The strategy Choice Cascade: In this course, we will be using the Strategy Choice Cascade (SCC) Framework for analyzing and formulating the assigned companys strategy. The Strategy Choice Cascade has five major elements. 1. Winning Aspiration a. The definition of what winning looks like for the company. This is an essential question, as the answer defines what the company is really trying to accomplish. 2. Winning Playground a. The playing field on which the company does, and does not, choose to compete. This includes five dimensions: i. Geography: What parts of the region, country or world is the company involved in? ii. Customer/Stakeholder: Who are the customers / stakeholders at the heart of the companys strategy? iii. Channel: How does the company engage customers - directly, or through dealers, wholesalers, or retailers? Are these B-B or B-C approaches? iv. Offer: Which products and services will be the core of what the company sells? v. Stages of Production: What does the company do in-house and what do they outsource (i.e., will leave to suppliers, channels and partners)? 3. Winning Strategy a. The companys competitive advantage, its unique value proposition. How does the company win and continue to win in the marketplace? 4. Winning Capabilities a. Activities that the company engages in that demonstrates its capabilities to achieve its Winning Aspiration. Capabilities are things the company does, like customer service, marketing, innovation, and manufacturing. 5. Winning Management Systems a. The infrastructure, systems, processes, and metrics that support and measure the companys alignment to its strategy over time. Management Systems can include things like Dashboard (Key Performance Indicators), IT platforms, organizational structures, training programs, etc