Strategic Issues and Problems

The case MUST include the following clearly-identified four sections:  1) Abstract/Identification of the strategic issues and problems.  – Challenges must be based on Covid-19 issues Identifying strategic issues is the heart of the strategic planning process.

A strategic issue is a fundamental policy question or critical challenge affecting an organization’s directives, mission/values, product or service mix, customers/clients, costs, financing, structure, processes, or management. This section contains a focused paragraph defining issues and problems that the organization is currently facing. The issues and problems are found through your research of the organization, and environmental scan/SWOT analysis (section 2). The identification of the strategic issues must be a clear statement as to the underlying problems facing the organization and what your paper tends to prove or uncover.

 2) Analysis and evaluation. This section contains a thoughtful and concise assessment of the industry, market, buyer behavior, and organization. Be careful not to restate the information presented in the video. Rather, focus on your current research, assessment and interpretation of the facts, qualitative and quantitative data, and management views.

A SWOT analysis framework should be included (from part 1) as it is one of the useful tools to use in case analysis.  This section should also present three alternative courses of action with pros and cons analysis for each alternative. The company’s objectives should be defined in specific terms so management can measure progress and take corrective action to say on track. 

 3) Conclusion/Recommendations. This section presents a set of recommendations chosen from the alternatives discussed in the previous section. Make sure those recommendations are coming out of your assessment of the situation. Recommendations should be operational and realistic in the given case situation.  

4) References.  To develop successful strategies and action plans, marketers need current information about the environment, the competition, and the market segments to be served.  A reference page is the last page of a case study/research paper that’s been written in APA style. It lists all the sources you’ve used in your project so readers can easily find what you’ve cited.

5 references are required, in addition to the textbook. Wikipedia and blogs are NOT acceptable. References should be cited throughout your paper where applicable.