Strategic Management – TomTom

Questions
1. What strategy is TomTom pursuing, is it working?
2. Does the satellite navigation industry offer attractive opportunities for growth? What kind of competitive forces are industry members facing and how do the forces influence the outlook for industry profitability? 3. What are the strengths and weaknesses of TomTom? What are the threats and opportunities facing the company? 4. Which strategic problem/challenge is TomTom facing for the future? 5. What recommendations would you make to TomTom management to improve its competitive position in the satellite navigation industry, take advantage of market opportunities, and defend against external threats?

RIM

Questions
1. What are the dominant economic characteristics of the wireless communications industry? What are the distinguishing features of the market for smartphones? 2. What is competition like in the wireless phone industry? Which of the five competitive forces is strongest? Which is weakest? What competitive forces seem to have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness? 3. What are the under lying drivers of change and how might those driving forces change the industry? 4. What strategic approach has Research in Motion chosen to employ in international markets? Would you characterize its strategy as a global strategy or a localized multi-country strategy? How has it utilized location to build competitive advantage? 5. Check on the internet and try to explain the present situation of RIM and the reasons for their problems.

KRISPY KREME

Questions
1.What are the chief elements of Krispy Kreme’s strategy? Was it working?

2.Identify and explain the key elements of their business model.

3. What does a SWOT analysis reveal about Krispy Kreme’s overall situation, including an evaluation of their financial performance? Do a comparative strengths and weaknesses assessment using McKinsey.

4.On the basis of your assessment above, what do you think of Krispy Kreme’s growth prospects? Just how good are they?

5.What major issues do you think that Krispy Kreme management needs to address?

6.What recommendations would you make to Krispy Kreme management to improve upon the strategy or otherwise sustain the company’s growth and profitability?

7.Would you buy this company’s stock?

NF Nouvelles Frontières

Questions
1. Evaluate the strategic positioning of this company and their most recent strategic move. 2. Explain the relative advantages of being vertically integrated a. tour operator – travel agency

b. airline – hotels
3. Which problems/challenges are they facing at the time of the case 4. Check on the net and find out what happened to the company and why.

Week 2 Read and prepare
Adidas or LVMH
Cemex
Matra Renault
P&G Gilette

ADIDAS

Questions
1. What is Adidas’ corporate strategy?
2. What is your evaluation of Adidas’ line-up of businesses in 2009? What does a 9-cell industry attractiveness/ business strength matrix displaying Adidas’ business units look like? 3. Does Adidas’ business line-up exhibit good strategic fit? What value-chain match-ups exist? What opportunities for skills transfer, cost sharing, or brand sharing are evident? Prior to its divestiture, what kind of strategic fits existed between Adidas’ core business and its Salomon business unit? 4. Has Adidas’ business line-up exhibited good resource fit between 1998 and 2008? What have been the financial characteristics of its major business segments during that time period? Which businesses might have been considered cash hogs and cash cows? 5. Based on your analysis of Adidas businesses, did the restructuring undertaken in 2005 and 2006 make sense? 6. Does it appear the acquisition of Reebok International will produce higher returns for shareholders? 7. What strategic actions should Adidas’ top management initiate to improve the company’s financial and market performance now that restructuring is complete?

For LVMH

Questions
1.What is LVMH’s corporate strategy? What does Bernard Arnault mean by ‘star brands’ and how do they contribute to corporate advantage? Is there a common strategic approach utilized in managing LVMH’s portfolio of luxury products businesses? Did it lead to exceptional financial /value creation results 2.What is your evaluation of Bernard Arnault’s acquisitions? Has he diversified LVMH into attractive industries? Does each luxury products group hold a strong competitive position in its respective industry? What does a 9-cell industry attractiveness/business strength matrix displaying LVMH’s business units look like? 3.Is there good strategic fit among all the various star luxury brands? What value-chain match-ups do you see?

What opportunities for skills transfer, cost sharing, or brand sharing do you see? Do the key strategies and competencies Bernard Arnault believes contribute to the development of star brands benefit all businesses in LVMH’s portfolio? 4.Is there good resource fit among all the various star luxury brands? What are the financial characteristics of each of LVMH’s six segments? Which businesses might be considered cash hogs and cash cows? How does LVMH’s financial performance by business segment in 1999-2001 compare to 1988? 5.Based on the preceding analysis, what is your overall evaluation of LVMH’s business lineup in 2002? Does the portfolio provide the company’s shareholders with an opportunity for above-average market returns? Is its weak 2001 financial performance related to a cyclical downturn in demand for luxury products or is its poor performance a sign of a portfolio weaknesses? 6.What strategic actions should Bernard Arnault carry out to improve the company’s financial and market performance?

CEMEX

Questions
1. How have Cemex’s business strategy choices strengthened or weakened its competitive position in the cement industry? Discuss how the company’s senior management has chosen to increase the horizontal or vertical scope of the firm through acquisitions. 2. What have been the benefits of Cemex’s acquisition strategy? 3. Has Cemex’s increase in scope also been a part of its international strategy? Is the international strategy best characterized as a multi-domestic strategy or global strategy? Explain. 4. What business strategy recommendations would you make to Lorenzo Zambrano?

MATRA RENAULT

Questions
1. What are the differentiation characteristics of the Espace. Which ones are sustainable overtime? 2. What are the relative advantages of the alliance for Matra? For Renault? 3. Compare this alliance with the one between PSA (Peugeot – Citroen) and FIAT. 4. What will be (at the time of the case) the future of

a. The product?
b. The alliance?
c. Matra Auto division?

P&G GILETTE

Questions

1.What is Procter & Gamble’s corporate strategy? Do the company’s businesses seem to be related or unrelated? Are Gillette’s businesses closely related to P&G’s businesses? How will a merger with Gillette provide a 1 + 1 = 3 effect for P&G?

2.What is your evaluation of Procter & Gamble’s business lineup? How attractive are the industries it competes in? What is the competitive strength of each of its business segments? Does Gillette seem to compete in attractive consumer segments? Are its business units strong in their respective markets? What does a 9-cell industry attractiveness/business strength matrix displaying P&G and Gillette ’s business units look like?

3.Does Procter & Gamble’s business line-up exhibit good resource fit? How do Gillette’s profit margins compare to the profit margins for P&G’s businesses for the 2000 – June 2005 time period? Do both companies have similar growth rates and debt structures? How do the free cash flow and free cash flow productivity rates compare for the two companies?

4.What is your assessment of the $57 billion acquisition price Procter & Gamble paid for Gillette? Does the 20% purchase price premium seem appropriate?

5.What strategic actions should Procter & Gamble executives undertake to ensure the Gillette acquisition ultimately benefits shareholders? What must be done to achieve the expected 1 + 1 = 3 benefit? Should the company pursue additional acquisitions? Should certain business units be eliminated from the business lineup?