Case is attached. The structure, mentioned in the instruction, is also attached. Make sure to follow the exact structure for paper!!!! Read the instructions below very CAREFULLY! The following two
Structure of Final Exam Case Analysis Outline Report
Note: These guidelines are intended to help you get the structure right on the case report; meeting them
does not guarantee a quality work. Please use the same sections headings (e.g., Key Issues, Current
Strategy, etc.) in your paper. Please insert only bullet points (including short sentence) for each section; each point shall be no more than two lines (3-5 words beyond the second line is acceptable in rare cases). If you choose to fill in your points directly on this template, please make sure you remove all
instructional words (other than the section titles) for clear presentation.
Limit the text to 3 pages (12 font, single-spaced, 1” (2.54cm) margin on all sides), excluding cover
pages, tables and exhibits.
Key Issues (preferably 3-6 issues each in one bullet point;)
• Obvious and pressing issues, hidden problems, and long terms challenges facing the company.
These issues set a direction in terms of where your strategic alternatives should focus. Please
describe them (and number them) in order of importance.
External Assessment. Top Three most important opportunities/threats in total, not three each. A table of
external analysis (no need to include in the report) will be highly helpful for you to identify good
opportunities and threats.
Advice: focus on the strategic group of which the focal company is a member, NOT the case company.
DO NOT talk about the case company in describing the opportunities/threats. Do NOT give
recommendations here as to what firms can do or should do with respect to these opportunities and
threats.
• One sentence describing the strategic group (similar strategy and competitors)
• Opp/threat #1: One sentence that clearly specifies the opp/threat for the strategic group; 1-2
bullet points following the sentence to provide evidence for the opp/threat
• Opp/threat #2: ditto
• Opp/threat #3: ditto
Internal Assessment. Top Three most important strengths/weaknesses in total, not three each.
• Str/weakness #1: One sentence identifying the strength/weakness; 1 subpoint providing evidence;
2-3 separate bullet point arguments explaining the V, R, I evaluation of the strength. If it is a
weakness, 1-2 points to discuss whether it can be transformed into a strength in the future.
• Str/weakness #2: ditto
• Str/weakness #3: ditto
Financial Diagnosis – Exhibit 1 for this section
• 3-6 bullet points to interpret the ratios in the Exhibit 1. Use various comparisons (e.g., temporal
changes) and financial ratios to diagnose the company’s financial situation. Remember to
comment on the company’s overall financial health and capacity to carry on future investments
that might be part of your strategic alternatives.
Current Strategy
Note: focus on what the company is currently doing; do NOT discuss what it can or should do in the
future
• Business strategy (one sentence defining the strategy such as differentiation, followed by 1-3
bullet points of explanations)
• Functional strategy (2-3 separate points for major functional practices such as marketing
initiatives);
• Global strategy and corporate strategy, whenever the case provides information
Implementable Strategic Alternatives (a total of TWO alternatives; the most important section!)
Note: (1) Business level strategies are expected, while corporate level strategies are accepted. Please do
not propose functional level strategies (HR, marketing, etc.) as explained in Chapter 4, which focus on
operational changes that aim to improve internal efficiency and effectiveness.
(2) Business strategies represent major moves in the way the company competes on the market. They
often involve significant investments or divestments that carry long term impact on the company’s
competitiveness. These strategies are externally oriented, often answering the question of what to serve,
who to serve, where and how to compete.
(3) Business level strategic alternatives, often developed based on existing/potential strengths/weaknesses
and available environmental opportunities/threats, should deal with key issues (including the pressure for
growth).
(4) Two alternatives need to be significantly distinctive, yet they all need to generate significant revenue
or market growth to the company, which means that simply divesting (stop doing) something may not
suffice.
(5) Both strategies should go beyond a general goal (e.g., going international or developing a new
product) and discuss what the company needs to do exactly (e.g., which country to enter and in what
ways? what kind of new product you are talking about exactly?). Remember you do NOT have to use
generic strategy terms such as low cost or differentiation to describe your strategy. In fact, you can easily
run into cliché ideas if you simply play around these terms rather than explaining specific strategy
actions. For example, a strategy of Westjet building leadership in tourism travel segment does not need
mentioning any of those generic terms.
(6) Both alternatives should be plausible and appealing, supported with solid reasoning and strong
arguments. If your two alternative ideas can be easily combined, you probably need to combine them and
develop a new alternative. In addition, both strategies should either depart significantly from the firm’s
current strategy or add substantive value to the current strategy, showcasing your own contributions.
(7) Keep in mind that using status quo or current strategy (that is, continue to do what has been
doing) as an strategy alternative demonstrates weak creativity; I need to see your OWN original
ideas. Selling off the company is not an option of strategy in the exam. Lastly, a good advice to review
your proposed strategy: Do you think the CEO of the firm will find your strategy alternatives useful and
implementable? If they do not make sense to the firm (such as ask McDonald to sell luxury hand bags),
then you will want to go back and develop some new ones.
• Alternative #1: One sentence specifying the strategy, followed by 3-5 bullet points of
explanations of what it is exactly in terms of specific strategic actions expected from the firm,
with respect to the analysis in previous sections
• Alternative #2: ditto
Criteria and Evaluation of Alternatives by Criteria (second most important section) – Exhibit 2-3 for
this section
• One sentence to list 3 criteria (e.g., NPV), and 1-2 sentences to justify your choice of these
criteria (that is, why these, not others?)
• Then, separate points in correspondence to the three criteria, each point using one criterion to
compare the two alternatives with clear conclusion (which one is better) and justifications (why).
Recommendation and its Implementation
• 1-2 points to summarize the evaluations and recommend one strategy based on the evaluations
• 1-2 points to discuss major issues/challenges regarding the implementation of the strategy
• 1-2 points to discuss the limitations of the recommended strategy with respect to the identified
key issues. Offer suggestions on possible solutions if you can.
Exhibits (append all exhibits to the end of the paper in the following order)
• Exhibit 1: Financial Analysis. A table that presents financial ratios of multiple categories, such as
profitability, leverage, liquidity, etc., as well as any useful historical comparisons such as sales
increase/decrease. No specific ratios are mandatory. All depends on your analysis and needs.
• Exhibit 2-3: Two Exhibits of NPV corresponding to the two strategic alternatives respectively;
put key assumptions, with brief justifications, either at the bottom of the tables or on a separate
page. Please refer to the Westover Inn case in your case package for a template of NPV.