Strategic audit

Paper instructions:

http://www.tec-digital.itcr.ac.cr/file/9565503/Wheelen-13ed-Strategic_Management_and_Business_Policy.pdf.

The above link is the book where the two cases to choose from can be found

WEEK 1 ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS

Over the course of the next four weeks you will be developing a Strategic Audit (SA) on one of the following two case studies:

* #19 Harley-Davidson Inc.         * #22 Volcom Inc.

Select one case to work on; once selected, you cannot change your case for this series of assignments. Make sure you pick one that is of interest to you!  Use Appendix 1.A, Appendix 12.B, and Appendix 12.C in detail as you work on your Strategic Audit (SA).

TEMPLATE – EXH 1 – EFAS – OLALLIEBERRY PIE CO.docx

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ASSIGNMENT: Develop an External Factors Analysis Summary (EFAS) for your selected case study following the guidance in Chapter 4.

There must be a minimum of 4 line items for Opportunities and 4 line items for Threats.
DUE BY THE END OF THE DAY ON THE SUNDAY THAT ENDS THIS WEEK. EFAS IS WORTH 40 POINTS.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. External factors are those the firm as NO control over. I will be doing reality checks when reading your work, asking, “Does the firm control this activity or not?” For instance, a firm has control over the price it chooses to charge, but they don’t have control over whether or not that price is acceptable to the ultimate consumer.
2. Your explanation/comments column can make all the difference in my answer to the question above. Use short names for the factors, but flesh them out in the explanation/comments so they make sense when you approach them later on. Comments are expected to be at least 3-5 sentences in length and depth and offer a clear explanation of the strategic factor (SF): why it is a strategic factor (SF); how you assigned the weight; and how you assigned the rating.
a.Why it is a strategic factor:  explain why you selected this SF and what is the potential impact on the firm.  Estimate the potential impact on the firm in a quantitative manner using some metric:  sales, revenues, costs, market share, profits, logistics pipeline, CSI, etc.  Use a positive analysis (quantitative) rather than a normative analysis (feelings, desires).  Focus on what is the potential gain for your SF opportunities or the potential loss from a SF threat, rather than giving a history lesson.  You should estimate and predict the impact.  Be creative.  This is the same kind of analysis and estimation you will use to construct your Strategic Alternative Scenarios.   Don’t develop future actions or alternatives here in the EFAS about how a firm will take action on a particular SF.  The brainstorming development of those alternative actions comes with the TOWS Analysis.
b. How you assigned the weight:  explain the importance of the SF to the firm’s survival.  Is the SF of vital importance or low importance on a scale of 1 to 0?  What SF has the biggest impact?  Which one(s) are the Big Dogs?  Make a logical explanation of why the weight you have assigned is what it is.
c. How you assigned the rating:  provide an explanation of how well, or how badly, the firm is handling each specific external SF.  Use the scale of 1 – 5, poor to outstanding; comparing the firm’s performance against the industry standard rating of 3.  Give a logical explanation of why the rating is what it is.  Do they handle it well or are they lost?