Case Analysis of Southwest
Instructions for Final Case Analysis
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
GUIDELINES FOR THE WRITTEN STANDARDIZED CASE ANALYSIS
Overview and Background
The introduction of your paper should acquaint the reader with the company being analyzed and demonstrate your ability to succinctly describe the company from a historical perspective. Take this opportunity to highlight key factors and past strategies, which have led the company to its present position. It is important for you to understand precisely, why the company has been successful (or unsuccessful) in the past. Taking time to articulate this may suggest distinctive competencies that you might otherwise overlook when writing the following sections.
Conclude the “Overview and Background” of your paper by clearly identifying the key issues, and/or problems facing management at the close of the case. After reading and analyzing a case, the reader is generally left with a feel for some major issues with which will determine the future success of the firm. State these issues as succinctly as possible as they will likely be developed in much greater detail later in the case analysis.
Company Mission
This section of your paper should clearly state the company mission as you see it at the end of the case. Remember, a company mission delineates the primary purpose of the firm (its reason for existence) and must, at a minimum, describe:
• The products or services of the firm
• The primary markets to be served
• The means by which the company intends to grow in the future
Be sure that your company mission is a working document rather than a public relations statement; e.g.:
“The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.”
The expectation is for you to elaborate on the products, primarily markets to be served and the means by which the company intends to grow in the future.
Internal/External Analysis
Because of the length of this section, it should be divided into several smaller sections; e.g.:
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Under each of these sections, you should clearly identify and underline each strategic issue. As discussed previously, a short paragraph discussing why you’ve identified the issue and what effect it might have on the future of the firm should follow. Failure to follow this format will result in a reduction of your grade.
In Seminar 6 (only) also include a value change analysis, strategic cost analysis, weighted competitive strength analysis, company situational analysis, and an industry attractiveness analysis.
Strategic Implications
The purpose of this section of your paper is to match and inter-relate the internal and external strategic issues identified in the previous sections of your paper and to evaluate the strategic implications of such issues.
[For example: What impact would the entry of a new and super-powerful competitor have on the way the firm operates in its primary market? Should it “hunker-down”; seek a strategic partner; change its strategy, or exit the market”?]
Then define the “Strategic Alternatives”, like those illustrated above, realistically available for the firm. Be sure to consider and discuss the firm’s full range of strategic alternatives.
Goals and Long-term Objectives
At this point in the analysis, it is necessary to outline the goals and objectives that you feel would be appropriate for the firm. Each broad goal you identify should be operationalized by one or more specific, measurable, and realistic objectives. Be careful NOT to confuse functional strategies with objectives. Remember, objectives are performance related- -functional strategies are tactical. Think carefully when developing this section since your strategic decisions will be based largely on the goals and objectives you set for the firm.
Strategy Selection
Strategy is defined as “a comprehensive, general approach which guides the major actions designed to accomplish the long-term objectives of a business.” You will select first corporate, then business and finally, functional strategies to be implemented. A separate sub-section should be developed for each category. In this section you should:
• Identify the grand strategy or strategies that you would recommend to the firm. (Select 1 or more of the 15 strategies following the text and Dr Michael Porter’s theory).
• Explain how the implementation of such strategy (ies) would achieve the goals and objectives you have outlined in the previous section of your paper.
Recommendations/Implementations
The final section of your paper should consist of a set of specific recommendations that will implement the strategy or strategies you have selected. Your recommendations should follow directly from your analysis. If they come as a surprise because they are logically inconsistent with or not related to the preceding analysis, the effect of your discussion is weakened and your grade will reflect the disconnection.
Obviously, any recommendations for action should offer a reasonable prospect of success. Be sure that the company is financially able to carry out what you recommend. In addition, your recommendations need to be workable in terms of acceptance by the persons involved, the organization’s competence to implement them and prevailing market and environmental constraints. Unless for some reason you feel justifiably compelled to do so, do not qualify or hedge on the actions that you believe should be taken. Commit yourself to a specific plan of action.
Furthermore, state your recommendations in sufficient detail to be meaningful. Avoid using panaceas or platitudes such as “the organization should implement modern planning techniques” or “the company should be more aggressive in their marketing approach.” State specifically what you feel should be done and make your recommendations operational.
Finally, you need to indicate who will be involved in the implementation of your plan. In addition, you should also stipulate a timetable for initiating actions, indicate priorities, and suggest who should be responsible for doing what; this will serve as a control mechanism by which you can insure that the organization is “on track” in implementing your selected strategy or strategies.
Appendices
Appendices should be attached to your paper as necessary. Any information that is referred to in the text but is too lengthy to be included in the body of the paper should be incorporated as an appendix to your paper. For example, although you will fully discuss the financial position of the firm in the “Internal Analysis” section of your paper, the actual financial ratios can be presented in a chart in the appendix of your paper. There is no limit to the number of appendices you may include- -feel free to present any relevant information that you have not included in the text (because of length restrictions) in the appendix of your paper. However, do not reproduce material that comes directly from the written case itself, unless you have restructured the data or analyzed it in some way to provide support for the narrative sections of your paper.
Based the specifics of each case, some of the above sections may not contain very detailed information, as others might. Each case is unique and must be analyzed based on the information given in the case. Speculation is acceptable as long as it is backed up with data which would lead a prudent person to consider things the same way you did.
