Advanced Applications

Group Name
Title of Case

Analysis

History

What is the history of the organization?
Any notable accomplishments or milestones?
Did the company pioneer any “firsts” in the industry?
Why was the company started? Did it fill a significant gap in the marketplace?
Any inspirational events that were major turning points for the company or inspirational to the consumer?
Are there any interesting anecdotes from employees or customers when company began?
A timeline is a great visual here to speak to company’s history.
Photos are a great way to talk about the company’s history and set the stage as to how the company was formed and why.

Ikea example: https://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/this-is-ikea/the-ikea-concept/index.html

Leadership:

Who are the leaders in the organization? What are some major accomplishments they have achieved? What previous knowledge do they bring to the organization?

Wal-Mart Example: https://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/leadership

Urban Outfitters Example: https://www.urbn.com/who-we-are/executive-officers/richard-hayne

Nordstrom example: http://investor.nordstrom.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=93295&p=irol-govmanage

Financials

Go to financial section of company’s website.

Urban Outfitters example: http://investor.urbn.com/financial-information/annual-review

Marketing Mix

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_94.htm
Product
1) What does customer want from product and/or service? What needs does it satisfy?
2) How and where will customer use?
3) How is it differentiated vs. your competitors? Do you have a competitive advantage?

Place
1) Where do buyers looks for your product or service?
2) What kind of store do they look in for it?
3) What are your distribution channels?
4) What do your competitors do and how can you learn from them?

Price
1) What is the value of the product and/or service to the buyer?
2) Any established price points for product in service in area?
3) Is the customer price sensitive?
4) What discounts should be offered?
5) How do you compare with competitors?

Promotion
1) Where and when can you get your marketing messages across to target market?
2) Will you reach your audience by advertising online, television, social media? Make sure you communicate specifically which channels.
3) Best time to promote?
4) How do your competitors do promotions and how does that influence your choice of promotional activity?

Goals & Objectives

Example: http://standfor.containerstore.com/

• What are the key initiatives and strategies of the company?
• Consider financial and social goals and objectives?
• What is the 5 or even 10 year plan?
• Where are they trying to go and why?
• Are they trying to secure or fill a particular void in the marketplace? Why?
• Sustainability strategies?
• Are they trying to be a leader in the marketplace?

Mission, Vision, Values

Kohl’s example: https://corporate.kohls.com/company/purpose-and-values

Target Market
• Provide specifics here.
• Demographics: Examples include age, income, marital status
• Psychographic: attitudes, beliefs, behaviors
• Can you support any of this with research?

Competition

• Who is the competition? Should have at least two here. You can speak to major competitors vs. smaller competitors as well.
• Define the industry of the competitor: The competitor doesn’t necessarily need to be in the same industry.
• What does your competition do well?
• Who are the customer for your competitors?
• What are the key strengths and weaknesses of major competitors?
•

SWOT

Strengths
• Most important strength

• Next most important strength

• Next most important strength
Weaknesses
• Most important weakness

• Next most important weakness

• Next most important weakness

Opportunities
• Most important opportunity

• Next most important opportunity

• Next most important opportunity
Threats
• Most important threat

• Next most important threat

• Next most important threat

**Should have at least 3 bullet points in each area of your SWOT.

Strengths: Internal factors under company’s control. Examples include human resources, current processes, financial resources, etc

External factors: Things that the company doesn’t control. Examples include market trends, economic trends, demographics, politics, economic regulations

SWOT explained (only for explanation purposes)

Opportunity

Clear and concise statement of core opportunity. Identification of the cause for the opportunity, explanation, and justification here.

Recommendations

1. Brief description of your first recommendation.
Explanation of what action needs to occur and why.

Budget & Resources.
• Cost associated
• People needed to complete this action
• Space requirements
**Be specific here and make sure you include information about the dollars necessary to complete or how much budget should be increased.

Implementation.
• Identify timeline.
• Is your timeline staggered across days or years?
• Explain how long it will take to implement this recommendation.
• Consider a possible back up plan if your implementation plan doesn’t work and communicate that here.

Justification.

• Identify any risks associated with this action
• Why should the company take the risk?
• Examine the potential benefit of this recommendation in relations to the cost associated with the action
• How are you going to overcome any cost constraints?
• Consider the impacts in the immediate future as well as long term future.
•

Companies ensure that there is a return on investment before spending time and money.

2. Brief description of your second recommendation.
Explanation of what action needs to occur and why.

Budget & Resources.
• Cost associated
• People needed to complete this action
• Space requirements
**Be specific here and make sure you include information about the dollars necessary to complete or how much budget should be increased.

Implementation.
• Identify timeline.
• Is your timeline staggered across days or years?
• Explain how long it will take to implement this recommendation.
• Consider a possible back up plan if your implementation plan doesn’t work and communicate that here.

Justification.

• Identify any risks associated with this action
• Why should the company take the risk?
• Examine the potential benefit of this recommendation in relations to the cost associated with the action
• How are you going to overcome any cost constraints?
• Consider the impacts in the immediate future as well as long term future.
•

Companies ensure that there is a return on investment before spending time and money.

3. Brief description of your third recommendation.
Explanation of what action needs to occur and why.

Budget & Resources.
• Cost associated
• People needed to complete this action
• Space requirements
**Be specific here and make sure you include information about the dollars necessary to complete or how much budget should be increased.

Implementation.
• Identify timeline.
• Is your timeline staggered across days or years?
• Explain how long it will take to implement this recommendation.
• Consider a possible back up plan if your implementation plan doesn’t work and communicate that here.

Justification.

• Identify any risks associated with this action
• Why should the company take the risk?
• Examine the potential benefit of this recommendation in relations to the cost associated with the action
• How are you going to overcome any cost constraints?
• Consider the impacts in the immediate future as well as long term future.
•

Companies ensure that there is a return on investment before spending time and money.

References

**Remember to have a minimum of 10 credible references. More is great but you should have a minimum of 10.

Other suggestions: Be creative. Use videos or charts in your report/presentation. This is a group activity and analysis is important but it’s also ok to be creative (within reason) of how you communicate the information.