Strategy Analysis and Choice

Chapter Six

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 Learning Objectives
1. Describe the strategy analysis and choice process.
2. Diagram and explain the three-stage strategy-
formulation analytical framework.
3. Diagram and explain the Strengths-Weaknesses-
Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) Matrix.
4. Diagram and explain the Strategic Position and
Action Evaluation (SPACE) Matrix.
5. Diagram and explain the Boston Consulting Group
(BCG) Matrix.

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 Learning Objectives (cont.)

6. Diagram and explain the Internal-External (IE) Matrix.

7. Diagram and explain the Grand Matrix.
8. Diagram and explain the Quantitative Strategic Planning
Matrix (QSPM).
9. Discuss the role of organizational culture in strategic analysis
and choice.
10. Identify and discuss important political considerations in
strategy analysis and choice.
11. Discuss the role of a board of directors (governance) in
strategic planning.

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A Comprehensive Strategic-Management
Model

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 The Process of Generating and Selecting
Strategies
• A manageable set of the most attractive alternative
strategies must be developed.
• The advantages, disadvantages, trade-offs, costs, and
benefits of these strategies should be determined.

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 The Process of Generating and Selecting
Strategies
• Identifying and evaluating alternative strategies should
involve many of the managers and employees who
earlier assembled the organizational vision and mission
statements, performed the external audit, and conducted
the internal audit.

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 The Process of Generating and Selecting
Strategies
• Alternative strategies proposed by
participants should be considered and
discussed in a series of meetings.
• Proposed strategies should be listed in
writing.
• When all feasible strategies identified by
participants are given and understood, the
strategies should be ranked in order of
attractiveness.
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The Strategy-Formulation Analytical
Framework

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 A Comprehensive Strategy-Formulation
Framework
• Stage 1 - Input Stage
– summarizes the basic input information needed to formulate
strategies
– consists of the EFE Matrix, the IFE Matrix, and the Competitive
Profile Matrix (CPM)

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 A Comprehensive Strategy-Formulation
Framework
• Stage 2 - Matching Stage
– focuses on generating feasible alternative
strategies by aligning key external and internal
factors
– techniques include the Strengths-Weaknesses-
Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) Matrix, the
Strategic Position and Action Evaluation
(SPACE) Matrix, the Boston Consulting Group
(BCG) Matrix, the Internal-External (IE) Matrix,
and the Grand Strategy Matrix

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 A Comprehensive Strategy-Formulation
Framework
• Stage 3 - Decision Stage
– involves the Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM)
– reveals the relative attractiveness of alternative strategies and
thus provides objective basis for selecting specific strategies

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Matching Key External and Internal Factors
to Formulate Alternative Strategies

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 The Matching Stage

• The Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats
(SWOT) Matrix helps managers develop four types of
strategies:
– SO (strengths-opportunities) Strategies
– WO (weaknesses-opportunities) Strategies
– ST (strengths-threats) Strategies
– WT (weaknesses-threats) Strategies

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 The Matching Stage

• SO Strategies • WO Strategies
– use a firm's internal – aim at improving internal
strengths to take advantage weaknesses by taking
of external opportunities advantage of external
opportunities

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 The Matching Stage

• ST Strategies • WT Strategies
– use a firm's strengths to avoid – defensive tactics directed at
or reduce the impact of reducing internal weakness
external threats and avoiding external
threats

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 SWOT Matrix

1. List the firm's key external opportunities.

2. List the firm's key external threats.
3. List the firm's key internal strengths.
4. List the firm's key internal weaknesses.
5. Match internal strengths with external
opportunities, and record the resultant SO strategies.

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 SWOT Matrix (cont.)

6. Match internal weaknesses with external

opportunities, and record the resultant WO strategies.
7. Match internal strengths with external threats, and
record the resultant ST strategies.
8. Match internal weaknesses with external
threats, and record the resultant WT strategies.

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The SPACE Matrix

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 The SPACE Matrix

• Strategic Position and Action Evaluation (SPACE)

Matrix
– four-quadrant framework indicates whether aggressive,
conservative, defensive, or competitive strategies are most
appropriate for a given organization

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 The SPACE Matrix

• Two internal dimensions (financial position [FP] and

competitive position [CP])
• Two external dimensions (stability position [SP] and
industry position [IP])
• Most important determinants of an organization's overall
strategic position

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SPACE Matrix Axes

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 Steps to Develop a SPACE Matrix

1. Select a set of variables to define financial position

(FP), competitive position (CP), stability position (SP), and
industry position (IP).

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 Steps to Develop a SPACE Matrix

2. Assign a numerical value ranging from +1

(worst) to +7 (best) to each of the variables that make
up the FP and IP dimensions.
Assign a numerical value ranging from –1
(best) to –7 (worst) to each of the variables that make
up the SP and CP dimensions.

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 Steps to Develop a SPACE Matrix

3. Compute an average score for FP, CP, IP,

and SP.
4. Plot the average scores for FP, IP, SP, and
CP on the appropriate axis.
5. Add the two scores on the x-axis and plot
the resultant point on X. Add the two scores
on the y-axis and plot the resultant point on
Y. Plot the intersection of the new xy point.

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 Steps to Develop a SPACE Matrix

6. Draw a directional vector from the origin of the SPACE

Matrix through the new
intersection point.
► This vector reveals the type of strategies recommended for
the organization: aggressive, competitive, defensive, or
conservative

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Example Strategy Profiles

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Example Strategy Profiles

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 The Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Matrix
• BCG Matrix
– graphically portrays differences among divisions in terms of
relative market share position and industry growth rate
– allows a multidivisional organization to manage its portfolio of
businesses by examining the relative market share position
and the industry growth rate of each division relative to all
other divisions in the organization

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The BCG Matrix

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 The BCG Matrix

• Question Marks – Quadrant I

– Organization must decide whether to strengthen them by
pursuing an intensive strategy (market penetration, market
development, or product development) or to sell them
• Stars – Quadrant II
– represent the organization’s best long-run opportunities for
growth and profitability

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 The BCG Matrix

• Cash Cows – Quadrant III

– generate cash in excess of their needs
– should be managed to maintain their strong position for as
long as possible
• Dogs – Quadrant IV
– compete in a slow- or no-market-growth industry
– businesses are often liquidated, divested, or trimmed down
through retrenchment

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 The BCG Matrix

• The major benefit of the BCG Matrix is that it draws

attention to the cash flow, investment characteristics,
and needs of an organization's various divisions.

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The Internal-External (IE) Matrix

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 The Internal-External (IE) Matrix

• The IE Matrix is based on two key dimensions: the IFE

total weighted scores on the x-axis and the EFE total
weighted scores on the y-axis
• Three Major Regions
– Grow and build
– Hold and maintain
– Harvest or divest

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The IE Matrix

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 The Grand Strategy Matrix

• Grand Strategy Matrix

– based on two evaluative dimensions: competitive position and
market (industry) growth

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The Grand Strategy Matrix

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 The Grand Strategy Matrix

• Quadrant I
– continued concentration on current markets
(market penetration and market development)
and products (product development) is an
appropriate strategy
• Quadrant II
– unable to compete effectively
– need to determine why the firm's current
approach is ineffective and how the company can
best change to improve its competitiveness

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 The Grand Strategy Matrix

• Quadrant III
– must make some drastic changes quickly to avoid
further decline and possible liquidation
– Extensive cost and asset reduction (retrenchment)
should be pursued first
• Quadrant IV
– have characteristically high cash-flow levels and
limited internal growth needs and often can pursue
related or unrelated diversification successfully

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The Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix
(QSPM)
• Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM)
– objectively indicates which alternative strategies are best
– uses input from Stage 1 analyses and matching results from
Stage 2 analyses to decide objectively among alternative
strategies

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The Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix
(QSPM)

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 Steps in a QSPM

1. Make a list of the firm's key external opportunities and

threats and internal strengths and weaknesses in the
left column.

2. Assign weights to each key external and internal

factor.

3. Examine the Stage 2 (matching) matrices, and

identify alternative strategies that the organization
should consider implementing.

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 Steps in a QSPM (cont.)

4. Determine the Attractiveness Scores (AS).

5. Compute the Total Attractiveness Scores.
6. Compute the Sum Total Attractiveness
Score.

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 Positive Features of the QSPM

• Sets of strategies can be examined sequentially or

simultaneously
• Requires strategists to integrate pertinent external and
internal factors into the decision process
• Can be adapted for use by small and large for-profit and
nonprofit organizations

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 Limitations of the QSPM

• Always requires informed judgments

• It is only as good as the prerequisite information and
matching analyses on which it is based

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A QSPM for a Retail
Computer Store

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 A QSPM for a Retail
Computer Store (cont.)

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The Culture and Politics of Strategy Choice

• Strategies that require fewer cultural changes may be more

attractive because extensive changes can take considerable
time and effort
• Political maneuvering consumes valuable time, subverts
organizational objectives, diverts human energy, and
results in the loss of some valuable employees
• Political biases and personal preferences get unduly
embedded in strategy choice decisions

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 Tactics to Aid Strategists

Choose Methods That Afford Employee Commitment

Achieve Satisfactory Results with a Popular Strategy

Shift from Specific to General Issues

Focus on Long-Term Issues and Concerns

Involve Middle Level Managers in Decisions

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 Governance Issues

• Board of Directors
– a group of individuals who are elected by the ownership of a
corporation to have oversight and guidance over
management and who look out for shareholders’ interests

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 Board of Director Duties and
Responsibilities

1. Control and oversight over

management
2. Adherence to legal prescriptions
3. Consideration of stakeholders/
interests
4. Advancement of stockholders’ rights

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 Principles of Good Governance

1. No more than two directors are current or

former company executives.
2. The audit, compensation, and nominating
committees are made up solely of outside
directors.
3. Each director owns a large equity stake in
the company, excluding stock options.

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 Principles of Good Governance

4. Each director attends at least 75 percent of all

meetings.
5. The board meets regularly without management
present and evaluates its own performance
annually.
6. The CEO is not also the chairperson of the board.
7. There are no interlocking directorships (where a
director or CEO sits on another director's board).

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