英国 商学院的EMBA课程讲座PPT StrategicManagement

Will a small increase in profits bring ACME above $97 million?
Does industry performance suggest a small increase is reasonable?
Are ACME’s cost and quality positions in line with industry average?
Are ACME’s resources and capabilities better suited to the valueadded sector?
Do gains from high prices for value added products outweigh loss in sales volumes?
Which one should we take?
–
STRATEGY (2)
From: B. Minto, The Pyramid Principle
In response to this question you develop an answer (or a proposition or recommendation)
• Pigs should be kept as pets
STRATEGY (3)
Steps in Problem Structuring (3)
• Third: convince the reader or develop support for argument
– Inductive or deductive logic. Horizontal linkages • Typical problems
Opposition Similarity Importance
STRATEGY (4)
The problem with ACME Bottle
• “ACME Bottle” has been losing money. “Diversified”, owner of 49% of ACME, has received an offer to sell ACME for $97 million. You have been hired to advise Diversified’s Management on what to do. Outline the report you will write. On a single sheet of paper:
Are ACME’s resources and capabilities better suited to the valueadded sector?
Do ACME’s R&D & quality results match those of leading value-added players?
STRATEGY (7)
Does ACME’s direct sales force and quality focus create the high cost structure of a value-added player?
Do high market share objectives cause ACME sales reps to price as low as commodity players?
– Define accurately and clearly the problem facing Diversified. – Break down the problem into its components – Specify one hypothesis that would help address each component – Describe the data and analysis that will confirm or disconfirm each hypothesis
Is ACME worth more than $97million?
Will ACME realise greater value if it focuses on either high value-added or commodity products?
Should ACME focus on selling value added products?
STRATEGY (9)
Assignment:
• Write a Business as Usual / Complication / Question sequence • Brainstorm for answers • Choose one of these answers as your “overarching answer” • Lump the other answers in separate “bags” • Re-lump until the logic for these groupings is clear to you • Present your case to your colleagues • Is your answer:
Session 2: Problem Structuring
• Theory of problem structuring • Practical application by “building a case” for multiple
possible uses such as
– A proposal you make – An answer you give – A position you take
Will a small increase in profits bring ACME above $97 million?
STRATEGY (6)
Does industry performance suggest that a small increase is reasonable?
Do players have to sell either value-added or commodity products to be successful?
Do ACME’s R&D & quality results match those of leading valueadded players?
Is ACME’s technically knowledgeable sales-force among the most respected in the industry?
STRATEGY (1)
Theory: Steps in Problem Structuring
• First: how did you arrive at this position and why is it of interest to me? Four distinct sub-steps here:
Steps in Problem Structuring (2)
• Second: capture attention of reader or develop depth of argument
– Establish a question, answer it, move to the next level of refinement. Vertical linkages
– Overlaps (not mutually exclusive) – Gaps (not collectively exhaustive) – Not commonly accepted logic of ordering
» Temporal (A before B before C) » Structural (US Division, European Division) » Other basic relationship: » Part / whole
STRATEGY (8)
• A logical progression of thoughts
– From premise (statement about situation) to comment to implication
– Governing thought relies heavily on implication
STRATEGY (5)
ACME report: Inductive
Should Dude keep ACME and focus on selling value added products?
Is ACME worth more than $97million?
Should ACME focus on selling value added products?
How can this stuff be useful to us?
• Winning support for an initiative at work • Cracking a case at an interview • Working as a consultant • Writing a report at LBS • Using the material in this course
Is ACME’s technically knowledgeable sales-force among the most respected in the industry?
ACME report: Deductive
Should Dude keep ACME and focus on selling value added products?
– All answer the same question – “what”, “how”, or “why”
– All same “type” of noun – examples, actions, reasons – Combine to support higher
level of abstraction
Do players have to sell either high value-added or commodity products to be successful?
Does ACME’s unfocused strategy result in higher costs, lower prices and low profitability?
Something went wrong
What do we do?
Something could go wrong
How can we prevent it?
Something changed
What should we do?
Something could change
How should we react?
– Business as usual: Things are normal – A problem or complication arises – An obvious question then arises: E.g. “What to do about it?”
Complication
Quemight expect to find in it
Do we find it?
Here’s someone with a different point of view Who is right?
In this situation we have three alternatives
Two ways to develop a line of questioning or a presentation
Grouping (inductive)
Argument (deductive)
Governing thought
Governing thought
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• A group of independent thoughts that support the same conclusion