The Corporation Was Established In $1968$ It Was

The corporation was established in $1968$ it was growing rapidly under the leadership of Mr$.$ Kawasaki until he retired $.$since then $,$ All the general managers that succeeded him failed to keep the company growing and recently $,$ sales started declining $$ there was obviously something wrong with top management

The Time has come to put ABC Corp back on track to growth and profitability $.$ Needless to say $,$ it all starts with a good plan with clear strategic objectives $.$You will use the management expertise that you have accumulated from studying chapters $9,10,11$ and $12$ to achieve the desired outcomes and consequently solve ABC Corp$$s many problems $.$ Before you dive in $,$ here below is a detailed background and the challenges that are going to face you $...$

Background :

Where the company is heading currently is not clear $$ one of the two main departments was pushing for more investments in the cell phone category while the other wanted to develop laptops $.$ these were uncertain times for most managers specially that redundant processes created wasted time and energy $.$ there was no clear control procedures $/$ standards for most department heads $.$

Another challenge was how to measure performance and the need to reflect the intended positive financial results in the plan $$ in the most recent meeting with department heads $,$ there was a discussion about the $2$ type of goals that needed to be set and the type of plans

that needed to be developed $($ for example $,$ strategic and operational plans$).$ Approaches to goal setting $(2$ types $)$ were also present in the meeting $.$

Each department $($ sales $,$ marketing $,$ production and distribution $)$ was requested to write its own steps for Goal setting $.$

Finally $,$ department heads clearly asked to take into consideration the Dynamic external environment for the long term plan $($ such as the effect of social media $).$

At the end of the $10$th meeting $,$ it was agreed unanimously that the corporation$$s main line of business should be cell phones and that The strategic management process should be written accordingly $.$

The $3$ types of Corporate strategy were discussed $.$ one was chosen to be the best fit for the corporation

You $,$as the general manager were requested to develop the following document :

The role of competitive advantage and strategies $($ based on cellphone line of business $)$

During the process of creating ABC corp$$s new organizational structure there were also some arguments about the common forms of departmentalization that should be included $.$

Some of the main issues that should be addressed were :

$-$Global competition $($ threat of new entrants $)$has managed to take considerable market share from ABC co

$-$proper company resources were not invested in new technologies to stay on par with competition. Political uncertainty wasn$$t helping either $.$

$-$customers were dissatisfied with customer care and after sales services

$-$Suppliers of celphone parts and accessories were not well attended to due to the lack of a specific department in ABC co that was supposed to cater to their needs $-($as a consequence $,$ bargaining power of suppliers grew $)$

This is the Current departmental structure of ABC Corp :

$-$General manager

$-$Marketing manager $,$ sales manager $,$ production manager $,$ finance manager $,$

$-$Regional sales directors $,$ regional distribution centers

Finally $,$ there were various communication challenges between individuals and departments :

$-$There was a low feedback from various departments on crucial matters

$-$Confidentiality seemed to be semi absent $-$there was clearly a need to address this ASAP

$-$Personal warmth was low to say the least and this was affecting moral as well as team work

$-$High formality was preventing lots of human interaction and affecting mood as well as productivity

Ch $9$ :

$$ Define the nature of planning $($ goals $,$ strategy and work activities $)(2$pts$)$

$$ Define the $4$ purposes of planning $($ direction $,$ reducing uncertainty $,$ minimize waste and control $(3$pts$)$

$$ What is the desired outcome $$ in general $-$ of your plan for ABC co $?($ based on the $2$ above questions and case study text $)(3$pts$)$

$$ What are the Pros and Cons of Planning $/$ implementing vs extensive planning alone $?(2$ pts$)-$which approach will you use for ABC CO $?$ Why $?(3$pts$)$

$$ What Type of goals $($strategic and $/$ or financial $)$ will ABC Co need $?$ Explain and justify $(2$pts$)$

$$ ABC co will require $2$ plans : a strategic $($ whole company $)$ and operational $($department $/$ functional$)$ plan $$ what is the purpose of each $?(3$pts$)$

$$ Discuss briefly what should be included in a Long term plan $(3$y$)$ vs a short term $(1$y$)$ one $(3$pts$)$

$$ Compare and contrast Approaches to goal setting $($and planning$)$ :

$-$What are the $6$ characteristics of Well written goals $?(2$pts$)$

$-$Discuss the $5$ Steps for goal setting $(2$pts$)$

$$ There are $2$ main approaches to planning $($ traditional : managers down and