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.
