Case Study - Analysis

This assignment provides you with an opportunity to demonstrate the development and achievement of the following course learning outcomes: 

• Develop your capacity to think strategically about company operations, both present, and long-term.
• Build your skills in conducting strategic analysis in a variety of industries and competitive situations. 

A) Read the Canadian Business article, “Second Wind for Second Cup?” at:

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/business-news/industries/consumer-goods/second-wind-for-second-cup/. 

B) Access and review the Second Cup website at http://www.secondcup.com, paying attention to the Investor Relations pages at

https://secondcup.com/investors-relations 

Download and review the Second Cup 2016 Annual Report from:

https://secondcup.com/sites/default/files/resources/files/2016%20Annual%20Report_0.pdf.

Quarter 4 report (Full year audited statements):

https://secondcup.com/sites/default/files/resources/files/Second%20Cup%20FS%20-%20Q4%202016.pdf.

You may also want to download and review other years’ Second Cup Annual Reports for comparison purposes:

https://secondcup.com/investors-relations/financial-reports

C) You may want to review Guide to Case Analysis1 in the textbook to help you prepare your responses to the assignment questions. 

1. What are the stand-out economic characteristics of the macro-environment of the coffee shop/QSR industry that Second Cup competes in? 
(Thompson A., Peteraf, M., Gamble, J., & Strickland, A. (2020). Guide to Case Analysis. In Crafting & Executing Strategy (22nd ed., pp. CA-2-CA-12). New York, NY: McGraw Hill)

2. How would you characterize Second Cup’s strategy? Do they articulate a commitment to social responsibility? If so, is it an important component of their competitive strategy? If not, should they? Explain. 

3. Describe the key strategy implementation efforts at Second Cup. Has management allocated sufficient resources to the strategy execution effort? In your opinion, has management instituted policies and procedures that facilitate good strategy execution? Explain. 

4. Create a strategic group map for Second Cup and at least three of its industry competitors using price range (lowest – highest) and product type (standard – custom) on each axis. What does it disclose about its competitive position? 

5. What is your assessment of Second Cup’s performance relative to its peers and/or competitors in the Canadian and global market space? 

6. Has Second Cup’s strategy and its approach to executing the strategy produced good financial results? 

7. What recommendations would you make to Michael Bregman (Chairman) considering Alix Box’s (former President and CEO) sudden departure on May 10th of 2017, concerning Second Cup’s strategic plan for growing the business over the next 2-5 years? Would you recommend that the Second Cup concept be continued as is, expanded aggressively, or discontinued? Explain. 

You are encouraged to seek out current and external sources of information on your selected company.