Strategic Management for Public Organization

I. Develop an example SWOT Matrix for the university you recently attend with two items in each quadrant. Make sure your strategies clearly exemplify matching and show this with (e.g., S1, T2) type notation.

II. Case Analysis: Automakers across the globe are investing billions of dollars in investing in electric vehicle technology. Tesla has garnered a great deal of attention and investors by taking the lead in market share for electric cars. But a number of mainline auto makers are also fully committed to electric vehicles. General Motors has launched its Bolt EV, is adding an electric Buick SUV, and plans to make Cadillac its first all-electric brand. Looking further out, Mark Reuss, GMs president said, General Motors believes in an all-electric future. Similarly, Volvo plans to launch five all-electric vehicles by the end of 2022. Other automakers have similar plans. One manufacturer who is taking a different path is Mazda. Instead of going full electric in the near term, Mazda is working to extend the life of the internal combustion engine. While the firm has signaled that they are working on an extended range electric car, they had not produced a prototype electric car as of early 2019. Instead, the firm has developed a new type of gasoline engine with an innovative technology that provides the efficiency of a diesel engine with the cleanliness of a gasoline engine. The Skyactiv-X engine that Mazda has developed uses a combination of compression ignition (a technology commonly used in diesel engines) and spark ignition (used in gasoline engines). This allows the engine to produce 10 to 30 percent more torque with 20 to 30 percent greater fuel efficiency than a prior similar sized engine. Mazda argues that when considering wheel-to-wheel carbon emission for a car, which includes carbon associated with fuel extraction, power generation, manufacturing, and shipping, a Mazda 3 with the Skyactiv-X engine produces only 10 percent more carbon dioxide than a similar-sized electric vehicle. And since it is based on established mass-manufacturing technologies and doesnt require the added cost of the large quantity of batteries needed in electric cars, Mazdas Skyactiv-X Model 3 is priced $13 to $15 thousand less than similar electric cars. What is unknown is how the market will respond to Mazdas new technology. While Mazda argues this new engine puts it roughly on par with the environmental friendliness of an

electric vehicle, it is not clear that consumers will see it the same way. Additionally, it may not meet regulatory pressures being put on automakers to manufacture products that meet zero emission standards. Discussion Questions: (a) Is Mazdas strategy to innovate to improve on internal combustion engine vehicles a valuable direction to go? (b) If you were choosing between a Mazda with their more efficient engine or a similar sized electric car, which would you select? Why? (c) What can Mazda do to have the best chance of succeeding with their more efficient gasoline engine vehicles?