Need to use the Strategic Management tools, quantify, and future planning, please read the question and let me know if you want me to share any additional guides or resources
George Weston (CEO) has assembled the senior executive team (you) to:
1. Consider ABF's approach, management style, portfolio options going forward
2. Consider key insights from three divisions:
- Sugar
- Retail
- Grocery
3. Consider key issues for the company and individual divisions (including Ingredients and Agriculture)
To make the meeting productive the CEO has circulated general briefings as a prompt to guide presentations and discussions - the guidelines are subsequently outlined.
(Note: in the SM Course we gave you detailed guidelines for Unilever and Ice-Cream; for ABF the guidelines are more general to allow you to focus on the areas you feel are managerially more important and useful/interesting for the class)
ABF Information Sources
Note: Sources like Euromonitor update reports frequently. You should focus on the latest reports.
In familiarising yourself with ABF we would recommend:
1. You initially read the Associated British Foods, PLC case 9-912-042
- Start with Appendix A: ‘The making of a company'
- Review exhibits 1a to 1c (overall ABF performance), then 1d-1h (divisional performance)
- Read the case noting management style/culture and content on the food system, Sugar and Primark plus supporting appendix data (exhibits 3 to 8)
2. Listen to the ASM Introductory Tutorial
3. Go to the ABF site: www.abf.co.uk Particularly of note:
Investor Relations
- Annual reports and interims
About Us
- Provides an overview of ABF's history, an overview of the divisions with links to divisional and brand sites
Workshop Briefs
Introduction
Each Group will have an hour at the meeting. The hour is for the Group to organise as they see fit - but we recommend a formal input followed by at least 15 minutes of discussion and comment (there is a Class Participation grade to consider).
The main aim of each presentation is to managerially apply the contents of the SM and ASM Courses providing your audience with insights and ideas (with the stress on ASM content).
NOTE: Each Brief has prompts which you do not have to adhere to - you are the leaders/managers in charge of your Brief. In delivering your hour you can draw on any of the materials of the combined SM and ASM Courses, other MBA courses and your own managerial experience.
Presentation Style/Protocol
• Naturally introduce yourselves, the purpose of the presentation and your agenda initially
• We are managers so the presentations should stress the managerial
• Avoid generalisations, stress quantification
• We want you to use the concepts to illustrate to the class how they can be used managerially (remember the class are other ABF senior executives)
• You can assume the audience is familiar with the concepts, there is no need to explain them, just managerially apply them
• You do not all have to present - but the Group should all be together at the front of the class
Your presentation should show managerial mastery of the ‘tool kit' and understanding of the division/company/issue. In addition you should leave the audience with ideas/approaches they can use elsewhere - especially how to add value/innovate/grow/build business.
Reflection
Many argue that Reflection is the most important part of the Manchester Method. Reflection is best after the event (but still whilst it is fresh in your mind). However, could we ask all groups to prepare for a short Reflection session (5-10 minutes or so) after their formal one hour presentation/Q&A/discussion has come to an end. We will then ask for your initial Reflection:
- What did you learn; what could you now apply in your own organisation/new business ideas?
- What lessons would you like to share?
- Insights from the learning and work process?
- How well did you do, where could it have gone better? (a good manager/consultant always knows where it could have been better).
The stress of Reflection is always to learn from your own experience and share those learnings with others.
"What I do, I understand" - Confucius
"Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others."
- Bismarck
Divisional Briefs: Sugar, Retail, Grocery
Could all divisional presentations consider applying:
- Space
- The Environments Matrix
- At least some aspects of the Industry/Market Fact Sheet (typically drip fed into the presentation)
- The Business Model Canvas - Osterwalder
- A review of structural profile of the Division, or part of the division on the 18 PIMS factors, in words (covered in Workshop input)
- All presentations should consider how to add value/innovate/grow/build business
The Briefs pull primarily on Manual Section 5: the Competitive Environment and Business Strategy covered in the SM and ASM Workshops with supporting readings - but you can leverage other parts of the SM/ASM Courses and other MBA courses.
Attachment:- Assignment Brief.rar