Think Plan Act: Company Analysis
Think Plan Act: Company Analysis
THINK
Print
Print Cover General Internal Analysis Go To Input
General Company Information Go To Input Internal
Page Print Core
Core Competence Assessment Go To Input
Comp
Print All Industry and Print Strat
Industry and Competitive Analysis Data Matrix for Strategy Canvas Go To Input
Competition Canvas
Note: This option will print all Strategic Group Maps Print 4-
Four-Action Framework Go To Input
(discard as needed) Action
Industry Analysis Go To Input Print Industry SPACE Chart / Analysis Go To Input Print SPACE
Print
Porter's Five Forces Go To Input
Print Porter Strategic Alternatives and Analysis Go To Input
Alternatives
Go To Print Print Print All
Go To 5 Go To Print
Strategic Group Map 4 SGM SGM Recommendations Recommendations
SGM5 SGM6 SGM4
SGM4 5 6 Output
Print Strategy
PLAN
GE Matrix Go To Input Print GE Matrix Strategy Map Go To Input
Print
Map
Recommendations Go To Input Recommendati
ons
Market Analysis Go To Input Print Market Mission Statements Go To Input Print Mission
Environmental Analysis Go To Input Print Env An Vision Statements Go To Input Print Vision
Strategic Analysis Model that works
on
?
?
nts
ol pti
ria
e
let
T o scr i
me
rop
mp
m
p
De
Co
Ap
Co
PHASE I: Situation Analysis
Industry Analysis
Competitive Analysis
GE Matrix
Market Analysis
Environmental Analysis
Company Analysis
Financial Analysis
SWOT Analysis
TOWS Matrix
Strategy Canvas
Four-Action Framework
Strategy Map
Recommendations
Mission Statements
Vision Statements
SAM tw
Instructions
Welcome to the Strategy portion of the SAMtw software (Strategic Analysis Model—that works!).
Crafting a good strategy is hard work. It requires having to pay relentless attention to as much data about the company and its environment as can
be gathered (it should be data-driven, not opinion-driven), understanding, analyzing, and making sense of changes in the environment and in the
company itself. And because those data and analyses sometimes don't cover what is truly needed, one must rely also on forecasts, judgment,
experience, and even educated guesses.
Strategy is how a company actually competes and, for the strategy to be successful, it must lift the company above its competitors and also
position it for long-term success. It is as much about figuring out what to do as what not to do—about making difficult choices (see below). No easy
task. And until a strategy is implemented, one won’t know whether it has been successful.
SAMtw follows the process laid out in the strategic-planning book you now own. Because of the complex nature of deciding what to do and what
not to do in a competitive, ambiguous, changing, and uncertain environment, this Strategy workbook—and the companion financial workbooks for
3, 4, and 5 years’ worth of data—will help you immeasurably. Here are some pointers to help you get the most out of this software.
Before starting, be sure after downloading the workbook to save it to your hard drive. After that, each time you use it for a different company, save
it under that company’s name. Remember to save after completing every sheet.
The first thing to tell you is that the strategy workbook comprises work sheets, i.e., rough notes, a thinking pad, and even ruminations that no one
else will see until your thinking has evolved and you can defend your analyses and recommendations. If you’re ever in doubt as to whether your
answer is ‘correct’ or even belongs in a particular box, simply put it down; you can always go back and change it. Your first entries are not
necessarily your final ones; it’s amazing how your thinking changes when you can actually see your ideas on the computer screen or in a printout—
another benefit of the strategy worksheets.
While the tools and analytical techniques in the workbook will give you more insight than you would have had without using any of them, your
instructor might nevertheless choose to have you complete a subset of them (use the Checklist to note which ones not to complete).
On every sheet, you will find comment boxes or call-outs attached to almost every entry to both explain the term used and guide you to making a
relevant (not necessarily correct) response. When you have made all entries on a particular sheet, check them against your intuition and other
relevant information you might have. For example, arriving at a high Industry-Attractiveness Index when other signs point to it being not very
attractive should tell you to go over your analysis again. The same might apply to your entries in the Porter’s Five-Forces Analysis. While there are
never any “right” answers (unlike the Financial workbooks that depend on inputting the data correctly), the ones you enter should be defensible,
i.e., you should be able to tell someone else why your entries made sense.
Don’t be afraid to leave an entry blank if you have no idea what should go in a box, or enter “Unknown.” Another idea is to put an entry in square
parentheses (or some color) to denote a complete guess. Even the best strategists don’t know the answers to everything. For example, one such
category of information that managers have little information about is competitive information; some strategy cases also provide too little
competitive information. Thus, after completing the Competitive Snapshot sheet, you might find you were able to complete very few boxes. One
conclusion, which should be apparent even to you, is that you know very little about your competitors—a serious shortcoming when doing a
strategic analysis. In another example, if you can come up with only one or two environmental trends, know that you are missing others.
The sheet that is the most important and most difficult to complete is the Alternatives Analysis and Choice. Reading Chapter 5 in the book before
and during completing this sheet will help enormously. Another thing that will help is having done it 2-3 times—you will begin to focus more on the
strategic issues and being strategically creative than on what terms mean. Remember to phrase key strategic issues as questions (to which the
answer is not known) and to address all of them in constructing your bundles (they will diverge as you go through this process, but will have a
chance at the end to delete issues that weren’t addressed and add new ones that were). Your bundles should meet the six criteria given in the
book and you must have a minimum of two bundles (otherwise there is no choice involved). You should take care when giving each bundle a name;
doing so will not only help distinguish them from each other but crystallize the principal strategy it embodies. Finally, it is the relative scores in
your Criteria Matrix that matter, not their absolute value. Construct your argument defending your winning bundle from your Criteria Matrix.
Strategy is about deciding what to do (your winning bundle) and what not to do (the bundles you reject) in order to compete better over the next
three years. This workbook will allow you to examine your thinking—or have a group examine its thinking—and arm you with arguments to
persuade others that your recommendations make the most sense under the circumstances. Yes, it’s hard work, but once you become familiar with
the process, you’ll give more time to strategic considerations and less to the mechanics. And, you’ll be hooked.
Stan Abraham
September 12, 2011
Once input is complete for this screen, click here to print Cover Sheet which incorporates the data entered here.
Products/Services
6 product lines
CEO Name Kiros Teklu
CEO Style Leader
No. Years in Business 10 years
No. Locations 5
How Many States/Countries? 1
Headquarters Location Addis Ababa,Ethiopia
Industry Snapshot
0.0
0.0
Industry
Attractiveness
85.0
100 Index
This index indicates that this is an attractive industry to enter or remain in.
Print after input is complete
for this screen
EKT Ceramics
Competitive Analysis: Snapshot of the Competition
Ethio Ceramics 0% `
Make sure to input names of
competitors here. They are used
Royal Ceramics 0%
in numerous instances within the
model.
D. Lemesa 0%
AB-HAM 0%
Modern Ceramics 0%
Others 0%
0%
Affordable price 30
Factor EKT Ceramics Ethio Ceramics Royal Ceramics D. Lemesa AB-HAM Modern Ceramics
Affordable price
Name up to 2 things each competitor 1. many show rooms 1. Large product mix
does better than EKT Ceramics
Strategic Factor EKT Ceramics Ethio Ceramics Royal Ceramics D. Lemesa AB-HAM Modern Ceramics
Competitive Advantage
Strategic Intent
Geographic Scope
Positioning
Generic Strategy
Print after input is complete
for this screen
EKT Ceramics
Royal Ceramics
Modern Ceramics
Cosultants
Personal
Identify Suppliers
Identify Substitutes
Intensity of Rivalry
10
8
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
Criteria B
Group 4
4
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Criteria A
Strategic Group
Map Data Criteria A Criteria B Group Size
User Defined Titles of Groups (X) (Y) (Diameter)
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
EKT Ceramics
Competive Analysis: Strategic Group Map
10
6
Group 4 Group 5
4
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Criteria A
Strategic Group
Map Data Criteria A Criteria B Group Size
User Defined Titles of Groups (X) (Y) (Diameter)
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5
EKT Ceramics
10
6
Group 4 Group 5 Group 6
4
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Criteria A
Strategic Group
Map Data Criteria A Criteria B Group Size
User Defined Titles of Groups (X) (Y) (Diameter)
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5
Group 6
EKT Ceramics
G.E. Matrix
The G.E. Matrix was named after the corporation that first developed and used it as a guide to strategic choice.
The G.E. Matrix plots Industry Attractiveness (85) against Competitive Strength (0).
Industry
100
Attractiveness
(I.A.) Index 85.0
This index indicates that this is an attractive industry to enter or remain in.
0
Comp Strength
(C.S.) Index 0.0
This index indicates that this company is NOT competitive.
If the company plots in the top three boxes (shaded light green), the GE Matrix indicates a possible strategy of 'Grow, Invest, and
Build." If it ends up in the bottom three squares (shaded light red), the matrix indicates a 'Harvest' or 'Exit' strategy. The grey shaded
boxes require a strategy on a case-by-case basis.
G. E. Matrix Chart
100.0
I.A. Index
80.0
60.0
40.0
20.0
0.0
0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100.0
C.S. Index
EKT Ceramics
What
Economic
Regulatory/
Legislative
Demographic
Attitude/
Lifestyle
Socio-
Cultural
Political/
Legal
Technological
Other Trends
Print after input is complete for this screen
EKT Ceramics
STRENGTHS
List up to eight strengths specific to this company:
WEAKNESSES
List up to eight weaknesses specific to this company:
8
OPPORTUNITIES
List up to eight opportunities specific to this company:
THREATS
List up to eight threats specific to this company:
8
EKT Ceramics
Company Analysis: TOWS Matrix
Strengths (S) Weaknesses (W)
1. 1.
INTERNAL 2. 2.
FACTORS
3. 3.
4. 4.
EXTERNAL 5. 5.
FACTORS
6. 6.
7. 7.
8. 8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
EKT Ceramics
Current strategy
Corporate culture
What
Any constraints?
The four criteria that distinguish capabilities from core competencies are related to competitive advantage and firm performance.
Valuable capabilities are those that create value for a firm and help it deliver customer value by exploiting opportunities or
neutralizing threats in its external environment. Rare capabilities are those possessed by almost no current or potential competitor.
Costly-to-imitate capabilities are those that other firms cannot develop easily, quickly, or inexpensively. And nonsubstitutable
capabilities are those that do not have strategic equivalents.
Is the Is the
Is the Is the capability capability
capability capability costly to nonsubsti-
Capability valuable? rare? imitate? tutable? Competitive Consequences Performance Implications
EKT Ceramics
Strategy Canvas
Apple
Dell
Other
s
This takes the form of a graphical two-dimensional representation: The x-axis comprises a list of the
factors the industry currently competes on, such as price, features, promotion, distribution, service, etc.,
and the y-axis represents the offering level that buyers receive across all these competing factors (no
scale is possible since the levels pertain to many factors, but the range is from low to high). Insofar as the
company under analysis scores high on factors that other companies and the industry don't, it points to
the existence of a Blue Ocean.
EKT Ceramics
Four-Action Framework
A first attempt at plotting a company’s value curve might disappoint if the curve is too similar to that of the industry. This means, of course, that the company is not at
all or sufficiently differentiated. The Four-Action Framework is designed to stimulate thinking to find ways to differentiate the company and even ways of competing
that have not been contemplated by the industry (a Blue Ocean). What is attractive about it is its simplicity and ease of use. Think of it as "focused brainstorming.”
test 1 test 8
1 1
test 2 test 9
2 2
test 3 test 10
3 3
test 4 test 11
4 4
test 5 test 12
5 5
6 test 6 6 test 13
7 test 7 7 test 14
Eliminate Create
Which of the factors that the industry takes for granted should be eliminated? Which factors should be created that the industry has never offered?
test 15 test 22
1 1
test 16 test 23
2 2
test 17 test 24
3 3
test 18 test 25
4 4
test 19 test 26
5 5
6 test 20 6 test 27
7 test 21 7 test 28
###
### #REF!
#REF!
EKT Ceramics
SPACE Analysis
Strategic Position and ACtion Evaluation (SPACE) is used to determine the appropriate strategic posture for a
company. Financial Strength (FS) and Competitive Advantage (CA) are the two primary determinants of a firm's
strategic position. Industry Strength (IS) and Environmental Stability (ES) characterize the entire industry. You are to
assign scores (below) for each of the 4 dimensions. Each factor contains a comment to assist in scoring. Averages
(or average minus 6 as indicated) for each dimension are plotted on the chart. The result is a four-sided polygon
displaying the weight and direction (the "thrust") of the strategic assessment. By adding the results of the two X-axis
dimensions (CA & IS) and the two Y-axis dimensions (FS& ES), an (X,Y) coordinate is obtained and plotted on the chart
to determine the appropriate strategic posture. Keep in mind that the SPACE Chart is a summary device and each
dimension should be analyzed individually as well, especially if any dimension results in a high or low score.
Factors Determining Financial Strength (FS) Factors Determining Industry Strength (IS)
Indicate a score for each of the following criteria. Indicate a score for each of the following criteria.
Return on Investment 6 Growth Potential 4
Leverage 6 Profit Potential 3
Liquidity 3 Technological Know-How 5
Capital Required Versus Capital Available 4 Resource Utilization 3
Cash Flow 0 Capital Intensity 6
Risk Involved in Business 5 Ease of Entry into Market 3
Inventory Turnover 5 Productivity, Capacity Utilization 4
Economies of Scale and Experience 4 Other:
Other:
Average 4.1 Average 4.0
Factors Determining Environmental Stability (ES) Factors Determining Competitive Advantage (CA)
Indicate a score for each of the following criteria. Indicate a score for each of the following criteria.
Technological Changes 4 44 Market Share 6
Rate of Inflation 5 Product Quality 5
Demand Variability 6 Product Life Cycle 6
Price Range of Competing Products 4 Product Replacement Cycle 5
Barriers to Entry into Market 5 Customer Loyalty 4
Competitive Pressure/Rivalry 2 Competition's Capacity Utilization 3
Price Elasticity of Demand 1 Technological Know-How 4
Pressure from Substitute Products 6 Vertical Integration 6
Other: Differentiation, Uniqueness 5
Other:
Average - 6 -1.9 Average - 6 -1.1
EKT Ceramics
SPACE Analysis
(High)
Defensive - Competitive -
Relative weakness Comp. advantage in good
on most dimensions ES industry, but weak in financial
and environmental stability
(Low)
Conservative Aggressive
Defensive Competitive
SPACE Analysis
This model is adapted from Strategic Management: A Methodological Approach by Rowe, Mason, Dickel, Mann and Mockler, 1994, p.255-265.
EKT Ceramics
SO Strategies 0 0 0 0
WO Strategies 0 0 0 0
ST Strategies 0 0 0 0
WT Strategies 0 0 0 0
2.
3.
4.
5.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
EKT Ceramics
Describe each
bundle fully
EKT Ceramics
Other Other
Other Other
Criteria Matrix
Indicate a score from 0 to +10 (10 being best) for the positively correlated criteria chosen (indicated by "P")
Indicate a score from -10 to 0 (0 being best) for the negatively correlated criteria chosen (indicated by "N")
Growth in revenues P
Growth in profits P
Return on investment P
Strength of value
P
proposition
Increase in bargaining
P
power
Other P
Other P
Overall riskiness N
EKT Ceramics
Other N
Other N
Other N
Other N
OVERALL SCORE 0 0 0 0
EKT Ceramics
Bundle Description
Rationale for
selecting the
preferred choice
A strate
Strateg
Build the
Increase
Achieve
Strategy Map Be a Go
Strateg
Identify Strategic When printing, the arrows Financia
and instruction boxes will Custome
Programs Operatio
not print.
Learning
Taken to
just mar
play in i
to devel
strategic
Test # 2 theme that is much
Financial Test #1 theme
wraps around creative
strategy
the conc
construc
impleme
success
Customer
Strategic Objectives
Operations (Process)
Strategic Themes
Source: Kaplan & Norton, The Strategy-Focused Organization, How Balanced Scorecard Companies
Thrive in the New Business Environment (Harvard Business School Press, 2001)
Print after input is
complete for this screen
EKT Ceramics
Recommendations
Decisions for the Next Three Years
INPUT SHEET
Enter Data to be
used for charting Most Recent Year
Revenues
Net Income After
Taxes (NIAT)
Other objectives
Other objectives
Strategy
Strategy
Strategy
Strategic Intent
Print after input is
complete for this screen
EKT Ceramics
Recommendations
Programs
Trigger-Contingency Pairs
2005 2006 2007
Trigger
Contingency
Trigger
Contingency
Trigger
Contingency
EKT Ceramics
Mission Statements
To maximize owners' wealth through sound business activities in a socially responsible manner.
Vision Statements
To be one of the top ten leading companies in trade and investment in Ethiopia which is dedicated
to providing superior quality products,Values and services to customers, employees and for the
social community in 2025.
Strategic Analysis
for
EKT Ceramics
A Private Company
Addis Ababa,Ethiopia
Prepared by
Mesfin Diro
Company Snapshot
Segment Industry
3 Construction
Products/Services
6 product lines
5 1
62 10 years
Ethio Ceramics 0%
Royal Ceramics 0%
D. Lemesa 0%
AB-HAM 0%
Modern Ceramics 0%
Others 0%
0%
Affordable price 0 0 0 0 0 0
Large market
0 0 0 0 0 0
experience
Large geographical
0 0 0 0 0 0
coverage
TOTAL WEIGHTED
SCORE 150 210 270 210 180 120
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
EKT Ceramics Ethio Ceramics Royal Ceramics D. Lemesa AB-HAM Modern Ceramics
300
250
50
0
EKT Ceramics Ethio Ceramics Royal Ceramics D. Lemesa AB-HAM Modern Ceramics
EKT Ceramics
Competitive Analysis: Snapshot of the Competition
Competitive
Advantage
Strategic Intent
Geographic Scope
Positioning
Generic Strategy
EKT Ceramics
SUPPLIERS OF KEY INPUTS BUYERS
EKT Ceramics
Ethio Ceramics
D. Lemesa Cosultants
AB-HAM Personal
Modern Ceramics
SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS
Threat of Substitutes:
Barriers to Entry:
EKT Ceramics
SWOT Analysis
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
EKT Ceramics
Reduce
test 1
test 2
test 3
test 4
test 5
test 6
test 7
Eliminate Create
test 15 test 22
test 16 test 23
test 17
A New test 24
test 18
Value test 25
test 19
Curve test 26
test 20 test 27
test 21 test 28
Raise
test 8
test 9
test 10
test 11
test 12
test 13
test 14
COMMENTS / ANALYSIS
0
EKT Ceramics
Recommendations
Decisions for the Next Three Years
Objectives 2005 2006 2007
Other objectives 0 0 0
Strategic Intent
Programs
Recommendations
Trigger-Contingency Pairs
Trigger
Contingency
Trigger
Contingency
Trigger
Contingency
Check boxes - Basic Data
2 A Public Corporation
A Private Company
Forms - Industry
1 Lifecycle Stage
1 Degree of Vertical Integration
1 Degree of Technological Innovation
Scale Economies
1 Purchasing
1 Distribution
1 Manufacturing
1 Advertising
1 Industry Profitability
3 Degree of Concentration
STRATEGY
0 Fit with corporate culture
0 Adverse effect on competitors
0 Contribution to shareholder value
0 Growth in revenues
0 Growth in profits
0 Return on investment
0 Strength of value proposition
0 Increase in bargaining power
0 Other
0 Other
0 Extent to which culture must change
0 Capital investment required
0 Likelihood of competitive retaliation
0 Time to breakeven point
0 Overall riskiness
0 Other
0 Other
0 Other
0 Other
0 Other