Case study: Strategic Management
TITLE: Woodford as Prometheus: Olympus's Traitor or Hero?
RESEARCH DOMAIN: Strategic Management
RESEARCH QUESTIONS: What have we learn from the Olympus Scandal 2011?
RQ1: what is current strategic predisposition of the company under investigation: WHAT part
identification of company’s weak and strong points (external/internal perspectives);
Do analysis by using the following matrices: PESTEL analysis, Porter’s Diamond Model, Market analysis (industry life cycle), Porter’s Five Forces Framework,
Competitor analysis, Distinctive core competencies using the VRIN framework, Porter’s Value chain.
identification of company’s current strategy (corporate, business, and functional strategies);
identification of the company’s current business policies; - введи в поиске «policy». Что-то видел такое.
identification of the company’s current performance;
RQ2: what are your strategic recommendations on how to turn the weak points into strong ones: SO WHAT part
RQ3: Who is ex-Olympus CEO, Mr. Michael Woodford, a hero or a traitor?
Was the behavior of the former Olympus’s CEO Michael Woodford ethical according to your opinion? Why? Why not? Who is Woodford: Hero or Traitor? Justify your opinion
Was the behavior of the top management of the Olympus company ethical according to your opinion? Why? Why not? Justify your opinion
What does the Olympus scandal tell us about corporate strategy and corporate culture?
Do you believe that the situation regarding the Olympus scandal is the typical feature of the Japanese corporate culture only? Why? Why not? Justify your opinion
Woodford campaigning to unseat the board and get his old job back at the head of his own team; if you are in the position to make a decision, would you employ Woodford as a new CEO of the Olympus in the given circumstances? Why? Why not? Justify you opinion
If you are in the position to make a decision, would you employ Woodford as a CEO of your own large internationally successful MNE? Why? Why not? Justify your opinion
What strategies you suggest to solve the issues of the Olympus scandal 2011? Justify your opinion
INFO BLOCK 1: CASE STUDY DATA: Olympus Corporation’s Financial Results for the Fiscal Year ended March 2011 (see the separate file)
BACKGROUND
(Source: adapted for Wikipedia)
Name: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Mission: Your Vision, Our Future
Olympus is a precision technology leader, designing and delivering innovative solutions in its core business areas: Medical and Surgical Products, Industrial Measurement and Imaging Instruments, Life Science Imaging Systems and Cameras and Audio Products.
Vision: Our growth stems from our ability to respond to local conditions and needs. We do more than provide products; we become a part of the communities in which we operate. It all begins with the vision, and the vision begins with our desire, every day, to leave the world a better place than we find it—to improve, with what we do, the lives of our neighbors everywhere. That vision drives the way we work, and it drives our involvement in the communities in which we work.
OLYMPUS PRODUCTS: Consumer Products
Digital Cameras
Film Cameras
Voice Recorders
Binoculars
Photo Printers
xD Media
Imaging Software
Diagnostic Systems
Chemistry Immuno Systems
Lab Automation Systems
Blood Bank Test Systems
Chemistry Immuno Reagents
Patient Safety Solutions
Medical Systems
Endoscopes
EndoTherapy Accessories
EndoSite Consulting
Integration Services
Endoscopic Ultrasound
Cleaning & Disinfection
Computer Products
Video & Imaging
Patient Safety Solutions
Request Order Management
Blood & Drug Management
Lab Workflow Management
Olympus Corporation, a major Japanese manufacturer of optical equipment listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange had, according to its accounts as at 31 March 2011, consolidated net sales of ¥847,105 million (US$10,589 million) in the year, and total shareholders' equity of ¥262,462 million (US$3,281 million). The group employs close to 40,000 people around the world.[5] Its assets of ¥1,063,593 million (US$13,295 million) as at 31 March 2011 included ¥175,472 million (US$2,193.4 million) of goodwill, an intangible asset.[6] Under the leadership of Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, who became president in 2001, the company's revenues increased from ¥467 thousand million (billion) to ¥847 billion while the profits were a relatively constant ¥35 billion.[7]
Building at Olympus head office in Tokyo