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Questions For the Cases of the 1st category

Please use the model suggested in the position outline you have:
1. What the main facts in the case study
2. What are the main issues?
3. Structure the facts around the issues
4. Propose 3 strategic alternatives for action and give the pro’s and the con’s for
each one
5. Select the best alternative and explain why it is the best
6. Should the company implement your selected strategy, what kind of problems
would the company have to deal with in the implementation process? How
challenging is it? How likely it will succeed? What could be the results for the
company? How should the company finance the implementation of this new
strategy?
7. Conclusions

The IBM 360 Decision


1. When was the IBM 360 decision actually made?
2. When did the decision become essentially irreversible?
3. What were the critical management processes involved in each step?
4. Why were these steps essential or important to the decision process?
5. When did the decision process begin? Why?
6. What triggers a major change in such a large organization?
7. Who actually made the IBM 360 decision?
8. How does one manage this kind of decision process?
9. Where are the “planners” in the process?
10. How do they manage risk in this project?
11. Why is there a resistance in the organization?
12. Why wouldn’t this kind of strategy have come out of formal planning process?
13. Why do Watson and Learson use the “shoot out” process, rather than a formally
planned “system analysis” or ” system evaluation” to design the optimum
computer on the paper and then proceed with only the best alternative design?
14. Why is this kind of process appropriate or inappropriate to this particular decision
situation?
15. When did the IBM 360 decision actually begin? When does it end?
16. Was Mr. Leasron a good manager? If yes, what makes him a good manager?
17. Learson seems to keep his goals “vague” . Why keeping goals vague can be a
useful management technique?
18. Why does a manager like Learson use the “questioning” technique rather giving
formal orders?
19. Why are Watson and Learson not very visible in making specific decisions?
20. Who is really the leader? Watson or Learson?
21. What characteristics or actions of Learson constitute leadership?
22. What does one have to do to keep his somewhat impatient, domineering style
from being destructive?
23. Is Learson, or Watson really “manipulating” this decision? If so, is this
destructive? How could they possibly have managed the process better? Is
Learson a Theory X or Theory Y manager?
24. How did Learson deal with Haanstra during the decision process? What political
moves seem to have been made by him and Watson?
25. Why do they not push the whole package of 360 at first? How do Watson and
Learson develop the information which allows them to manage a system which
has more information then they have?
26. What are the key points for intervention in this process and how do Learson and
Watson manage them?
27. What was the IBM 360 strategy?
28. Why was it essential to have a single line? Compatible ? Standard interface?
29. How could outside groups have taken advantage of the IBM 360 strategy?
30. What the most critical factors with which IBM must deal if the company is to be
successful in the future? What actions should be taken relative to each of these?
31. What are the most important changes which seem to be taking place in the
marketplace?
32. How should IBM prioritize investments in manufacturing technology vs, product
technology ?Should process technology be developed separately or integrated in
its product development units?
33. To what extent should IBM perform its research internally?
34. If IBM was entering a maturing market era , how should its production function
be organized? What would be the critical success factors?
35. What are the most important organization issues facing IBM? What changes are
necessary to support the implementation of the strategy developed here?

Saatchi and Saatchi

1. What were the main factors that contributed to the success of the company in the
beginning?
2.How the brand Saatchi and Saatchi was developed?
3. What was the financial strategy of the company?
4.The company claims that advertising is becoming a global business and
positions itself as the champion global agency. Is advertising a global business? In
what sense? What advantages does a global agency have over a local/national
one?
5.How do you evaluate Maurice Saatchi's concept of "Global Service
Supermarkets"? What benefits might an advertising company derive by
diversifying into Management Consulting?
6.What the company should do now? I mean after reading the whole case.

1. Starting with 9 employees and a capital of 25000Pounds in 1970, the company


grew to be the world's largest advertising agency with a gross billing of $1 billion
in 1987.What were the key factors that contributed to this growth?
2. The company claims that advertising is a becoming a global business, and
positions itself as the champion global agency. Is the advertising a global
business? In what sense? What advantages does a global agency have over a
national one?

3. How do you evaluate Maurice Saatchi's concept of a "global service


supermarket"? What benefits might an advertising agency derive by diversifying
into management consulting?
4. How should the company do after reading the case?

HONDA

1. Please describe your perception of how Japan Incorporated operate as well as


your perception of the Japanese management style?
2. When you think of the Japanese management style , what does this style connote
to you?
3. Is there really a Japanese management style? If not, how did we obtain the
perceptions we have of the Japanese management style?
4. What were the critical success factors in the early (motocycle) stages of Honda?
What made Honda successful in these early stages?
5. What is the distinctive competency of the Honda Motor company? What is the
common thread upon which the company builds its future?
6. How should Honda develop its US presence?
7. Why was Honda’s automobile entry successful in the US market?
8. Why was Honda able to pick up market share so quickly in an industry which was
capital intensive , mature, and completely dominated by US manufacturers ?
9. What are the critical elements in Honda’s current posture?
10. In the mid 1990’s, what important issues did Honda face? What should its future
strategies be?
11. How could the US automakers go after Honda in its markets?
12. Why Honda was not able to repeat its American success in Europe? What can
Honda do to strengthen its position in Europe? On which countries should Honda
focus in Europe and why?
13. In which directions should Honda attempt diversification? How will this affect its
other activities? What image should Honda attempts to present? Is Honda really a
Japanese company? Shouldn’t Honda USA be considered an American company?
14. As Japanese companies become further in the USA, will they act as US
companies? If so, how will they affect the US competitiveness? Will they improve
levels of US competitiveness outside of their operations?
15. How should US companies respond to the entry of Japanese auto manufactures?

CANON

1. What were the main products of Canon in the beginning?


2. In which directions did Canon diversify?
3. What were the main competencies of Canon?
4. How did Canon enter the copier business? What were the main obstacles in
the copier industry for Canon , and how did the company succeed to challenge
the dominant position of Xerox?
5. What types of skills and technologies were necessary to enter successfully
this business? And how did Canon develop this capability?
6. What are canon’s competencies?
7. What is supposed to be the strategic orientation of Canon now?
8. Should the company go in diversification? If yes, why and in which
directions?
9. Do you think that the company is supposed to function as a portfolio of core
competencies or functions? Why competencies? Why functions?

McKinsey & Company: Managing Knowledge and Learning

1. How was this obscure little firm of „Accounting and Engineering Advisors”, able
to grow into the world’s most prestigious consulting firm fifty years later? What
was the unique sourec of competitive advantage developed by James O.
McKinsey and later Marwin Bower?
2. Why was the „One Firm Concept” so important to McKinsey’s success?
3. How effective was Ron Daniel in leading McKinsey to respond to challenges
identified in the Commission on Firm Aims and Goals? What contribution did
Fred Gluck make to the required changes?
4. Why has it taken so long to make significant change to a system recognized as a
flawed?
5. How much of a source of a competitive advantage do FPIS and PD Net represent
for McKinsey?
6. Why is Gluck so fixated on embedding knowledge and institutionalizing the
firm’s intellectual capital?
7. What is the difference between „the discover-codify-dessiminate” Model of
knowledge development and and the „engage-explore-apply-share” Approach?
Why are they keen to develop the latter?
8. Judging by the evidence of the 3 min cases of front-line activities in the mid
1990’s, how effective has the firm been in its 2-decade long change process?
9. What is your evaluation of Rajat Gupta’s „four pronged” approach to knowledge
development and application within MCKinsey? As a Senior Partner, what
specific advice would give him?
10. Why is McKinsey consistently the number one employer of prefernce for MBA
graduate worldwide-despite the fact that there is an 85% change that the associate
will be asked to leave within 7 or 8 years?

SAS and the European industry airline


1. Between 1981 and 1986 ,SAS went through one of the most dramatic and visible
processes of strategic change. How was this turnaround been achieved? Why did
it succeed? What can we learn from the process?
2. Why was the “second wave” necessary ?How do you feel about the direction SAS
was following in 1988?Did the second round of change work? What could
Carlzon have done to make it work?
3. How do you evaluate the role played by Cralzon since taking over the presidency
of the company in 1981? What has he done well? With the benefit of hindsight ,
what might he have done differently? What lessons do you draw from the case
about the roles and tasks of general managers in large worldwide companies?
4. If we draw a strategic group for the European airline industry with quality on
the vertical axis and cost on the horizontal axis , where will “SAS” be located?
5. According to M. Porter , a company can develop a competitive advantage from 3
sources: cost leadership, differentiation, focus or is stuck in the middle. On the
basis of which one of these generic strategies “SAS” is competing? Is stuck in the
middle?
6. Where would you put “LOT” Polish airline? What are the options for the
company?

Electrolux: The acquisition and integration of Zanussi

1. How would describe the key characteristics of Electrolux and Zanussi in 1983, in
terms of their strategy , organization, capabilities and performance?
2. As leif Johansson , would you recommend the Zanussi acquisition in 1983?
3. What lessons, if any, do you draw from Electrolux’s approach to acquisition
decision making ?
4. What lessons , if nay, do you draw from Electrolux’s approach to acquisition-
integration? What would have done differently?
5. What strategic and organizational challenges remained for Electrolux in 1988?
What are the main options?
6. What should Leif Johansson do now? ( I mean then).
7. Both brands continue to exist until today. What’s the situation of the company
now. Which strategic orientation should the company go?

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