Project 1 - Case Study
Instructions
The use of digital media within organizations has transformed how organizations communicate with prospective and current customers. Digital media such as: web videos, e-books, and social media have each shaped the communication strategies organizations employ to engage customers.
In this assignment, you will locate examples of how the use of digital media was used to communicate information to achieve a specific goal of an organization or individual.
Students are required to create a case study and provide an analysis, which integrates what you have learned in the course, in addition to performing additional outside research.
1. Formatting Requirements
· Project must follow APA style
· Double-spaced 1 inch margins
· 12 point professional font
· Headers including project name, class, and page numbers
· File name first initial, last name and project (ex. BWright_casestudy)
· Use of tables, graphs, images, etc. of appropriate size that are relevant to the information being conveyed is highly encouraged.
2. Content Requirements
· Minimum of 1500 words, maximum 1750 words (excluding cover and bibliographical pages)
· Title Page including your name, instructor name, course name and number, and paper title
· Case Study Requirements
1. Introduction and Synopsis of Article / Case
2. Goal of Organization or Individual
3. Strategy Employed to Accomplish Goal
4. Measurable Success Factors
5. Conclusion and Analysis of End Results of Initiative
· Bibliographical Page with minimum of 2 professional / scholarly sources. Wikipedia is not acceptable.
Complete and submit your project no later than 11:59PM (ET) on 04/04/2015.
Grading Rubric:
Level
Description
Title Page
5 Points
Case Study – Introduction & Synopsis of Article Case
10 Points
Case Study – Goal of Organization or Individual
10 Points
Case Study – Strategy Employed to Accomplish Goal
10 Points
Case Study – Measurable Success Factors
10 Points
Case Study – Conclusion & Analysis of End Results
15 Points
Bibliographical Sources
10 Points
Citations
10 Points
Formatting Requirements
10 Points
Length Requirements
10 Points
Implementation, Strategic Control, and Contingency Plans
Lee’s Sandwiches
Implementation, Strategic Control, and Contingency Plans
STR 581
Professor: Kenneth Kobus
Vincent Nguyen
Executive Summary
Lee’s Sandwiches has attained significant success since its establishment, and the key objective is to maintain this trend. The organizational strategy revolves around facilitating growth for the entity both in size and reach. The market for the Vietnamese and European cuisines provided by the company is constantly growing, and there is room for the company to market the same to attract a new market. The strategy aims at involving the employees in the attaining of the overall objectives. Another of the key ways that success will be reached is by using the organizational strength to facilitate growth. The most promising opportunities will be expl ...
Project 1 - Case StudyInstructionsThe use of digital media w.docx
1. Project 1 - Case Study
Instructions
The use of digital media within organizations has transformed
how organizations communicate with prospective and current
customers. Digital media such as: web videos, e-books, and
social media have each shaped the communication strategies
organizations employ to engage customers.
In this assignment, you will locate examples of how the use of
digital media was used to communicate information to achieve a
specific goal of an organization or individual.
Students are required to create a case study and provide an
analysis, which integrates what you have learned in the course,
in addition to performing additional outside research.
1. Formatting Requirements
· Project must follow APA style
· Double-spaced 1 inch margins
· 12 point professional font
· Headers including project name, class, and page numbers
· File name first initial, last name and project (ex.
BWright_casestudy)
· Use of tables, graphs, images, etc. of appropriate size that are
relevant to the information being conveyed is highly
encouraged.
2. Content Requirements
· Minimum of 1500 words, maximum 1750 words (excluding
cover and bibliographical pages)
· Title Page including your name, instructor name, course name
and number, and paper title
· Case Study Requirements
1. Introduction and Synopsis of Article / Case
2. Goal of Organization or Individual
3. Strategy Employed to Accomplish Goal
4. Measurable Success Factors
2. 5. Conclusion and Analysis of End Results of Initiative
· Bibliographical Page with minimum of 2 professional /
scholarly sources. Wikipedia is not acceptable.
Complete and submit your project no later than 11:59PM (ET)
on 04/04/2015.
Grading Rubric:
Level
Description
Title Page
5 Points
Case Study – Introduction & Synopsis of Article Case
10 Points
Case Study – Goal of Organization or Individual
10 Points
Case Study – Strategy Employed to Accomplish Goal
10 Points
Case Study – Measurable Success Factors
10 Points
Case Study – Conclusion & Analysis of End Results
15 Points
Bibliographical Sources
10 Points
Citations
10 Points
Formatting Requirements
10 Points
Length Requirements
10 Points
Implementation, Strategic Control, and Contingency Plans
3. Lee’s Sandwiches
Implementation, Strategic Control, and Contingency Plans
STR 581
Professor: Kenneth Kobus
Vincent Nguyen
Executive Summary
Lee’s Sandwiches has attained significant success since its
establishment, and the key objective is to maintain this trend.
The organizational strategy revolves around facilitating growth
for the entity both in size and reach. The market for the
Vietnamese and European cuisines provided by the company is
constantly growing, and there is room for the company to
market the same to attract a new market. The strategy aims at
involving the employees in the attaining of the overall
objectives. Another of the key ways that success will be reached
is by using the organizational strength to facilitate growth. The
most promising opportunities will be exploited.
Implementation Plan
The implementation of the organizational strategy will take five
years in line with the gradual growth trend of the company.
Lee’s Sandwiches is an entity that is privately run and that
grows at a slower rate than most other organizations would. The
five-year period will present adequate time for the company to
utilize its strength to acquire a stronghold into the market. The
main focus during this period wills the need to entice a wider
market for the company. This will present the company with the
opportunity to grow in current markets as well as in new
markets.
The structure of the company vests a lot of responsibility on the
individual managers running each of the cafeterias. The size of
the company coupled with its structure requires these managers
to be pivotal in the implementation process of the strategic
plan. The managers will guide the employees working in each
4. location and create a favorable atmosphere towards the overall
objectives. The managers are also required to be aware of the
performance and developments that their individual shops make
towards these objectives. Perpetual assessments should be
conducted every month for the five year period to keep progress
in check (Pinho, 2010).
Objectives
The key objective for Lee’s Sandwiches is growth. The
company is relatively small in the market it operates it. The
market for its products is increasing, and this presents an
opportunity for it to grow in a larger enterprise. The company
will use different approaches to facilitate this growth. The first
approach will be using its product leadership value discipline.
This presents the company with a competitive advantage over
its competition. The other aspect of facilitating growth for the
entity is that the company will use will use the generic strategy
of differentiation focus to set apart its products. Growth will be
typified by the increase in market reach and a variance in the
number of products that the company offers to its customers.
Functional Tactics
Product Leadership Value Discipline
The company will aim to grow by offering unique products to
its market. There are no other major competitors offering
similar cuisines as Lee’s Sandwiches which presents the
company with the opportunity to secure the market and
facilitate its growth. This tactic will be used further with the
objective of acquiring and even larger market that what the
company presently serves.
Focus Differentiation Generic Strategy.
The focus differentiation tactic will be aimed at targeting a
specific market that can grow with the company. The tactic will
emphasize on differentiating the products offered by the
company by focusing on a specific market. The number of
customers that the company serves is steadily increasing, and
this will present the conditions that the company needs to grow.
Action Items
5. Customer Service Management
The level of customer service offered to all customers will be
maintained at an optimum level. The company will aim at a
specific market segment by offering specialized products, and
use the interaction with these customers to create loyal
customers.
Targeting Specific Markets
Individual managers in specific locations will be allowed to
study the available market and make considerable changes to
the menu with the aim of meeting the needs of such a market.
However, the market will only target exclusive markets as
provided by its strategic choices.
Motivated Employees
The company will aim to attain its growth by incorporating its
employees in the strategic plan. Managers at each location are
required to have set goals with the employees and the rewards
of attaining such targets should be shared. The input of the
employees towards the operations of each store should be
heeded.
Milestone and Deadline
Milestone
Deadline
1.
Identifying the specific markets that suit the company in each
location
Within three Months
2.
Specialization of the products that the company will offer at
each location based on the specialized market
Each location should have specialized products in six months
based on the available market.
3.
Engaging employees in the strategic plan; having their views
integrated into the plan
6. This should be done by the first month.
4.
Setting collective goals at each location where the company
operates between the manager and the employees
This should be completed within the initial two months.
5.
Reviewing progress towards the overall objectives
Every six months.
Tasks and Task Ownership
Task
Task Ownership
1.
Identifying the specific markets that suit the company in each
location
The manager at each Lee’s Sandwiches location.
2.
Specialization of the products that the company will offer at
each location based on the specialized market
The employees at each location under supervision from the
manager.
3.
Engaging employees in the strategic plan; having their views
integrated into the plan
The managers at individual shops.
4.
Setting collective goals at each location where the company
operates between the manager and the employees
The managers at individual shops.
5.
Reviewing progress towards the overall objectives
Managers at each location.
Top management for the company as a whole
Resource Allocation
7. The initial contributions in the form of resources will be used to
investigate the specific customer preferences at each location.
This will form the basis of the overall growth plan. The
subsequent area of significance is that which will act on the
results of the findings of specific consumer preferences to
introduce the specialized products. Resources have to be
allocated for these as a set since they complement each other.
The final important area where resource allocation is essential
is where the success that results from these two initiatives leads
to the investment in new locations.
Change Management
There are likely to be changes in operations particularly based
on the performed researchers that will be aimed at studying the
market. The possible outcomes are that the company may need
to make products that it might not have offered before.
Although such products must be relevant to the kind of business
that the company already engages in, it may require the use of
new equipment or procedures to make. The employees would
hence be required to be cognizant of such equipment or
procedures in order to make the desired products. The manager
will have a key role to play in this instance.
Adequate training will be made available where the employees
and managers have not offered similar products in the past. The
top management will be responsible for facilitating training to
both the managers and employees. The managers will be
required to be quick to learn and take over from the top
management. The manager will ensure that each employee
receives the most appropriate training and that they become
fully aware of the developing changes.
Key Success Factors
Product Development Value Discipline Strategy
One of the key factors for the success of the strategy is that the
company emphasizes on product development as its key value
discipline strategy. This strategy allows the business to operate
virtually as a monopoly in a market it conceives for itself
(Ashton, 2005). In its prior operations, the entity has focused on
8. Vietnamese and European cuisines that most other restaurants
do not offer in the areas it operates from. This presents one
factor that is likely to result in the success of the strategy plan.
Focus Differentiation Generic Strategy
This is one of the other notable success factors for the strategy.
This technique requires that the company targets a specific
segment of the market that requires a specialized product
(Ormanidhi, 2008). This eliminates competition that is one of
the key reasons the plan might end up as a failure. The market
that the company deals with is exclusive and is receptive to new
products. One of the provisions of the strategies is that the
company should seek new exclusive products for its customers.
Experience
The entity has been built from the same strategies that make up
this plan. The company initially only offered Vietnamese
cuisine but later added a European flare to it. The company is
also highly experienced in the industry to execute the plan
successfully.
Budget
Each shop will be awarded a budget of five thousand dollars
with which its main objective will be to perform a study of
customer preference in their location. This is not likely to cost
much as the number of customers is on the increase, ad
effective customer service management can acquire feedback
from such clients. Much of the budget is likely to be used up in
the making and training the employees to make what the
customers want. The head office in San Diego will be liable to
make the provisions of new shops if needed. The costing for
each shop is about $25000 to set up.
Forecasted Financials
The basis for making forecasts on the financial outcomes of the
plan is based on the financial success that the company has
attained in the past using similar strategies (Rowe, 2001).
Although the company is privately run and does not publish its
financial reports, its constant growth is an indication of
9. favorable financial performance over the last few years. The
strategy plan to be implemented is similar to what the company
has used since its establishment. This means that the forecasted
financials are likely adhering to the same desirable trend.
Risk Management Plan
The risk of the failure of the plan is dealt with by making the
strategy a step-by-step plan. The initial plan requires that each
shop should be informed about its customer’s preferences. At
this point, no considerable investments have been made towards
the plan. The success of this step validates the undertaking of
the next, and also minimizes the chances of failure of the plan.
The second step is expensive and requires considerable
investments to be made in order to offer the products that the
clients seek. This may include purchasing new equipment and
training the employees. However, the risks are managed by the
fact that a market is available and that there are no competitors
in it (Maric, 2004). The investment in either equipment or
training should fit the budget provided.
Conclusion
The implementation plan will take place over a period of five
years. This has been decided upon because the company is well
founded to make speedy growth. Control of the implementation
process will be mainly carried out by the managers at each
location. The overall control will be carried out by the head
office in San Diego. The managers will also be required to
ensure that the process is proceeding successfully. Each step
should be well managed and analyzed. This will serve as the
primary contingency plan for the organization.
References
Ashton, R. H. (2005). Intellectual Capital and Value Creation:
A Review. Journal of
Accounting Literature, 24, 53-134.
Maric, R. V. (2004). A Refined Risk Management Paradigm.
Risk Management, 6(3), 57-68.
10. Lee's Sandwiches. (2015, March). Retrieved from Lee's
Sandwiches.com:
http://www.leesandwiches.com
Ormanidhi, O. (2008). Porter's Model of Generic Competitive
Strategies: An Insightful and
Convenient Approach to Firm's Analysis. Business
Economics, 43(3), 55-64.
Pinho, P. (2010). Measuring success in planning: Developing
and testing a methodology for
planning evaluation. The Town Planning Review, 81(3),
307-332.
Rowe, G. W. (2001). Creating Wealth in Organizations: The
Role of Strategic Leadership.
Creating Wealth in Organizations, 15(1), 81-94.
Vincent Nguyen
STR 581
Strategic Choice and Evaluation
Lee’s Sandwiches
Strategic Choice and Evaluation
STR 581
Professor: Kenneth Kobus
Vincent Nguyen
Lee’s Sandwiches
Introduction
The performance of an organization is significantly influenced
by its internal and external environment. The initial stages of
11. operation require organizations to be cognizant of their
environment to an extent that they can propose specialized
strategies that can ensure the success of their ventures. The
organizational strategies reflect the objectives that its aims to
accomplish, considering the environmental factors that affect it.
The attainment of organizational objectives is a process that
takes perpetual gradual steps that are aimed at the general
objectives after a predetermined time period (Tallon, 2008). The
most important task for an entity is to entertain constant growth
towards the objectives.
The company, in this case, is Lee’s Sandwiches that has
attained a lot of success with its establishment in the early 80s.
The business was founded by Chieu Le and Henry Le, who
started by offering their sandwiches from a mobile truck (Lee's
Sandwiches, 2015). The company has grown significantly since
then and now offers a move diversified menu across seven
states. This work plausible strategy that the company can utilize
particularly to facilitate growth.
Best Value Discipline
The best value discipline model is aimed at highlighting the
strengths of a company that can be utilized in a way to acquire a
competitive advantage over its rivals. The basis of this is that
the customers will be able to identify a specific company where
they are prominent in a specific area. For an organization, this
means that it has to it has to assess its environment and put
emphasis where it is prominent and use that attribute to acquire
a competitive advantage (Ashton, 2005).
The value disciple for the Lee’s Sandwiches is product
leadership where the company will maintain very strong and
innovative products. There is a lot of marketing required for an
organization that adopts this technique. The way that a
competitive advantage is acquired, in this case, is where the
products that the organization offers are more innovative than
those of the competition (Ashton, 2005). The organization is
required to very innovate and keen on marketing its products.
The reason this technique would be more effective for Lee’s
12. Sandwiches is because its products are unique and innovative.
The company has carved a market for itself in the industry
although there is a lot that it can do to grow its operations.
There are three key value disciplines available for an entity.
The other two are operational excellence and customer
intimacy. Operational excellence focuses on effectuating
operations within the workplace in order to offers high-quality
products at reasonable prices. This is mostly applicable where
the company offers similar products to those of the competition
and hence not applicable to the case of Lee’s Sandwiches
(Ashton, 2005). The other value discipline requires the company
to form close relationships with its customers in order to
encourage loyalty. Lee's Sandwiches should practice this value,
but it would only complement the one on product leadership.
Best Generic Strategy
The generic strategy has many similarities with the value
discipline and is aimed at providing the entity with a
competitive advantage. The generic strategy model was
proposed by Michael Porter and aims to specify the way that the
organization will try to attract their target market (Ormanidhi,
2008). Every entity requires a strategy that will set it apart from
the competition because that guarantees its existence. The most
notable difference between the value disciplines and generic
strategies is that the prior is more concerned with the internal
workings of the organization while the latter focus more on the
market that the company targets.
The most appropriate approach for Lee’s Sandwiches is the
focus strategy. The decision to select this approach is based on
the fact that the company mainly deals in Vietnamese and
European cuisines. The focus strategy requires an organization
to specialize in a specific segment and become best at it.
Specialization means that the company will not have access to a
wide market, but it will deter competitors from the market
segment it will control (Ormanidhi, 2008). Lee’s Sandwiches
specializes in these two cuisines that are unique to it. According
to Porter, the focus strategy can either be cost focus or
13. differentiation focus. The best generic strategy for the company
is differentiation focus.
Other than the focus strategy, the two key strategies are
differentiation and cost leadership. The differentiation strategy
requires the company to set apart their products and a price to
match. This strategy cannot apply to this case because the
company does not serve similar menus to the competition. The
cost leadership strategy also assumes that the competition
produces similar products. The focused concept holds that the
company has to select a specific market segment and strive to
fulfill its needs. Focus differentiation requires that the product
availed by the company to be unique (Ormanidhi, 2008). This is
the reason for the selection of the differentiation focus generic
strategy.
Grand Strategy
A grand strategy is a major principal strategy that is specifically
aimed at shaping the course of a business. These types of
strategies are aimed at the long-run objectives of the company
and encompass all its operations. In order for an organization to
come up with a grand strategy, it has to be aware of its
objectives and how to get them attained. Different situations
within a company require separate grand strategies (Tallon,
2008). For instance, the grand strategy in the initial stages of a
company may be product development.
The best grand strategy for Lee’s Sandwiches is growth. The
company has opened more than forty locations in southwestern
states since its establishment, but this is still a dismal number
when compared to the extensive market available across the
country. Although the company has grown, it is still a relatively
small company operating in just a restricted region of the
country. The grand strategy would aim to grow its operations in
the states that it already operates in with the goal of expanding
into new markets. This would ensure that the company was able
to reach its targets.
Combination of Strategies for Lee’s Sandwiches
The initial strategy that the company should implement is the
14. product leadership value discipline. This strategy is exclusively
aimed at enabling the company to secure its presence in the
market by putting off competition. The sandwich company
invented a product of its own and created a market of the loyal
customer that is currently expanding. The product leadership
value discipline encourages an organization to be inventive in
the products it presents to the market, and ad adopts effective
promotional techniques to secure the market. The way this
would be achieved is where the competition would be put off
because of the dominance of the innovative player (Ashton,
2005). This strategy suits Lee’s Sandwiches because the
company offers exclusive products and has also shown its
innovative side by incorporating European cuisine into its
menu. Other competitors, despite the fact that the market is
profitable, are likely to be put off by the presence of Lee’s
Sandwiches.
Another strategy that can be influential in the growth of the
company is differential focus generic strategy. Generic
strategies focus on the manner of operations towards the
market. The nature of the operations and products that the
sandwich company deals with is the key factor in the decision to
select this strategy. It is the merger between two technique;
differentiation and focus generic strategies. The key technique
between the two is focus strategy. This technique requires a
company to choose a unique product for a specific market
segment and aim to deter any new entrants (Ormanidhi, 2008).
The merging of this approach with differentiation is the aspect
that adds the use of unique products. Cost focus would have
emphasized on the cutting of costs.
The final technique is that of growth grand strategy. This
approach is taken based on the need for the company to expand
its operations. Lee’s Sandwiches has increased their locations,
but there are more opportunities across the same regions as well
as across the country. The grand strategy of growth encourages
the selection of most efficient operations that will facilitate
growth and the attainment of the overall organizational
15. objectives (Tallon, 2008).
Conclusion
Lee’s Sandwiches has grown from very humble beginnings. The
company is currently a successful player in the industry, but
restricted by some drawbacks. The implementation of these
strategies is aimed at facilitating growth for the attainment of
this objective. The key strategies selected include product
leadership value discipline, differentiation focus generic
strategy, and growth as its grand strategy.
References
Ashton, R. H. (2005). Intellectual Capital and Value Creation:
A Review. Journal of
Accounting Literature, 24, 53-134.
Lee's Sandwiches. (2015, March). Retrieved from Lee's
Sandwiches.com:
http://www.leesandwiches.com
Ormanidhi, O. (2008). Porter's Model of Generic Competitive
Strategies: An Insightful and
Convenient Approach to Firm's Analysis. Business
Economics, 43(3), 55-64.
Tallon, P. P. (2008). A Process-Oriented Perspective on the
Alignment of Information
Technology and Business Strategy. Journal of Management
Information Systems, 24(3), 227-268.
7
Vincent Nguyen