Strategic Management Policy Commons^™

Microsoft: A Strategic Audit, Jacob Paul Warner

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the University Honors Program Requirements. It discusses Microsoft Corporation and its placement within the tech industry using different analyses such as PEST, Porter’s, and SWOT. In addition to its placement, the thesis explores what strategies Microsoft could pursue next. The industry is highly competitive, so Microsoft needs to stay on its toes and continue to build upon its strengths to remain at its current competitive level. The cloud industry is rapidly growing, so it would be best if Microsoft used its global presence and existing infrastructure to build upon its existing cloud …

A Strategic Audit Of Tesla, John J. Stobbe Jr.

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This paper examines in depth one of the most innovative companies in recent years: Tesla. Redefining what it means to be an electric car, Tesla has produced impressive cars year after year. However, they’ve run into tremendous production issues and have still yet to make any significant profits. This strategic audit analyzes Tesla’s current place in the market and considers many perspectives to come to a proposed recommendation. This recommendation is to secure its market share and resolve production issues. This could be accomplished through sticking to only a few Tesla car models, then iterating year after year, and then …

Cboe Global Markets: Strategic Audit, Lambros Karkazis

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis fulfills the requirement for the strategic audit in MNGT 475H/RAIK 476. It provides in depth analysis of Cboe and its competitors, with particular attention given to comparing net income, market cap, and share price. Informed by this analysis, there is discussion of Cboe’s acquisition of BATS, which appears to have had the best impact on share price of any decision made by an exchange operator in the last 5 years. Finally, this thesis provides a strategy recommendation for Cboe moving forward.

Strategic Audit: Starbucks, Madison Clements

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee brand that is expanding operations. There are many obstacles to this level of growth, and the company needs to take great care in the differentiating the way stores are built in the United States and internationally. In order to establish brand longevity, the company should examine several strategic options. A final strategy can be chosen based on the results of a situational analysis, financial analysis, and company goals. After a final strategic recommendation has been made, a contingency plan will be created to ensure long-term success.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Strategic Audit, Jessica Salzar

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Berkshire Hathaway is an extremely successful, well-known company. With Warren Buffett approaching retirement, it is important that the company prepares its stakeholders and is strategically prepared. What must be determined is whether or not Berkshire Hathaway needs to implement a new strategy or continue doing what it is already doing. This strategic audit analyzes Berkshire Hathaway's company history, internal and external environment, competitive advantages, and organizational structure. After the analysis of Berkshire Hathaway, several strategy alternatives are considered, ending with a strategic recommendation, implementation plan, and contingency plan.

Strategic Audit Of Mls, Jacob Reed Miller

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Major League Soccer (MLS) is the highest caliber soccer league in the United States. The league, formed in 1995, has grown from just ten teams to twenty-four, with more on the way. The league has rebounded from a period of losses in the early 2000s and has established new fan bases through the usage of the designated player rule. This paper analyzes the current situation of MLS, as of the spring of 2019, and proposes a strategic recommendation. The current situation of MLS is evaluated using SWOT and PEST tools, and the strategic recommendation is created based on MLS’s competitive …

A Strategic Audit Of Corecivic, Reid Gahan

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

CoreCivic is a private prison company headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1983, CoreCivic exists to “better the public good.” The company believes it can do this through its three branches: CoreCivic Security, CoreCivic Community, and CoreCivic Properties.

CoreCivic Security is the main business segment. It is responsible for directly managing 77 correctional and detention facilities. CoreCivic Community is a small branch that attempts to ease the reentry process for inmates that are released. CoreCivic Properties is a vital part of CoreCivic, as this branch allows the company to operate as an REIT. Properties is responsible for providing real estate …

Strategic Audit Of Kohl's Corporation, Abigail Jarratt

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Since its founding in Brookfield, Wisconsin Kohl’s Corporation has managed to adapt and consistently satisfy customer needs. By focusing on customer experience Kohl’s has become a le leader within the department store industry capturing $19.1 billion in total sales. However, with recent shifts in the retail and department store industry, it is time to take a step back and analyze its strategy given the current state of the economy.

As such, this report will investigate the current state of Kohl’s Corporation and provide future recommendations. Companies within the department store industry must continue grow and adapt to customer needs and …

Understanding Well-Being At Work: Development And Validation Of The Eudaimonic Workplace Well-Being Scale, Amy L. Bartels, Suzanne J. Peterson, Christopher S. Reina

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Given the amount of time and effort individuals pour into work, scholars and practitioners alike have spent considerable time and resources trying to understand well-being in the workplace. Unfortunately, much of the current research and measurement focuses on workplace well-being from only one perspective (i.e. hedonic well-being rather than eudaimonic well-being) or by generalizing between workplace well-being and general well-being. In this study, we sought to integrate the workplace context into the current eudaimonic perspective to develop an 8-item measure of eudaimonic workplace well-being. Using multi-wave data, we developed and validated a reliable, two-dimensional eudaimonic workplace well-being scale (EWWS). The …

Strategic Audit Of Allianz Life Insurance Of North America, Jacob Rosebaugh

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This report investigates the history and current situation of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, an annuity provider located in Minneapolis, MN. The company faces several challenges going forward, including determining how to best compete with large companies in the same market such as Amazon. This report looks at Allianz Life’s current standing using tools such as SWOT and PEST analyses and examines the company’s competitive analysis. Allianz Life is recommended to continue with their current strategy because while it doesn’t make them the best in the industry, Allianz Life adherence to its vision statement makes up for the …

A Strategic Audit Of Microsoft, Alexander Eitzman

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This paper provides an analysis of Microsoft’s current market placement and performance, based off external and internal factors, as well as tools such as SWOT analysis. The goal of this audit is to provide an understanding of Microsoft’s current positioning and strategy, as well as a look into possible paths going forward. Additionally, alternative strategies are discussed, and a recommendation is made to which Microsoft should pursue to continue its success. The recommendation reached is that Microsoft should focus on keeping numbers of active Windows users up, as well as pursue a subscription-based model for Windows updates and pricing. The …

Intuit, Inc. Strategic Audit, Bethany Wiles

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Intuit has experienced steady, continual growth for an extended time, an unusual feat in software. While it undergoes its leadership transition and the threat of tax simplification, it must consider how it will maintain its legacy of success. Intuit's history and current situation are examined and various strategic alternatives are identified.

Dare To Be Different? Conformity Versus Differentiation In Corporate Social Activities Of Chinese Firms And Market Responses, Yanlong Zhang, Heli Wang, Xiaoyu Zhou

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Building on the literature on optimal distinctiveness, this study explores the effects of conformity and differentiation in corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices on the evaluations by security analysts and the responses of the financial market in general. We develop the argument that while conformity in CSR scope enhances analyst coverage, differentiation in CSR emphasis leads to more-favorable analyst recommendations and higher market value. This suggests that firms may be able to simultaneously conform in CSR scope and differentiate in CSR emphasis to achieve optimal distinctiveness. To further enhance our understanding of the variation in the relationship between conformity/differentiation and the …

Many Hands: The Effect Of The Prior Inventor-Intermediaries Relationship On Academic Licensing, Young-Choon Kim, Mooweon Rhee, Reddi Kotha

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We study the role of the relationship among inventors and intermediaries in the licensing of university inventions. We suggest that a prior inventor-intermediaries relationship positively influences licensing rates through selective retention of higher quality relationships and mutual learning in the relationship, enabling intermediaries to reduce both information asymmetry and search costs between inventors and potential licensees. We argue that the influence of a prior inventor-intermediaries relationship on licensing is especially important before intellectual property protection is attained and can be substituted by the buyer-side contacts of inventors and intermediaries. We test these predictions using 919 inventions from the technology transfer …

Explore Alternatives Now! - Performance Mgmt In The Multi-Dimensional Digital World, Richard Raymond Smith

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Earlier, business was not quite as dynamic, employment was intended for the long-term, and the idea of pay linked to performance was quite a dependable model. But as we examine the tradition of performance management in light of today's digital business models, there are a number of new questions that emerge.

Fight, Flight, And Freeze: Human Responses In A Business Strategy Environment, Michael Nixon

Student Works

Fight, flight, and freeze responses are a natural part of how we operate as humans. These responses permeate our lives and affect our decisions in major ways. This thesis first employs a case study to help the reader understand natural reaction processes, then analyzes case studies where businesses applied strategies that closely resembled these reaction processes. I then propose a framework to mimic physiological reaction processes to help companies arrive at the optimal solution.

Strategic Leadership Newsletter: Volume 5, Number 1, Larry Starr, Phd

Leadership Doctorates Newsletter (Formerly Strategic Leadership Newsletter)

In this Issue:

• Dean's Report
• Student Reflection 1
• Student Reflection 2
• Doctoral Student and Adjunct Faculty
• Complex Adaptive System Projects
• Upcoming Conferences and Events
• DSL Community Milestones and Professional Updates
• DSL Summer Classes
• Ackoff 100 Celebration
• Proposed PhD in Complex Systems Leadership UPDATE
• Thinking and Talking, but Not Yet Formulated
• Tell Your Colleagues About Our Information Sessions!
• DSL Commencement

Implementation Of A Multi-Agent Environmental Regulation Strategy Under Chinese Fiscal Decentralization: An Evolutionary Game Theoretical Approach, Ke Jiang, Daming You, Ryan Knowles Merrill, Zhendong Li

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Evolutionary game theory (EGT) provides a powerful tool with which to unpack the interactive strategies of polluting enterprises (PEs), local government regulators (LG), and central government planners (CG) in China. Here, the prevailing institutional system of fiscal decentralization sees regulatory mandates set by the CG and enforced at the LG level. This delegation shapes managers' incentives when deciding the degree to which firms will incur costs to reduce pollution and comply with state directives. Manager's choice sets draw shape from decisions at the LG level, where regulators balance the pursuit of environmental quality with the economic payoffs of tacit collusion …

The Double-Edged Sword Of High Expectations: Presumptive Trust, Reflective Trust, And Satisfaction In International Joint Ventures, Gokhan Ertug, Ilya Cuypers, Niels G. Noorderhaven, Ben Bensaou

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Joint ventures (JVs) are commonly used by firms to enter into foreign markets. Firms often have high expectations when forming international joint ventures (IJVs). However, IJVs pose serious challenges and many fail to deliver the expected benefits found that the executives he interviewed were not satisfied with more than half of their IJVs, which is consistent with a recent McKinsey report in which senior managers indicated that more than 40 percent of their JVs underperform compared to initial expectations. Similarly, Madhok and Tallman (1998: 326) observed that despite their popularity, collaborations between firms are “characterized by a high level of …

The International Penetration Of Ibusiness Firms: Network Effects, Liabilities Of Outsidership And Country Clout, Liang Chen, Noman Shaheer, Jingtao Yi, Sali Li

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The burgeoning of ibusiness firms in the modern digital economy challenges the received internationalization theory. Given that ibusinesses such as social networking sites create value by providing a digital platform for users to interact with one another, we employ a user-network perspective and externalization logic, suggesting that ibusinesses' internationalization process depends critically on users' collective interactions, instead of being solely driven by firms' market commitments, as noted by the Uppsala model. However, ibusinesses may suffer from liabilities of outsidership due to the boundedness of international network effects. Drawing on social network theory, we demonstrate that such liabilities can be mitigated …

Austerity For All Seasons: Communicating On The Economy In Ireland, Brendan O'Rourke, John Hogan, Joseph K. Fitzgerald

Conference papers

What is clear is that in Ireland it has been a good crisis for economists, in the sense that the status and power of the profession has increased, especially in public discourse and state bureaucracy. This is not to deny that the academic critique and public questioning of the status of economics, that has followed the failure of the profession internationally prior to the crisis. It would be interesting to see if the rise of economists status has taken place in other countries and if there is a pattern to the profession’s fortunes in its different fields across, for example …

Diligence-Based Strategy, Strategic Marketing Ambidexterity, And The Resource-Based View: Informing The Exploitation/Exploration Mode And Valuing Capabilities, Jacqueline Post, J Paul Leavell

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

How Some New Products Succeed While Others Flop, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

The Ford Edsel, the Apple Newton and New Coke are all well-known examples of product launch failures.

The Impact Of An Electrical Mini-Grid On The Development Of A Rural Community In Kenya, Abubakr Bahaj, Luke Blunden, Christopher Kanani, Patrick James, Issac Kiva, Zoe Matthews, Heather Price, Hildah Essendi, Jane Ealkingham, Gerard George

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Electrical mini-grids can provide electrification to rural communities far from the national network. However the benefits of such schemes are disputed. We observed changes in two matched trading-centres in Makueni County, Kenya, neither of which were initially electrified. During the study a solar photovoltaic mini-grid scheme (13.5 kWp) was constructed in one of the trading-centres. After electrification there were relative increases in the number of businesses and business income. Comparing the households in the areas around the trading centres, perceived wealth increased more around the electrified trading centre. Qualitative interviews indicated improvements in service provision by the local school and …

Taking Leaps Of Faith: Evaluation Criteria And Resource Commitments For Early-Stage Inventions, Phillip H. Kim, Reddi Kotha, Sebastian P. L. Fourné, Kristof Coussement

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Successfully developed academic inventions have the potential to spawn new technological domains, form the basis of thriving business ventures, and improve the well-being of society. However, evaluating whether an early-stage scientific invention truly has such potential is extremely difficult, and financially backing such inventions is highly risky. And yet, organizations and their evaluators still back some of these inventions with resources for further development. We investigate this puzzle to pinpoint how and why evaluators decide to offer resource commitments at early stages, despite the red flags raised using standard evaluation criteria. Many academic inventions need these initial resources to dispel …

Enabling Models Of Inclusive Growth: Addressing The Need For Financial And Social Inclusion, Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Howard Thomas

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

While poverty is falling, the gap between the rich and poor is getting wider and more and more people are being excluded from the means to better themselves. Yuwa Hedrick-Wong and Howard Thomas look at ways to include them.

Public Governance, Corporate Governance, And Firm Innovation: An Examination Of State-Owned Enterprises, Nan Jia, Kenneth G. Huang, Cyndi Man Zhang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We examine how corporate and public governance shape an important type moral hazard in innovation which is that agents pursuing the quantity of innovation at the expense of the novelty. We theorize that both better corporate governance tools that regulate agents (including better alignment of agents’ private incentives and stronger monitoring), and higher-quality public governance that regulates the principals of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) reduce this moral hazard. Furthermore, we argue that higher-quality political governance enhances the functioning of better corporate governance tools in further reducing this moral hazard in innovation, thus creating interdependence. We test our theory in the context …

Dominant Coalitions Directing Acquisitions: Different Decision Makers, Different Decisions, Cyndi Man Zhang, Henrich R. Greve

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Coalitions are important in organizational decision making, but the question of how coalitions are built and make decisions in response to firm performance is still not sufficiently explored. In this study, we develop and test theory on how potential coalitions are built through shared experience and recruitment of allies. When organizations respond to performance relative to aspiration levels, either as problemistic search following low performance or opportunity exploration following high performance, members form coalitions to influence decisions. We develop theory of coalition formation that builds on upper echelons theory and the theory of dominant coalitions to predict how past experience …

Schedule Creep: In Search Of An Uncongested Baseline Block Time By Examining Scheduled Flight Block Times Worldwide 1986–2016, Terence P. C. Fan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Based on a stratified random sampling of airlines’ schedules for 200 heavily travelled directional nonstop airport pairs, this paper examines systematically how scheduled block times in non-stop flights have changed from 1986 to 2016. Three econometric analyses, by way of a 10th percentile quantile regression, 15th percentile quantile regression and ordinary least-squares regression, show that after accounting for the effects of air traffic growth, airport-specific congestion, flight delays, number of seat per flight, aircraft type, flight heading, airport slot policy, other airport-specific anomalies, airline-specific policies and changes in crude oil price, scheduled block times have been growing at a pace …

Secondary Crisis Communication. A Question Of Actual Or Perceived Credibility?, Bengt Johansson

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

An important aspect of crisis communication is secondary crisis communication, which focuses on how people communicate during a crisis. This study seeks to explore the mechanism of credibility in secondary crisis communication. Respondents in a large-scale experiment (N=2382) were exposed to a fictional news story about a terrorist attack and asked to what degree they would share the news story on social media. The design made it possible to test if the sharing of news stories was determined by its actual credibility (through the use of semiotic disclaimers in the news story), or by perceived credibility (the perceived credibility of …