Read the case study "iRobot in 2018: Can the Company Keep the Magic?" in the book "Crafting & Executing Strategy (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland) then identify the strategic issues and key problems in the case, perform an analysis and evaluation using all tools possible (five forces, swot analysis, value chain, financial analysis, scoring matrix..etc.) then provide recommendations for the company to improve the strategic plan.

Use the following Guidelines:

1. Go through the case twice, once for a quick overview and once to gain full command of the facts. Then take care to explore the information in every one of the case exhibits.

2. Make a complete list of the problems and issues that the companys management needs to address.

3. Be thorough in your analysis of the companys situation (make a minimum of one to two pages of notes detailing your diagnosis).

4. Look for opportunities to apply the concepts and analytical tools in the text chaptersall of the cases in the book have very definite ties to the material in one or more of the text chapters!!!!

5. Do enough number crunching to discover the story told by the data presented in the case. (To help you comply with this commandment, consult Table 1 in this section to guide your probing of a companys financial condition and financial performance.)

6. Support any and all off-the-cuff opinions with well-reasoned arguments and numerical evidence. Dont stop until you can purge I think and I feel from your assessment and, instead, are able to rely completely on My analysis shows.

7. Prioritize your recommendations and make sure they can be carried out in an acceptable time frame with the available resources.

8. Support each recommendation with persuasive argument and reasons as to why it makes sense and should result in improved company performance.

9. Review your recommended action plan to see if it addresses all of the problems and issues you identified. Any set of recommendations that does not address all of the issues and problems you identified is incomplete and insufficient.

10. Avoid recommending any course of action that could have disastrous consequences if it doesnt work out as planned. Therefore, be as alert to the downside risks of your recommendations as you are to their upside potential and appeal.

The following equations can be used for your financial analysis:

Gross profit margin, Operating profit margin (or return on sales), Net profit margin (or net return on sales), Total return on assets, Net return on total assets (ROA), Return on stockholders equity (ROE), Return on invested capital (ROIC), Earnings per share (EPS), Current ratio, Working capital, Total debt-to-assets ratio, Long-term debt-to-capital ratio, Debt-to-equity ratio, Long-term debt-to-equity ratio, Times-interest-earned (or coverage) ratio, Days of inventory, Inventory turnover, Average collection period, Dividend yield on common stock, Price-earnings ratio, Dividend payout ratio, Internal cash flow, Free cash flow.