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SELF-ASSESSMENT 6.2 CAREER READINESS
Core Skills Required for Strategic Planning
This survey is designed to assess the skills needed in strategic planning.
STUDENT QUESTIONS
1. Do you have what it takes? Are you surprised by the results?
2. Based on the results, what are your top two strengths and deficiencies when it comes to
strategic planning?
Student responses will differ based on assessment results. Some students may be surprised that
their strategic planning issues come from poor verbal and written skills.
What would you say during an interview to demonstrate that you possess the career readiness
competencies associated with strategic thinking? Consider guidance found in the Career Corner.
SUPPLEMENTAL ACTIVITY
In this activity, students should respond to the following questions:
1. Based on your results, do you think you would like to make a career out of strategic planning?
Why or why not?
2. What appeals or does not appeal to you about this career? Explain.
3. How might you enhance your strategic skills? Discuss.
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READINESS
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SELF-ASSESSMENT 6.3 CAREER READINESS
Assessing the Obstacles to Strategic Execution
This survey is designed to assess the obstacles to strategic execution that may be impacting an
organization’s ability to execute.
STUDENT QUESTIONS
1. How does the company stand with respect to execution?
2. Based on the results, what are the company’s strengths and weaknesses when it comes to
execution?
3. What advice would you give to senior management about improving the company’s ability to
execute based on the results? Be specific.
SUPPLEMENTAL ACTIVITY
Students should be put into one of five groups with each group representing an obstacle to
strategic execution.
Students should relate each of their obstacles to the three core processes of business.
Which of the core processes represent this obstacle and why?
How can organizations overcome the assigned obstacle?
Each group should nominate one or two students to present their discussions to the class as a
whole.
Return.
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GROUP EXERCISE
STRATEGIZING FOR REAL
Objectives
● To help you understand the complexity of the strategic-planning process.
● To more completely familiarize yourself with strategic planning.
Introduction
Instructions
Five Steps of Strategic Planning
1. Establish the mission and vision of your university.
2. Conduct a SWOT analysis.
● What are your university’s strengths?
● What are your university’s weaknesses?
● What are your university’s opportunities?
● What are your university’s external threats?
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4. Establish a set of goals your university can pursue in an attempt to achieve its vision and
grand strategy.
5. Establish processes and procedures your university should put in place to monitor goal
achievement.
Questions for Discussion
1. Why is it important for an organization—whether private, public, or nonprofit—to have a
strategic plan? Explain your rationale.
2. Do you think that a strategic plan can ever be totally accurate? Why or why not?
3. Who do you think should be involved in developing and maintaining a strategic plan?
4. How would you grade (A through F) the strategic plan at your college? Explain your
rationale.
*Developed by Anne C. Cowden, PhD.
Tips for online and large in-person classes:
Online classes: Students can be placed in online groups and the activity can be posted to a
discussion board. Instructor can email blast groups’ plans with the entire class.
CAN BE
USED
ONLINE
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CAREER CORNER GROUP EXERCISE
DEVELOPING LATERAL THINKING
Learning Objective
Students will enhance their ability to think strategically by engaging in lateral thinking
Introduction
Strategic thinking is fundamental to being an exceptional manager. A strategic thinker routinely
engages in looking at the big picture, examining what needs to be done to successfully obtain
Instructions
The primary purpose of this exercise is for your students to engage in lateral thinking as they
attempt to devise a solution to a key performance issue facing a struggling company. First, the
class will conduct a SWOT analysis of the chosen company. Each group will pick its own
performance issue and come up with an action plan to improve the situation. Each group will use
Dr. Bono’s concept of lateral thinking to encourage strategic thinking as they develop their
solution to the chosen performance issue.
1. Start the activity with a class discussion on the performance of your selected company.
Have the class do a quick SWOT Analysis of the selected company (Toyota’s SWOT
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3. Put students into groups of 4 or 5 students. Task each group with developing an action
plan that addresses a key performance Issue. Ask each group to spend 2 minutes wearing
each of the six colored hats. The suggested order of hats is:
4. Ask each group to prepare a five-minute presentation summarizing their proposed
solution for the selected company’s performance issue.
5. Select two or three groups to present to the class.
6. Facilitate a class discussion on value of lateral thinking by using the following questions:
• What was the focus of each hat’s contribution to the discussion?
• Did seeing the problem from different perspectives lead to a better solution?
• How did wearing multiple hats force you to reconsider the issue at hand?
• Take a moment for self-reflection, how does utilizing the concept of lateral
thinking improve your understanding of the situation?
• Does lateral thinking lead to enhanced strategic thinking?
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UBER CONTINUING CASE
Chapter 6: Strategy
This part of the Uber cumulative case focuses on Chapter 6 and covers principles related to
strategic management. This cumulative case’s real-world application of management knowledge
and skills is designed to help you develop critical-thinking ability and realize the practical power
of sound managerial skills for solving problems in your job and career.
The case includes five multiple-choice questions and two essays-based questions. The essay-
based questions can also be used in-class to spur discussion:
1. Are Uber’s strategies consistent with the results of their SWOT analysis? Explain using
examples from the case.
Student answers will vary, but what is important is that they compare Uber’s strategies
with the SWOT analysis provided. Here is an example:
One of Uber’s strategies is ease of use and transparency.
2. Utilize Porter’s model for industry analysis to assess Uber’s competitiveness.
Students should point to the five primary competitive forces in a firm’s environment: (1)
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Copyright © 2020 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
for the organization is primarily based on contracted drivers and how much influence
they have on the organization. The bargaining power of buyers, who are riders, is based
on their usage of the Uber app and unhappiness with conventional transportation
services. Threats of substitute services includes riders deciding to use their own cars
and/or public transportation instead of Uber. Finally, rivalry among competitors is
influenced by the proceeding four forces mentioned.
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MANAGER’S HOT SEAT
No Manager’s Hot Seat for this chapter.
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APPLICATION-BASED ACTIVITY
MANAGERIAL STRATEGY: ARE THE ODDS IN ATLANTIC HOTELS’ FAVOR?
I. Introduction
Atlantic Hotels is looking to expand its territory in order to stay competitive with larger hotel
chains. The company has its sights set on Las Vegas, Nevada, but leadership still does not know
if the Vegas market is right for Atlantic. The student will play the role of the CEO and will need
to look at the data the CEO’s team has put together and make the final call on whether or not the
company should open a new hotel in Las Vegas.
II. Learning Objectives
1. Understand the strategic management process.
2. Apply the most effective type of strategy in order to successfully expand an organization
to a new location.
3. Evaluate an expansion-based strategic decision utilizing Porter’s five competitive forces
theory.
III. Scoring Dimensions
The following theoretical concepts from the chapter are covered and scored in the simulation:
Theoretical Concepts
Percentage of Simulation
Strategic Management Process
20%
Porter’s Five Forces Analysis
40%
Strategic Decision Making
40%
IV. Follow-up Activity
Students can be assembled into groups of 4 to 5 in order to create a SWOT Analysis document
on a major hotel chain (e.g. Hilton, Marriott, etc.). The SWOT analysis for Atlantic Hotels in the
simulation can be used as a basis to do research (see below) and find the following on the chosen
hotel brand:
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• What are the hotel’s strengths?
• What are the hotel’s weaknesses?
• What opportunities are there for the hotel?
• What threats are there for the hotel?
The Internet can be used to research the particular hotel chain. Students can share their SWOT
analysis with the class.
Atlantic Hotels SWOT Analysis