (see below). You may have more minor headings if you wish.

Step 1: 1st Heading: Mission & Vision

Evaluate the companys vision and mission statements. (See Chapter 2) Find it in the text material, on the company's Web site, their annual report, or elsewhere. Does it have the necessary components? What would it take to improve these statements? Propose one (vision/mission) if the company doesn't currently have one. (2 paragraphs max)

Step 2: 2nd Heading: Internal Assessment

Conduct an internal assessment. (See Chapter 4) Analyze the companys financial condition. Look at yearly trends, not just the past quarter. Discuss the highlights of that analysis using $'s or %'s, especially the good and bad ratios, trends, current status. How has the companys stock performed over the years? (1 page max)

Construct an Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix (IFE). Discuss some of the more important factors in the matrix. (1 page max)

Evaluate the companys marketing strategies (4P's) as they are now. A Boston Consulting Group Matrix, market positioning map, market segmentation analysis, or geographic map might be appropriate here. Discuss the important findings of each. (1 page max)

Step 3: 3rd Heading: External Assessment

Conduct an external assessment. (See Chapter 3) Identify and contrast the companys major competitor(s). Compare market share. Construct a Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM), include 7-10 factors and compare to one other major competitor. (1 page max)

What are some key industry trends affecting the company? Are they negative or positive for the company/industry? (1 paragraph)

Construct an External Factor Evaluation Matrix (EFE). Discuss some of the more important factors in the matrix. (1 page max)

Step 4: 4th Heading: Strategic Options

Formulate possible strategies. (See Chapter's 5 & 6) Construct a SWOT Matrix. Generate SO, WO, ST, and WT possible strategies. What quadrant would the company be in a Grand Strategy Matrix? Why? As a result, what might be some specific strategies the company might take?

(1 page max)

If there are two (use only two) mutually exclusive major strategic possibilities, use a Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) to identify the better one. (1 page max)

Step 5: 5th Heading: Update

Provide an update of the company. Anything of note recently? (1 paragraph max)

Additional Instructions:

In that each case/company/industry is different, each has some important factors that are unique to that case. I look to see if you have covered those factors.

Cases should be submitted in an individual word document and attached to a Blackboard course message. The document should contain your name on the first page. Pages should be numbered. It should be double-spaced with a font of 11 or 12. It should be in the neighborhood of 10-14 pages.

The analysis should be your effort only. This is not a group effort. Neither should you utilize any other previous case analysis for the assigned company, from whatever source derived, is prohibited and would be viewed as plagiarism. On the other hand, any information you find about the company, its competitors, or the industry on the web or in the library is permissible.

There is no need to reference/cite/footnote your sources. There is no need to copy and paste tables/figures/charts from existing sources as filler for your analysis. You very well, however, may want to discuss what is of importance that you gathered from them.

Keep in mind that Chapters in the text were there to prepare you for the task of analyzing past, present, and possible future strategies. The what, how, when, why, and where strategy questions are contained in those chapters; as well as having already taken the prerequisites for this capstone course.

Part of your grade will be determined by following the above instructions.

Late submissions will not be allowed. You will have to spend several hours

preparing a case analysis. It would not be wise to wait until the last day or two to put it together.