The MGT599 Case is an ongoing exercise, meaning that we will
be thoroughly reviewing one company throughout our four modules. This session,
we will be conducting a strategic analysis of Pepsico.
Most companies have something that resembles a vision,
mission, or set of values; or stated goals/objectives that define who the
company is and how the company plans to do business. However, organizations may
not always label these statements properly — calling a vision a mission, or
calling their values a set of beliefs. Sometimes, companies do not have a
mission statement at all, operating instead on a set of goals.
Required Reading
Hammonds, K. (2007). Michael Porter’s big ideas. Fast
Company, 44. Retrieved on August 27, 2014, from
https://www.fastcompany.com/42485/michael-porters-big-ideas
Case Assignment
In this assignment, you will be critically evaluating the
vision, values, mission statement, and goals/objectives of Pepsico.
Keys to the Assignment
After studying the background materials and completing the
SLP, you are in an excellent position to evaluate a company’s published
mission, vision, values, and objectives/goals. This Case asks you to begin your
strategic analysis of Pepsico by evaluating the company’s mission, vision,
values, and goals. To do this, observe the following procedure:
• Step 1:
Visit the official website of Pepsico and identify the company’s vision,
mission, values, and goals. (Hint: You will need to do some exploring and a certain
amount of speculation—as the terms “vision” and “mission”
(and sometimes even the term “company goals”) are used
interchangeably. Explore the “Who We Are” and “Investors”
(and other) links. Also, be sure that you look closely at the most recent
Annual Reports.
• Step 2:
Critically evaluate the mission, vision, values, and goals (again, you will
likely need to make decisions as to which is which). Use the criteria in the
background materials to support your assessment of the quality of the company’s
mission, vision, values, and goals.
• Step 3:
Determine which (if any) of the elements consider the goals and needs of
specific stakeholder groups. Write down any examples.
• Step 4:
Consider what changes are needed to improve the vision statement, the mission
statement, the statement of company values, and the company’s objectives and
goals.
• Step 5:
Write a 6-7 page paper addressing the above requirements. You must meet minimum
length requirements, by responding to each step above with precision and with
depth of critical thinking.
NOTE THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS AS WELL:
1. Use of
proper APA style is required in this course. Therefore, prepare your Case with
proper documentation of sources, using in-text citations and a complete end
reference list. Refer to the Well-Written Paper guide if you are not familiar
with APA style.
2. Consider
the Case as a formal business report that you are developing for the Board of
Directors and CEO as Pepsico’s external consultant. This is a professional
document. Follow the format below:
3. Note: You
must use section headings to respond to all major requirements in all papers.
Your section headings should appear similar to the following:
• Executive
summary: This is a synopsis of the main points, conclusions, and recommendations
made in the longer report. If you have never written an executive summary
before, or would like a refresher, check this link:
http://www.csun.edu/~vcecn006/summary.html
• Introduction:
State the main purpose of the paper (thesis statement), what you hope to
accomplish, and how you will go about doing it.
• Main
Body: The “meat” of the paper. Emphasize analysis, not just
description. Don’t just give me facts – interpret them! Delineate separate
topics or sections with appropriate use of headings.
o Executive
Summary
o Introduction
o Company’s
Mission Statement and Analysis
o Company’s
Vision and Analysis
o Company’s
Values and Analysis
o Alignment
of Company’s Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals with Stakeholders’ Interests
o Recommended
Changes
o Conclusion
Assignment Expectations
Your paper will be evaluated using the grading rubric.
Tips and Suggestions
Note the following tips and suggestions:
• Business
school case-study assignments are meant to offer practice opportunities for
future business people who are earning their MBA degrees. Consider yourself a
consultant hired by the company to make these critical assessments. There are
no right or wrong answers to the Case question, so long as your position is
well-defended.
• Study the
theoretical concepts provided in the Background materials section of the
module, and identify main strategy concepts.
• Analyze
the vision, mission statement, etc. according to the criteria presented in the
Background materials. Be critical and do not let yourself be influenced by a
company’s “spin.”
• Do not
hesitate to criticize the current statements. In many instances, you may not be
able to find information on the company’s website. Many companies do not get
this right.
• Include a
cover page and reference page, in addition to the 6-7 pages of analysis
described above.
• Include
appropriate section headings.
• Cite and
reference all sources, including those that you paraphrase. This means include
citations and quotation marks for direct quotes of more than five words, and
citations for information you have “borrowed” or paraphrased from
other sources.
• Follow
TUI Guidelines for Well-Written Papers.
• Submit
your analysis by the end of this module.
