Complete four mini-cases. Each mini case must be no more than three pages and double-spaced, exclusive of the cover and reference pages. The use of APA formatting and citation is required
FIRST MINI CASE
Please read Fitbit, Inc.: Has The Company Outgrown Its Strategy?
Answer the questions below to complete Mini-Case #1.
Assignment Questions
1. What is competition like in the activity tracking industry? How strong is the competitive strength of buyers?and suppliers? New entrants and substitute products? Rivalry among competing sellers? Prepare a Five Forces Model of Competition to support your conclusions.
2. How would you best describe Fitbits competitive strategy?
3. Perform a SWOT analysis for Fitbit. What are the companys primary strengths and weaknesses? What external opportunities and threats exist?
4. Analyze the companys financial performance. Do trends suggest that its strategy is working?
5. What recommendations would you make to Fitbit management to address the most important strategic issues facing the company?
SECOND MINI CASE
Please read Tesla Motors in 2016: Will Its Strategy Be Defeated by Low Gasoline Prices and Mounting Competition?
Answer the questions below to complete Mini-Case #2.
Assignment Questions
1. What are the key elements of Tesla Motors strategy?
2. Which one of the five generic competitive strategies discussed in Chapter 5 most closely approximates the competitive approach that Tesla is employing?
3. Are you impressed by the strategy Elon Musk has crafted for Tesla? Why or why not?
4. What is your assessment of Teslas financial performance as shown in case Exhibit 2? Use the financial ratio information in Table 4.1 of Chapter 4 to assist you in calculating a revealing set of financial ratios and interpreting them.
5. What do we learn from the data in case Exhibit 3? Does the data provide additional valuable information? Why or why not?
6. What are the issues/problems that Elon Musk and other members of Teslas top management team need to address?
7. What, if any, changes/adjustments in Teslas strategy would you recommend that Elon Musk consider?
8. What is your outlook for Teslas future performance and its prospects for revolutionizing the global automotive industrys use of gasoline-powered engines versus battery-powered engines?
THIRD MINI CASE
Please read Uber in 2016: Can It Remain the Dominant Leader of the Worlds Fast-Emerging Ridesharing Industry?
Answer the questions below to complete Mini-Case #3.
Assignment Questions
1. How would you characterize Ubers business model and strategy? What are the key elements of its customer value proposition? Its profit formula? Its approach to competing in the marketplace?
2. How would you describe competition in the ridesharing industry? What leverage do buyers and suppliers have with ridesharing services? What competitive threat is posed by new entrants and substitute services? Prepare a Five Forces Model of Competition to support your answer.
3. Does Uber operate as a socially responsible business? Assess the five components of Ubers corporate social responsibility strategy.
4. Examine Ubers corporate culture. What are the key features of the companys corporate culture? Has the culture shifted over the lifespan of the company?
5. With what strategic issues should Uber management be most concerned in 2016? What are the 4-5 issues that offer the greatest opportunities or that present the greatest threats to its well-being?
FOURTH MINI CASE
Please read Lululemon Athletica, Inc., in 2016: Can the Company Get Back on Track?
Answer the questions below to complete Mini-Case #4.
Assignment Questions
1. How strong are the competitive forces confronting Lululemon in the market for performance-based yoga and fitness apparel? Do a five-forces analysis to support your answer.
2. What does your strategic group map of the performance sports apparel industry look like? Is Lululemon well positioned? Why or why not?
3. What do you see as the key success factors in the market for performance-based yoga and fitness apparel?
4. What does a SWOT analysis reveal about the overall attractiveness of Lululemons situation?
5. What are the primary components of Lululemons value chain?
6. What are the key elements of Lululemons strategy? [If you have previously covered the Under Armour case, which features of Lululemons strategy stand out as being different from the strategy at Under Armour?]
7. Which one of the five generic competitive strategies discussed in Chapter 5 most closely approximates the competitive approach that Lululemon is employing?
8. What do the data in case Exhibit 1 reveal about Lululemons financial and operating performance? You should use the financial ratios in Table 4.1 of Chapter 4 in performing calculations to determine which aspects of Lululemons financial performance might be characterized as impressive, improving, or not. In addition to the ratios in Table 4.1, you will also need to calculate compound average growth rates (CAGR) for certain financial measures. The formula for calculating CAGR (in percentage terms) is as follows:
CAGR % = [ending value ÷ beginning value] 1/n 1 x 100
(where n = the number of year-to-year or period-to-period changes)
9. What 3-4 top priority issues do CEO Laurent Potdevin and Lululemon management need to address?
10. What recommendations would you make to Lululemon CEO Laurent Potdevin? At a minimum, your recommendations should cover what to do about each of the top priority issues identified in question 9
