Comments on assignments and advices for the exam

1. Comments on assignments and advices for the exam Professor JP Bonardi University of Lausanne – Faculty of Business and Economics

2. The exam • 4 hours • Date to be announced • Open book • A short case • You will be asked to perform an analysis of the case and provide strategic recommendations to the company • I’ll be there the day of the exam, in case there are questions • There will be assignment questions to guide you

3. Exam = similar format as the assignment; Should include: • An executive summary • Summarizing the key problematic • Highlighting your recommendations • An explanation of the key problem(s) the company faces • Probably an analysis of the firm’s current strategy • An analysis of key dimensions: for instance: industry analysis; company’s core capabilities; company’s source of competitive advantage; etc. • A clear presentation and discussion of the main strategic options/alternatives • A set of recommendations, logically articulated with the rest of the analysis • Mention if likely to face implementation difficulties

4. On the assignments (1): Each case has a problematic • It is critical to identify the problematic of each firm/case • This problematic should be apparent right from the start, in the executive summary • Even firms which are doing well face problems • To extract from being a pure niche player • To keep growing • To protect against unexpected changes in its core market • To prepare for the exam: you should review each case we’ve discussed and make sure you identify the problematic

5. Comments on assignments (2): Try to quantify if you can • Each time you make an important statement in a case, try to see if you could back it up with data • Quick computations go a long way in making an argument more convincing • Not always possible, obviously, but really worth a try • To prepare for the exam: you should review how we did that in the cases we discussed • Also remember: When you make calculations, explain the implications  what do they mean for the company, its competitive advantage,….?

6. On the assignments (3): “Common” mistakes • Lack of conclusion on the 5 forces analysis in most cases • Is it a good market to be in? Will it stay so? • Also: lack of definition of the boundaries of the industry. Example: in which industry is Cirque du Soleil? How do you define it? This is not always totally obvious and conclusions can vary • Be careful with long list of stuff  you need to highlight what is really key • Ex: when you characterize a firm’s capabilities • Ex: when you evaluate what makes a new entrant a threat • Ex: when you evaluate each single force in the 5 forces framework • Sometimes: things coming from nowhere in the recommendations • Very important to have strong logical links between your core analysis and your recommendations

7. Also: Use of case facts/data • No need of general summary of case (such as Company history, list of capabilities, description of competitors, etc.) • You need to use the case facts, but to demonstrate something • That also means selecting the right ones and computing them (either through calculation, graphs, etc.)