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168 PART 2 • STRATEGY FORMULATION

ASSURANCE OF LEARNING EXERCISES

Assurance of Learning Exercise 5A

What Strategies Should McDonald’s
Pursue in 2011–2013?
Purpose
In performing strategic management case analysis, you can find information about the
respective company’s actual and planned strategies. Comparing what is planned versus
what you recommend is an important part of case analysis. Do not recommend what the
firm actually plans, unless in-depth analysis of the situation reveals those strategies to be
best among all feasible alternatives. This exercise gives you experience conducting library
and Internet research to determine what McDonald’s should do in 2011–2013.
Instructions
Step 1 Look up McDonald’s (MCD) and Burger King Holdings (BKC) using the Web sites pro-
vided in Table 4-5. Find some recent articles about firms in this industry. Scan Moody’s,
Dun & Bradstreet, and Standard & Poor’s publications for information.
Step 2 Summarize your findings in a three-page report entitled “Strategies Being Pursued by
McDonald’s in 2010.”

Assurance of Learning Exercise 5B

Examining Strategy Articles
Purpose
Strategy articles can be found weekly in journals, magazines, and newspapers. By reading
and studying strategy articles, you can gain a better understanding of the strategic-
management process. Several of the best journals in which to find corporate strategy arti-
cles are Advanced Management Journal, Business Horizons, Long Range Planning, Journal
of Business Strategy, and Strategic Management Journal. These journals are devoted to
reporting the results of empirical research in management. They apply strategic-manage-
ment concepts to specific organizations and industries. They introduce new strategic-
management techniques and provide short case studies on selected firms.
Other good journals in which to find strategic-management articles are Harvard
Business Review, Sloan Management Review, California Management Review, Academy of
Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management
Executive, Journal of Management, and Journal of Small Business Management.
In addition to journals, many magazines regularly publish articles that focus on busi-
ness strategies. Several of the best magazines in which to find applied strategy articles are
Dun’s Business Month, Fortune, Forbes, BusinessWeek, Inc., and Industry Week.
Newspapers such as USA Today, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Barrons cover
strategy events when they occur—for example, a joint venture announcement, a bank-
ruptcy declaration, a new advertising campaign start, acquisition of a company, divestiture
of a division, a chief executive officer’s hiring or firing, or a hostile takeover attempt.
In combination, journal, magazine, and newspaper articles can make the strategic-
management course more exciting. They allow current strategies of for-profit and nonprofit
organizations to be identified and studied.