Part 1 - External Analysis Case: Natural Food Groceries
(1) How has the natural food movement emerged, and how has it impacted the external business environment?
(2) Who are the major players in the natural food grocery industry, and how have they established a market for natural food?
(3) What have been major challenges of growth in the industry, and what strategies should supporters of ‘natural food' pursue to promote further growth?
Part 2 - Internal Analysis & Benchmarking Case: Facebook vs. Google
(1) What are Google's and Facebook's business models, and what do these companies compete on?
(2) How do Google and Facebook compare in terms of firm strengths and weaknesses, and to what extent does any one of them have a
sustainable competitive advantage?
(3) To what extent has the battle between Google and Facebook benefited Internet users and society at large, and where do you see major negative consequences and why?
Part 3 - Innovation Strategies Case: Procter & Gamble
(1) What is P&G's business and competitive positioning, and how has P&G become a major global player?
(2) What are main features of P&G's open innovation system ‘connect & develop', and to what extent has it become a source of
sustainable competitive advantage?
(3) To what extent has ‘connect & develop' increased consumer participation in innovation, and to what extent do you think is P&G interested in increasing responsiveness to consumer needs?
Part 4 - Diversification Strategies Case: Disney
(1) What businesses is Disney involved in, and how has Disney grown its various businesses over time?
(2) To what extent has Disney pursued a related or unrelated diversification strategy, and how has Disney managed to create
synergies between its businesses?
(3) How has Disney's growth impacted society, and to what extent do you think has this impact been a deliberate result of Disney's
diversification strategy?
Part 5 - Internationalization Strategies Case: Cisco Systems
(1) What is Cisco's business model, and how has Cisco expanded internationally over time?
(2) Why did Cisco set up its Global R&D Center and second headquarter in Bangalore, India, in 2006, and how have Bangalore operations developed since then?
(3) How has Cisco's decision in 2006 influenced current job cuts, and to what extent do you think has Cisco's initial investment overall had a positive or negative employment effect?