Business Problem-Solving and Strategy

Business Problem-Solving and Strategy

by Takayuki Kito, Keisuke Yamabe
Released April 2023
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781394176168

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Book description

A FUN AND APPROACHABLE WAY TO LEARN IMPORTANT BUSINESS PRINCIPLES

Do you want to improve your business performance? Or are you looking for a basic understanding of business strategy? Whatever your reason for picking up this book, Business Problem-Solving and Strategy: Manga For Success makes business strategy concepts easy to understand using practical examples and situations. You’ll read about:

  • Important business analysis tools like SWOT analysis and issue analysis
  • Strategic option assessment
  • Developing and executing a strategy for any business situation

The story follows Kazumi who takes over operations at her father’s confectionery company. With the help of her mentor, Business Planning Manager Takeda, she formulates a viable plan for turning the business around, building trust among key stakeholders, and successfully convincing the CEO to implement the plan companywide. With this approachable book, you’ll quickly grasp business analysis topics and have fun learning how to apply them in the real world. Find out why the Manga For Success series—now available in English for the first time—is so popular in Japan, Korea, and beyond.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Preface
  5. PROLOGUE: What is a Business Strategy?
    1. STORY 1: Help Me, Senpai!
    2. 1 WHAT IS A “STRATEGY”?
      1. Strategies Are Everywhere
      2. Strategy Is a Road Map to Success
      3. Resource Allocation: Decide Where to Focus Your Organizational Resources
      4. “Strategy” Is Nothing without Execution
      5. The Correct Way to Create a Strategy
      6. Business Strategy Is a Blueprint for Your Business Success
    3. 2 The Many Pitfalls of a Business Strategy
      1. Building Strategy the Right Way Is Tough
      2. Framework and Concepts: Make or Break the Strategy
      3. Can Looking at the Task at Hand from the Opposite Angle Constitute a “Strategy”?
      4. A Strategy Cannot Ignore the Front Line
      5. A Fake Strategy in Purple Prose
      6. Failing to Grasp the Current Situation May Lead to Mistakes
      7. The Risk of Homogenized Strategies
      8. Note
    4. 3 Preparations to Build the Correct Strategy
      1. Take the Right Steps to Analyze
      2. Use Frameworks and Concepts Wisely
      3. Have a Unique Point of View, Think Outside of the Box
      4. Support the Front Line
      5. Emphasis on Essence and Mechanism
      6. Bring in a Key Person
      7. Note
    5. 4 Create a Dynamic Strategy!
      1. Four Steps in Building a Strategy
      2. Step 1 ‐ Analyze the Situation
      3. Step 2 ‐ Formulate Strategic Options
      4. Step 3 ‐ Review and Select Options
      5. Step 4 ‐ Translate Strategic Options into Plans of Action
  6. STEP 1: Analyze the Situation
    1. STORY 2: Knowing Your Enemy Is Knowing Yourself
    2. 1 The Essentials of Situation Analysis
      1. Analyzing the Situation Is The First Step in Building a Strategy
      2. Only a Handful of Corporations Truly Understand the Current Situation
      3. Methodology and Frameworks: A False Sense of Completing the Situation Analysis
      4. Three Keys in Understanding the True Situation
      5. The Basics of Situation Analysis: SWOT Analysis
    3. 2 OT Analysis
      1. OT Analysis: Three Core Elements
      2. The Five Forces Analysis
      3. Analyzing the Five Points
      4. Positioning Analysis and Competition Analysis
      5. Client Analysis
      6. Key Success Factor (KSF) Analysis
    4. 3 SW Analysis
      1. Deciding Pros and Cons Based on Relativity
      2. Achievements and Performance Analysis
      3. Positioning Analysis
      4. Business Model Analysis
      5. Marketing, Value Chain, and Organizational Analysis
      6. Tangible and Intangible Asset Analysis
      7. Understanding the Structures of the Issue at Hand
    5. 4 Organizing SWOT
      1. Keeping the Impact on Your Business in Mind
  7. STEP 2: Forming Strategic Options
    1. STORY 3: How to Save a Company in Trouble?
    2. 1 What Are Strategic Options?
      1. Options Mean Choices
      2. Considering a Variety of Options
    3. 2 Make Objectives and Issues Clear
      1. What Is the Objective of Strategy Building?
      2. What Are the Issues in Building a Strategy?
      3. Decipher Objectives and Issues from the Result of the SWOT Analysis
      4. Organizing the Structure of an Issue
    4. 3 Lay Out the Options 1: Growing Potentials for the Preestablished Company
      1. Aim to Grow Preestablished Business Models and Positioning
      2. Consider Strategic Options for the Long Run
      3. Changing the Positioning
      4. Coming Up with Growth Options by Changing the Positioning
      5. Changing the Business Model
      6. Pairing the Positioning and the Business Model
      7. Coming Up with Growth Options by Changing the Business Options
    5. 4 Lay Out the Strategic Options 2: Options for the Newly Established Businesses
      1. Analyze from the Market Point of View
      2. Analyze from the Value Chain Point of View
      3. Analyze from the Asset Point of View
      4. Analyze from the Business Model Point of View
      5. Change the Rules of Competition, Think Outside of the Box
    6. 5 Lay Out the Strategic Options 3: Improve Profit
      1. Options to Lower Cost and Improve Gross Profit Margin
      2. Options to Lower Managing Cost
      3. Options to Improve Efficiency
      4. Improve Ways to Manage and Improve Profit Structures
    7. 6 Summarizing Strategic Options
      1. Organizing All Available Options
      2. Coming Up with Growth Options and Scenarios by Organizing Strategic Options
  8. STEP 3: Review and Select Options
    1. STORY 4: All for One, One for All
    2. 1 Reviewing Options
      1. How to Review Options
      2. Three Perspectives in Reviewing Options
      3. Reviewing with Both a Cool Head and a Burning Passion
    3. 2 Reviewing and Selecting Options 1: Rationality
      1. The Main Points in Reviewing Rationally
      2. How to Review Each Point
    4. 3 Reviewing and Selecting Options 2: Feasibility
      1. The Main Points in Reviewing the Feasibility
      2. How to Review Each Point
    5. 4 Reviewing and Selecting Options 3: The Intents and Expectations of the Parties Involved
      1. Fostering Agreement and Understanding with “Face‐to‐face Discussions”
      2. The Groundwork for Discussions: Situation Analysis and Strategic Options
      3. Which Reviewed Points to Prioritize
      4. How to Understand and Decide on the Results
      5. How to Expand Options
      6. Making Decisions Based on What You Want to Do
      7. Always Have a Plan B Ready
  9. STEP 4: How to Translate Options into Plans and Actions
    1. STORY 5: What Becomes of a Strategy
    2. 1 How to Translate Strategic Options into a Plan
      1. The Necessary Process in Executing the Strategy
    3. 2 How to Apply Strategy to Execution
      1. How to Apply Strategy to Execution
      2. Setting Priorities
    4. 3 How to Carry Out Strategic Options
      1. Beyond the Possibility: Feeling and Determining
      2. The First Step in Strategic Execution
    5. 4 Create a Plan of Action
      1. The Master Plan: The Plan of Action for Strategic Execution
      2. Coming Up with a Realistically Applicable Plan
    6. 5 How to Execute with Certainty
      1. Establish a Driving Force
      2. Implement a Thorough PDCA
  10. Postscript
    1. Author and Editor
    2. Author
    3. About Roland Berger
  11. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Business Problem-Solving and Strategy
  • Author(s): Takayuki Kito, Keisuke Yamabe
  • Release date: April 2023
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781394176168