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 especially that redundant processes created wasted time and energy. There were 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 cell phone 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 cell phone 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 ) (2pts)
• Define the 4 purposes of planning ( direction , reducing uncertainty , minimize waste and control (3pts)

• What is the desired outcome - in general - of your plan for ABC co? ( based on the 2 above questions and case study text ) (3pts)
• What are the Pros and Cons of Planning / implementing vs extensive planning alone? (2 pts)-which approach will you use for ABC CO? Why? (3pts)
• What Type of goals (strategic and / or financial) will ABC Co need? Explain and justify (2pts)
• ABC co will require 2 plans: a strategic (whole company) and operational (department / functional) plan - what is the purpose of each? (3pts)
• Discuss briefly what should be included in a Long term plan ( 3y) vs a short term (1y) one ( 3pts)
• Compare and contrast Approaches to goal setting (and planning) :

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

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

• There are 2 main approaches to planning ( traditional : managers downand departments / individuals up )-explain how the use of both will enhance ABC Co's outcomes ( refer to case study text) (5pts)
• Suggest and discuss 2 contemporary issues to be taken into consideration in this Dynamic environment for ABC Co. ( 5pts)

CH10

• Define strategic management ( 2pts)
• Give 3 reasons why it is important (performance , managing change / coping and coordinate employee's focus ) - explain why one of the 3 is crucially important for ABC Co's success ( 5pts)
• Define / list The 6 steps of strategic management ( 3pts)
• Explain briefly the 3 types of corporate strategy: growth, stability and renewal. What is the one most needed / relevant to ABC Co's current situation? explain and justify (5pts)
• Define Competitive advantage -Use 2 of Porter's five forces model to explain ABC Co's most imminent threats. (5pts)
• The 3 types of Competitive strategies ( Cost , differentiation and focus ) can be used to ABC Co's advantage - Pick one and justify why - in your opinion is best suited for your company's main cell phone business .( 5pts)

Ch11

• Define the 6 key elements of organizational design (2pts)
• What forms of departmentalization ( functional ,product, geographical ,process and customer ) should ABC Co have and why ? ( 5pts)
• ABC Co has the option to go for Mechanistic and / or organic structures : (rigid vs adaptive) -what are the characteristics of each and which one would you choose for ABC Co - explain and justify ( 5 pts)
• Should the new ABC CO implement a traditional organizational design or a contemporary one? ( discuss and justify ) (5pts)

Some of the below questions are not directly related to ABC CO - However they give you the opportunity to have your say about Managers and communication - this will be based on information from Chapter 12 and your personal experiences and opinion

Ch12

• Define communication - what are its 5 functions? ( 4pts)
• List The 7 elements of the communication process - explain and expand on 1- channel and 2-Feedback according to your preference and personal experience ( 5 pts)
• In the last paragraph of the case study, there is a mention of some communication issues - what would be your approach to solving them? (5pts)

• Identify Barriers to effective interpersonal communication - what are the proposed solutions to these? What do you use most in your daily life? ( example : listening actively ) - why? ( 7 pts)
• Define Formal and Informal communication - list the pros and cons of each - what type of communicator are you ?( could be both ) - give examples and justifications .(5pts)
• List The 3 types of communication networks (the chain, the wheel and the All channel )- which one do you prefer ? Why? ( hint : look at criteria in exhibit 12-4 ) ( 5 pts)
• How do you think in -general- Tech affects managerial communication? give 2 real life examples and discuss ( 5pts)
• Discuss the 2 following contemporary issues In communication :(hint : you can use the text book or reliable online resources ) : ( 7 pts)