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Information Systems Strategy And Implementation/Strategic Management(Bbit 414 / Cisy 405) Question Paper
Information Systems Strategy And Implementation/Strategic Management(Bbit 414 / Cisy 405)
Course:Computer Information Systems And Business Information Technology
Institution: Kenya Methodist University question papers
Exam Year:2010
TIME : 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS Answer Question ONE (compulsory) and any Other TWO Questions
Case Study
An efficiency Guru Refits Honda to Fight Auto Giants
The car-racing enthusiasts who design its engines have long dominated Honda Motor Company. But lately, a motor for change has been humming at the company, a hard-charging industrial engineer named Masaki Iwai. Iwai, an efficiency expert and cost-cutting fanatic, is betting Honda can reap economies of scale by doubling its speed and efficiency in manufacturing cars. He scoffs at the idea that the company will have to bulk up through a merger or takeover. “Honda will never have to go after volume,” says the senior managing director, an influential member of Honda’s inner management circle. “We’ll be able to make the kind of profits only an industry Goliath can make, with half their volume.”
Iwai has set the bar high. He wants to refit Honda’s assembly lines so that they can produce any model in the company’s lineup, ranging from the minimalist Civic to the luxurious Acura. He aims to make the final assembly line shorter – half the Honda average of 3,300 feet – to slash the time and money required to put new products and models into production. Eventually, he wants each assembly line to have about 20 off-line branches, up from just a few today. One of them would not just install engines but also actually produce them, work now handled in most cases at specialized plants. Honda’s goal is to synchronize engine production and final assembly so that hardly any engines will sit in inventory, representing tied-up money.
Question 1
a) Identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for Honda Motor Company. (8marks)
b) Assuming Honda Motor Company consulted you to make a strategic decision for this company, illustrate the strategic management process that you could follow and briefly explaining the steps. (8marks)
c) Michael Porter has proposed three generic strategies that provide a good starting point for strategic thinking; indicate how Porter’s strategies could be applicable in this company, and illustrating how they could significantly improve the running of organisation. (8marks)
d) Lewins has come up with thee steps Model of managing change. How could the organisation apply this model to manage its change processes without affecting the running of the business? (6marks)
Question 2
a) Analyzing the environment of the business, requires critical analysis of the three major areas; Illustrate the model of environment, identifying and explain the different variables involved. (10marks)
b) Michael Porte has identified the key environmental factors using porter’s five forces model. With relevant illustration discus Michael Porte’s five forces model
(10marks)
Question 3
a) Explain the following terms as used strategic process.
i) Strategic formulation
ii) Strategic implementation
iii) Strategic evaluation
iv) Strategic control
v) Strategic leadership (5marks)
b) How can a company like Safaricom evaluate the success of it strategic decision? Illustrate. (5marks)
c) To identify the competitive position of an organisation, one can use life cycle analysis. With relevant illustration discus the Life Cycle Analysis Mode (10marks)
Question 4
a) Strategy formulation is mainly done in three (3) main levels that form the Hierarchy of Strategy. Describe the composition of the hierarchy of strategy in a multinational firm like Safaricom highlighting a major responsibility at each level. (10marks)
b) Strategic activities require the involvement of leadership. Discuss the different theories of leadership. (10marks)
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