Report

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT & BUSINESS POLICY 490/690

STRATEGIC ANALYSIS GUIDELINES

DR. ANNE KELLY HOEL

Management is the process of doing things right. Management also has the responsibility for making change happen in an organization. The ability to communicate your ideas and proposals so that others can understand what you want, and the rationale for making it happen, are crucial to the implementation of your ideas and to your success.

PAPER ORGANIZATION

Use the following order and paragraph headings in the presentation of your paper:

Title Page Include the corporation being reviewed, group members and course information.

Table of Contents

Include all items found within the paper.

Executive Summary This is, perhaps, the most important part of your paper. It is also the last part to be written. Present an overview of your entire paper. It should review the process you used to get to your conclusion and recommendations. This summary should be no more than one page.

Spark an interest! Write the summary in a way that will get your reader to turn the page and read the rest of the report. Nothing else should be included on this page. It should be inserted immediately behind the Table of Contents.

Problem Statement (The issue to be analyzed) Define what, specifically, is the issue (problem or opportunity) to be analyzed. The issue should be stated in the form of a question that demands an answer. Generally, if you cannot state the issue (problem or opportunity) in one sentence, it will be unclear as to what the issue really is.

Example: How should XYZ Corporation implement a new exercise program to improve the health of its employees?

Company Profile

What is the mission and current strategy? What are the essential facts and figures that lay behind the issue you are trying to deal with? You should be trying to expand the issue statement with facts to present a picture of the current situation. Do not try to analyze the facts at this point, just present them in writing.

Analyses

Now you are at the point where you can begin to analyze all of the facts presented above. As part of that process, you will begin to make new connections with existing facts that no one else has discovered yet. You will be defining trends and situations sufficiently, so that someone who is totally unfamiliar with the situation can understand where you are coming from. If you have any doubts about the clarity, get someone to read what you have written. If they do not understand your thought process, you can bet the boss does not!

Constraints and Conditions

What are the factors holding the company back? What are the company’s strengths and weaknesses? What are the internal and external environmental conditions or trends that cannot be changed and that must be worked around, over, under, and through to get the job done? What are the competitive forces in the industry? Who are key competitors?

Up to this point in the analysis, you have presented a review of the current situation so that anyone can understand what the issue is and how it got to be a problem or opportunity.

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Now you are ready to begin to present some ideas for the resolution of the issue.

Decision Criteria Any time you are required to make a decision, there are rules (criteria) that each proposed solution must meet in order to be viable. In this section, you will define what those rules are that govern the selection of the recommended solution.

For example: if you are in the process of buying a car, what are the important factors that help you choose the car you want? Is color important? Do you want a warranty? What about engine performance? Is cost a factor? Those items underlined above then become criteria that will aid you in your decision among the alternative solutions that you are considering.

Alternative Solutions

In management situations, there is always more than one way to do something. You should, at a minimum, present three or four alternative ways to solve your problems. Three to five alternatives are ideal. Present all of the possible solutions by thoroughly thinking out what can be done to resolve the issue.

For each of the alternatives you present, you will be required to test them against the decision criteria defined above. Based on those criteria, list the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative solution before you reach a point where you are ready to make a recommendation. The boss at the very least can always choose to do nothing! So make sure that you discuss each alternative and its advantages and disadvantages. This, perhaps, is the most critical stage of your analysis. A good job done here shows that you have done your homework. With adequate supporting citations of the evidence you have gathered, you will go a long way towards building your credibility as someone who knows what you’re doing.

Recommendation/Conclusion

Now you are ready to choose among the alternative solutions presented in the last section. Why is the recommended alternative better than all of the rest? Have you adequately supported your decision? You are the management change agent. Why should someone else go along with what you recommend? Show them that you have done your homework, presented the appropriate (cited) evidence, and that your recommendation is the best one. By the way, do not include any new alternatives in this section.

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References Now you have reached the final part of your report. As a general rule, any time you use pictures, charts, and exhibits to illustrate your ideas, the report gets even better. Use them liberally.

Appendices

However, to amplify your explanations and adequately support your text, but not interrupt the flow of ideas in the text, you will want to include a lot of details in this next portion of the paper.

Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C

and beyond, if necessary

Note: In all of these sections, you will need to include whatever it takes to support your case.

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