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. 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, and 11 to achieve thedesired outcomes and consequently solve ABC Corps 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 wereno 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 10th meeting, it was agreed unanimously that the corporations 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 corps 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 wasnt helping either.

-customers were dissatisfied with customer care and after sales services

-Suppliers of cellphone 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 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 teamwork

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

Ch 9:

1. What is the desired outcome in general - of your plan for ABC co? (Based on the case study)

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

4. There are 2 main approaches to planning (traditional:managers down and departments / individuals up ) -explain how the use of both will enhance ABC Cos outcomes ( refer to case study text)

5. Suggest and discuss 2 contemporary issues to be taken into consideration in this Dynamic environment for ABC Co.

CH10

1. Give 3 reasons why it is important (performance, managing change / coping and coordinate employees focus) explain why one of the 3 is crucially important for ABC Cos success!

2. Define / list the 6 steps of strategic management

3. Explain briefly the 3 types of corporate strategy: growth,stability and renewal . what is the one most needed / relevant to ABC Cos current situation? explain and justify

4. Define Competitive advantage -Use 2 of Porters five forces model to explain ABC Cos most imminent threats.

5. The 3 types of Competitive strategies (Cost, differentiation and focus ) can be used to ABC Cos advantage Pick one and justify why in your opinion is best suited for your companys main cellphone business .

Ch11

1. Define the 6 key elements of organizational design.

2. What forms of departmentalization (functional, product,geographical ,process and customer ) should ABC Co have and why ?

3. 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

4. Should the new ABC CO implement a traditional organizational design or a contemporary one? (Discuss and justify)