Eni is Italy$$s largest and most profitable company. The case traces Eni$$s $50-$year history from its founding as a state$-$owned oil and gas company, through its privatization and restructuring during the $1990$s$,$ to its growth and success under its present CEO, Vittorio Mincato. The case surveys the state of Eni during the early part of $2003$ and considers some of the challenges facing Mr$.$ Mincato as he seeks to sustain and continue Eni$$s outstanding financial and operating performance under a strategy of $$disciplined growth$$ and $$core business focus.$$ The case deals with the analysis of corporate strategy for a large corporation. $($By $2003,$ Eni was among the top$-50$ global corporations whether measured by sales or market capitalization.$)$ Eni is vertically integrated, international, and diversified across several industrial sectors$.$ The case requires students to identify and analyze the rationale behind Eni$$s current corporate strategy and make recommendations for how Eni should allocate its resources across its different vertical levels, business sectors$,$ and geographical areas of operation in the future. A key challenge of the case is that Eni is currently performing exceptionally well. Hence, there is a tendency among many students to recommend $$Keep up the good work, Mr$.$ Mincato$$ without looking deeply at the company and its business. In fact, Eni faces a number of key challenges, which must be addressed if Eni$$s recent success is to be sustained. This case is used to develop students$$ skills in the following: Identifying, articulating, and analyzing a company$$s corporate strategy. Analyzing the fit between a company$$s corporate strategy and $($a$)$ its external environment and $($b$)$ its resources and capabilities Combining quantitative, qualitative, and historical information to build a profile of a company$$s resources and capabilities. Examining the structure, systems, and culture that an organization needs to support its corporate strategy. What is Eni$$s corporate strategy? Evaluate Eni$$s corporate strategy. How well aligned is Eni$$s strategy with $($a$)$ the characteristics and requirements of its industry environment and $($b$)$ Eni$$s resources and capabilities? Looking ahead over Eni$$s next four$-$year planning period $(20047),$ what are the main issues that face the company? How should Eni allocate its resources across its different businesses and between different geographical areas? In particular: a$)$ Should Eni divest its chemicals business? What about its engineering, construction, and oilfield services subsidiaries? b$)$ Should Eni seek to establish itself as a major supplier of electrical power? Should it invest in renewable energy sources $($e$.$g$.$ wind power$)?$ c$)$ What should Eni$$s international strategy be $$ especially in relation to its downstream businesses $($Refining and Marketing; Gas and Power$)?$ What organizational changes should Mincato pioneer, especially with regard to organizational structure, management systems, and corporate culture?

Note: Answer the Critical Thinking Assignment mainly based on the Module $9$ Case $.$ Chapter $5"$ Analyzing Resources and Capabilities" of the textbook is also relevant to this case. Optionally, feel free to support your reasoning with additional valid academic sources using SEU e$-$library.