strategic management in design and construction value chain - assignments.docx

7/28/2019 Strategic Management in Design and Construction Value Chain - Assignments.docx

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Assignments

This section contains the written assignments to be handed in at each class

session, along with questions that students reviewed prior to class to prepare for

the case-based discussions.

Assignments:12345678910

EC # TOPICS CASES WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTSDISCUSSION

QUESTIONS

Purpose of

Strategic

Planning

Industry Value

System -

Structure

None None

Who are the

participants in the

real estate andconstruction value

system?

How are firms

organized individually

to deliver and own

projects?

How are theycollectively organized

to deliver projects?

How does the

physical product flow

through this supply

chain? How does the

money flow?

Where do you think

are the major areas

of economic reward?

Of risk?

How are firms

individually organized

to contain risk and toreceive reward?
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QUESTIONS

Where are there

inefficiencies in the

system?

How is the whole

value system

optimized for best

performance, if at

all?

Steps in

Planning

Industry Value

System - Risk

and Reward

Poland's A2

Motorway, Harvard

Business School Note

9-202-030.

No written assignment.

Prepare to discuss the

case in class, including

incorporating your

judgment of the issues

and considering key

concepts from the

reading.

Notes

This is a finance case

about one project

which we will use to

illustrate cash flow

and risk allocation

issues. Students are

not expected to bringsophisticated

financial analysis to

the discussion at this

time.

Questions

What is the

arrangement of thisvalue system?

Follow the money. In

broad terms, how is

the money supposed

to flow if the project

is successful?

In broad terms, whois responsible for


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QUESTIONS

what?

What are the major

risks? How are they

described? How well

are they understood?

Who do you think

stands to reap the

most reward? Who

takes the most risk?

Could you define

"success" for the

whole project

including all

organizations

involved?

As leader of one ofthe organizations,

how would you go

about planning to be

the Owner?The

Engineer? The

General Contractor?

Do you think that the

alliance couldcontinue as an

operating business

on other projects?

Market

Segmentation:

How to

Analyze?

Young Canada Dock

Builders, The

University of Western

Ontario, Richard Ivey

School of BusinessNote 9A89-J004.

Consider your options as

John Morrison, the CEO

of Young Canada.

In particular, prepare amarket segmentation

Consider the 8 steps

in planning. How

would you answer

the questions with

respect to YoungCanada (not for the


4/14


QUESTIONS

matrix using the concepts

in Chapter 7 of the

reading.

Consider your choices in

how to set it up. What

does Young Canada sell to

whom? What could they

sell to whom?

Discuss how this analysis

informs your efforts in

answering the questions

in the case. For example,

what insights to you gain

about the individual cells

in your segmentation

diagram? What else

would you like to know?

Segmentation matrices

and other diagrams for

this problem set may be

hand drawn. I am looking

for thinking, not for

computer formatting

skills.

written assignment).

In what segments

might Young Canada

compete?

What are the pros

and cons of each

segment?

What other steps

would the CEO have

to take in order to

succeed in various

segments?

What would the

resource allocation in

the Firm Value Chain

look like for thevarious possible

strategies?

How much should he

spend on marketing?

What would you do?

Segment

Attractiveness:

Where to

Compete?

Generic

Strategies

SOHO China, Harvard


9-703-011.

Consider your options asa principal of SOHO

China.

Prepare a market

segmentation matrix

using the concepts in

Chapter 7 of the reading.

What does SOHO Chinasell to whom? What could

Which segments do

you think that SOHO

should pursue next?

On what do you think

they should focus in

the long run?

Why?


5/14


QUESTIONS

they sell to whom?

Using the Five

Forces model from

Chapter 1, discuss how

some of these segments

might or might not be

attractive for SOHO from

a strategic point of view.

Then select up to four

different segments and

describe how the Generic

Strategiesdiscussed in

Chapter 2 might apply to

competing in these

segments.

All of the diagrams for

this problem set may behand drawn. I am looking

for thinking, not for

computer formatting

skills.

You might also think of

other clever ways to

efficiently convey the

information by combiningor modifying some of the

tools.

Firm Value

Chain 1

What Drives a

Low - CostStrategy

Arborite, Harvard


9-796-146.

You work in Arborite's

financial department.

Brian Nutter has asked

you to prepare a strategic

analysis to help illustrate

the issues as the firmenters strategy and

Arborite is a supplier

to contractors. They

have a complex firm

value chain and many

problems in their

business. This is thekind of situation that


6/14


QUESTIONS

budget discussions.

As part of your analysis,

prepare a market

segmentation matrix for

Arborite. Which segments

do you feel are attractive,

and why? How do handle

the issues of multiple

sales channels and

varying preferences

regarding delivery time?

What strategies do you

feel Arborite should be

pursuing? Why?

Prepare diagrams of

Arborite's "Firm Value

Chain" at present, andthen as you propose it

should be.

Of particular note, on

what areas would you

focus in order to execute

on your proposed

strategy?

you might be asked

to analyze or even to

manage!

Where does Arborite

fit in the industry

value chain? How

does Arborite

compete: What

generic strategies is

Arborite pursuing

NOW in each

segment?

What strategies are

their competitors

pursuing?

Do the sales goals

generally make sensein light of history and

total market size?

What would you do

about plant capacity?

Are there other

opportunities that

may not be evident inthe case?

What would you

recommend they do?

Firm Value

Chain 2

What Drives aDifferentiation

KONE: The

Monospace Launch in

Germany, Harvard

Business School Note9-501-070.

You work at KONE

supporting Raimo Hatala.

The firm has asked you to

prepare a strategicanalysis of a number of

Where does KONE fit

in the industry value

system? How are

elevators sold?


7/14


QUESTIONS

Strategy issues at the firm,

including the proposed

rollout in Germany.

As part of your analysis,

prepare a market

segmentation matrix for

KONE. Which segments

do you feel are attractive,

and why?

What strategies do you

feel KONE should be

pursuing in various

markets? Why?

Prepare diagrams of

KONE's "Firm Value

Chain" at present, and

then as you propose itshould be. On what value

activities would you

concentrate in the

future? Why?

How does KONE

compete: What

generic strategies is

KONE pursuing NOW

in each segment?

What strategies are

their competitors

pursuing?

Do the sales goals

generally make sense

in light of history and

total market size?

In what ways does

KONE believe

Monospace to be

differentiated? Is this

realistic? Do thecustomers care?

How does KONE

signal

differentiation?

How much will the

customers value

differentiation, if atall?

How would you

manage the rollout in

Germany? Why?

What are the firm

value chain drivers of

a differentiation

strategy, in this


8/14


QUESTIONS

situation? Should the

emphasis be different

in the future than

presently?

What would you

recommend they do?

Issues in

Vertical

Integration:

How Much Risk

Do You Want?

Savannah West,

Harvard Business

School Note 9-381-

081.

You have been hired as

Willy Welsh's Chief

Operating Officer. Write

your analysis of the

business strategies that

Engineered Concepts

should follow going

forward as their business

evolves. What are yourmajor three or four

recommendations and

why?

Select and use the tools

introduced in the course

to help make your

argument. Also consider

the new issues in verticalintegration raised by the

case and by the reading.

What are the benefits of

vertical integration? The

pitfalls? How has Welsh

addressed these issues?

Notes

This is a finance case

which we will use to

discuss vertical

integration in the

A/E/C value system.

20 years later, what is

different and what is

the same in our

industry?

Questions

Think of this case

from Willy Welsh's

perspective.

Think of this case in

terms of thebusiness, Engineered

Concepts.

Based on what you

can infer from the

case, think of the

analysis in terms of

how you might help

this company growbeyond the one


9/14


QUESTIONS

project in Savannah.

What role(s) does

Engineered Concepts

play in the overall

value system?

What do you think

the firm value chain

looks like in

Engineered

Concepts?

What are the major

elements of risk in

the Savannah West

deal?

Who takes what

risks? Who gets whatbenefits?How could

the risks be

contained and the

rewards be

allocated?

What advantages and

disadvantages does

Welsh realize frombeing vertically

integrated?

How sound is his

personal financial

statement?

If you were Allison

Porter, would you

make the loan?


10/14


QUESTIONS

If you were Willy

Welsh's Chief

Operating Officer,

how would you

proceed in helping

the company to grow

and compete?

Would you go to

other markets or

develop other kinds

of projects or play

other roles in the

value system?

Changing the

Game: How

Information

Gives You

Competitive

Advantage

Strategy in

Fragmented

Industries

Otisline, Harvard


9-186-304.

No written assignment

What is/are Otis'

place(s) in the

industry value

system?

What does Otis'

segmentation matrix

look like?

Where does Otis

make money?

What did the FiveForces look like

before Otisline?

What do you think

they look like after

Otisline?

Was the elevator

service business

fragmented beforeOtisline? Is it


11/14


QUESTIONS

fragmented now?

How much of this

change is due to

regular corporate

strategy decisions

and how much

depends on

innovative use of

information

technology?

Do you see other

opportunities to use

these kinds of

strategies in real

estate, architecture,

and construction?

Is "IndustryTransformation"

possible in our

industry? What or

who might drive it?

How do you think the

advent of Otisline

impacts the

employees?

Strategy,

Leadership, and

Choices

Del Webb, Inc.,

Harvard Business

School Note 9-497-

016.

Phil Dion has quit and you

are the new CEO of Del

Webb Inc. at the time of

the case. Prepare a

strategic plan for the

business going forward.

What are your majorthree or four

Notes

While this case is

written to be largely

about boardroom

dynamics, we will

spend more time on

looking atopportunities for the


12/14


QUESTIONS

recommendations and

why?

Select and use the tools

introduced in the course

to help make your

argument. Also consider

the new issues in

leadership raised by the

case.

firm going forward.

What roles doesDel

Webb Inc.play in the

Industry Value

System? Does this

answer depend on

some kind of market

segmentation

assumption?

How would you

articulate Del Webb

Inc's market

segmentation

choices? In what

ways would you

determine which

segments were the

most attractive?

What would their

firm value chain (or

chains) look like to

see your strategy

implemented?

The company has

subsequently gone inanother direction

following its 2002

acquisition byPulte

Homes: Was this

inevitable? Is this the

best that could have

happened given

Dion's options at the

time of the case?
http://www.delwebb.com/http://www.delwebb.com/http://www.delwebb.com/http://www.delwebb.com/http://www.pulte.com/http://www.pulte.com/http://www.pulte.com/http://www.pulte.com/http://www.pulte.com/http://www.pulte.com/http://www.delwebb.com/http://www.delwebb.com/


13/14


QUESTIONS

0

Disruptive

Technology,

Industry

Selection and

Career

Strategies

B2Bilt, Center for

Design Informatics at

Harvard Design School

Note 020405-044.

No written assignment

B2Bilt has a novel

strategy in our

industry.

What roles do they

play in the industry

value system?

How would you

characterize their

firm value chain?

Is this consistent with

the market segments

and strategies which

they seem to be

pursuing?

How does their

service offering helpOwners to manage

construction risk, in

the context of the

HBR article?

How are they

choosing to compete

in this fragmented

industry?

Do they have a

chance to overcome

fragmentation, are

they coping with

fragmentation, or are

they not addressing

the issues?

What will be


14/14


QUESTIONS

important to B2Bilt if

they hope to increase

the scale of their

operation (get a lot

bigger)?

How do you feel

about their

dedication to

technology? Will

their investment be

repaid?

If their design and

project management

tools lead to greater

efficiencies, how

does this shape the

job market for

project managers anddesigners?

1

Review of Core

Concepts in

1.46

None None None

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