Business Problem-Solving and Strategy: Manga for Success(Manga for Success)

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:
Preface 10 Prologue …I Can’t I Can’t Just Abandon Everyone When MAT- SUI-YA is in Trouble! What Is a Business Strategy? Story 1 Help Me, Senpai! 14 1 What Is a “Strategy”? 26 Strategies Are Everywhere 26 Strategy Is a Road Map to Success 26 Resource Allocation: Decide Where to Focus Your Organizational Resources 27 Strategy Is Nothing without Execution 31 The Correct Way to Create a Strategy 31 Business Strategy Is a Blueprint for Your Business Success 33 2 The Many Pitfalls of a Business Strategy 34 Building Strategy the Right Way Is Tough 34 Framework and Concepts: Make or Break the Strategy 34 Can Looking at the Task at Hand from the Opposite Angle Constitute a “Strategy”? 35 A Strategy Cannot Ignore the Front Line 36 A Fake Strategy in Purple Prose 37 Failing to Grasp the Current Situation May Lead to Mistakes 37 The Risk of Homogenized Strategies 38 3 Preparations to Build the Correct Strategy 39 Take the Right Steps to Analyze 39 Use Frameworks and Concepts Wisely 40 Have a Unique Point of View, Think Outside of the Box 40 Support the Front Line 41 Emphasis on Essence and Mechanism 43 Bring in a Key Person 44 4 Create a Dynamic Strategy! 45 Four Steps in Building a Strategy 45 Step 1 - Analyze the Situation 45 Step 2 - Formulate Strategic Options 47 Step 3 - Review and Select Options 47 Step 4 - Translate Strategic Options into Plans of Action 48 Step 1 Analyze the Situation Story 2 Knowing Your Enemy Is Knowing Yourself 50 1 The Essentials of Situation Analysis 74 Analyzing the Situation Is The First Step in Building a Strategy 74 Only a Handful of Corporations Truly Understand the Current Situation 74 Methodology and Frameworks: A False Sense of Completing the Situation Analysis 76 Three Keys in Understanding the True Situation 76 The Basics of Situation Analysis: SWOT Analysis 78 A Business Strategy That Cannot Be Executed Is Nothing But a Pie in The Sky 2 OT Analysis 83 OT Analysis: Three Core Elements 83 The Five Forces Analysis 85 Analyzing the Five Points 87 Positioning Analysis and Competition Analysis 89 Client Analysis 93 Key Sucess Factor (KSF) Analysis 95 3 SW Analysis 99 Deciding Pros and Cons Based on Relativity 99 Achievements and Performance Analysis 100 Positioning Analysis 104 Business Model Analysis 106 Marketing, Value Chain, and Organizational Analysis 108 Tangible and Intangible Asset Analysis 109 Understanding the Structures of the Issue at Hand 110 4 Organizing SWOT 113 Keeping the Impact on Your Business in Mind 113 I’ve Gotten A Lot of Positive Feedback On Our Red-bean Paste Business Partners and Clients Alike, They All Com- Pliment Ann It’s a Very Valu- Able Asset First, We Ana- Lyze the Situa- Tion And Remember to Always Share The Result of The Situation Analysis Step 2 Forming Strategic Options Story 3 How to Save a Company in Trouble? 118 1 What Are Strategic Options? 140 Options Mean Choices 140 Considering a Variety of Options 140 2 Make Objectives and Issues Clear 142 What Is the Objective of Strategy Building? 142 What Are the Issues in Building a Strategy? 144 Decipher Objectives and Issues from the Result of SWOT Analysis 146 Organizing the Structure of an Issue 150 3 Lay Out the Options 1: Growing Potentials for the Preestablished Company 154 Aim to Grow Preestablished Business Models and Positioning 154 Consider Strategic Options for the Long Run 156 Change the Positioning 156 Coming Up with Growth Options by Changing the Positioning 158 Changing the Business Model 160 Pairing the Positioning and the Business Model 162 That’s Easy For You to Say… You Just Give Out Or- Ders We Are The Ones Who Come Face-to-face With the Clients. It’s Not Always About Ratio- Nality Coming Up with Growth Options by Changing the Business Options 165 4 Lay Out the Strategic Options 2: Options for the Newly Established Businesses 167 Analyze from the Market Point of View 167 Analyze from the Value Chain Point of View 171 Analyze from the Asset Point of View 172 Analyze from the Business Model Point of View 174 Change the Rules of Competition, Think Outside of the Box 175 5 Lay Out the Strategic Options 3: Improve Profit 177 Options to Lower Cost and Improve Gross Profit Margin 177 Options to Lower Managing Cost 179 Options to Improve Efficiency 179 Improve Ways to Manage and Improve Profit Structures 180 6 Summarizing Strategic Options 181 Organizing All Available Options 181 Coming Up with Growth Options and Scenarios by Organizing Strategic Options 181 …I Will Have a Word with The CEO Myself Regarding This Step 3 Review and Select Options Story 4 All for One, One for All 186 1 Reviewing Options 206 How to Review Options 206 Three Perspectives in Reviewing Options 206 2 Reviewing with Both a Cool Head and Burning Passion 208 Reviewing and Selecting Options 1: Rationality 209 The Main Points in Reviewing Rationally 209 How to Review Each Point 213 3 Reviewing and Selecting Options 2: Feasibility 215 The Main Points in Reviewing the Feasibility 215 How to Review Each Point 223 4 Reviewing and Selecting Options 3: The Intents and Expectations of the Parties Involved 225 Fostering Agreement and Understanding with “Face to-face Discussions” 225 The Groundwork Discussions: Situation Analysis and Strategic Options 226 Which Reviewed Points to Prioritize 227 How to Understand and Decide on the Results 229 How to Expand Options 229 Making Decisions Based on What You Want to Do 230 Always Have a Plan B Ready 230 But… Time Has Changed If Every- One AGREES, Then I’d Like To Ask for Your Coop- Eration! Step 4 How to Translate Options into Plans and Actions Story 5 What Becomes of a Strategy 232 We Are On The Homestretch Now In Regards to The Future Loan, Inaho Bank Is Demanding You Resign From Your Posi- Tion Let’s Come Up With Specific Executions And Actions Based on These Principles 1 How to Translate Strategic Options into a Plan 252 The Necessary Process in Executing the Strategy 252 2 How to Apply Strategy to Execution 254 How to Apply Strategy to Execution 254 Setting Priorities 257 3 How to Carry Out Strategic Options 258 Beyond the Possibility: Feeling and Determining 258 The First Step in Strategic Execution 260 4 Create a Plan of Action 263 The Master Plan: The Plan of Action for Strategic Execution 263 Coming Up with a Realistically Applicable Plan 265 5 How to Execute with Certainty 268 Build a Promotion System 268 Implement a Thorough PDCA 269 Postscript 276 

About the Author :
TAKAYUKI KITO is a graduate of Tokyo University Law School and a former Roland Berger employee with extensive experience in business strategy planning and execution assistance. Kito has published and lectured on brand and global strategies. KEISUKE YAMABE is a graduate of Hitotsubashi University Business School and a former Roland Berger employee with extensive experience in planning and execution of company-wide strategies in industries such as restaurant and service, automobile, aviation, consumer goods, and construction.