Case Scenario: The Godfather
Background
Don Corleone is the boss or CEO of a family crime business – the Long Island mafia in NY. He is seen as the most or one of the most powerful Mafia bosses in the country. The cover of the novel and many of the posters for the movie display a hand manipulating puppet strings. This is a metaphor. The Godfather is presumed to have so much power that he can control people & events the way a puppeteer controls the stage for his/her puppets.
The Godfather is approached early in the movie & asked if he wants to invest in the narcotics business. He declines & this sets in motion the long term conflicts between his Mafia family & the other families in the NY area. Resolving this conflict is the center piece of the movie’s climax.
It is possible to look at Don Corleone’s mafia family as a corporation. The offer to invest in narcotics was essentially an opportunity to add another strategic business or a new market to the Don’s already prosperous illegal enterprises.
Hints:
• Think about the family’s income streams as separate businesses or divisions. For example, the unions is one source of income, gambling is another, narcotics could be a third.
• Think about each business with a product life cycle model as discussed the text.
• Also think about the components of strategy. Do you see analogies to the Corleone empire?
Questions:
1. Don Corleone decides not to get into the narcotics business. Why? How does this relate to his strategy for his Mafia family?
2. Conduct a SWOT analysis on the Corleone Mafia family. Conduct this analysis at the end of the movie, after the climatic finale. What has Michael done and why? How secure is the family as the movie ends? Pretend you are a management consultant. Advise Michael at this time.