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Final Case   Throughout our class, we have had the opportunity to read a variety of authors and their opinions on how IT and Business Strategy are intertwined

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Final Case

 

Throughout our class, we have had the opportunity to read a variety of authors and their opinions on how IT and Business Strategy are intertwined.  Through the knowledge spiral, our discussions each week have helped to further our understanding of the nuances and application possibilities of the frameworks.  This case is meant for you to reflect on the frameworks or papers that you found the most influential or relevant to you, and to apply them to a business problem at hand. 

There are two parts to the case – reflection and application which should have own sections, but are inter-related.  In our class discussions, I have tried to limit the number of rules because they can constrain rather than encourage creativity.  I do understand, however, that some guidance here is needed for the case.  To make sure that the breadth and depth is emphasized, you will likely have a 4-6 page minimum for each part (double-spaced, normal font).  Do scope your writing however to keep under a 15 page limit in total (8 page minimum in total).  

Your cases will be graded using the same rubric as your discussion board (refresh your memory with the feedback templates or use the syllabus).  Remember, we have worked all semester to move past the obvious, the questions are just a starting point!

Part 1 (Reflection):

Select three frameworks or papers that resonate with you.  Summarize, compare, and critique each one, being sure to address the final question of how each the author(s) suggest their framework can be applied to achieving a competitive advantage.  Be sure to articulate what role IT has to each and how business and IT strategy can complement each other.  As with our discussions, the synthesis, where you bring the frameworks together is important and could be enhanced through the use of examples. 

Synthesize these readings into a combined narrative of how you, as supported by your analysis of the frameworks, believe strategy and IT together can lead to a competitive advantage.  This unique, combined strategy, is what you will test in the application section.

Part 2 (Application):

In my personal experience – buying a mattress is hard.  I don’t know that I’ve ever had a good experience shopping for one in a store.  A key module this semester has been looking at disruptive change because of innovations in technology.  Just like companies such as Uber, Tesla, and Amazon have turned entire industries on their heads, the mattress market is due for change.  The following readings are a starting point for our case analysis.  You will need to do additional research on the topic – I recommend at least 3-4 more articles for your works cited page.

·Traditional mattress companies in trouble

1.       

1.      How Casper drove Mattress Firm into bankruptcy (Links to an external site.)

2.      Mattress stores want to rip you off. Here's how to fight back (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)

3.      Why Are There So Many Mattress Stores in America? (Links to an external site.)

·New disruptive companies are moving in

1.       

1.      Dozens Of Upstart Companies Are Upending The $15-Billion Mattress Market (Links to an external site.)

2.      Why there are so many online mattress-in-a-box companies (Links to an external site.)

·The dark side of affiliate marketing - questionable models?

The War To Sell You A Mattress Is An Internet Nightmare (Links to an external site.)

·Some tried to work with Amazon

What Tuft & Needle's Amazon-Powered Showroom Means for Mattress Marketing And Rest of Retail (Links to an external site.)

·The dreaded Amazon effect happened anyway

1.      Amazon undercuts Casper with its own new mattresses (Links to an external site.)

2.      Mattress industry caught napping as Amazon makes stealth move into its market (Links to an external site.)

3.       

·Bonus links

1.       

1.      The Retail Lesson Of The Last Decade: Disrupt Or Be Disrupted (Links to an external site.)

2.      Serta Simmons to merge with Tuft & Needle (Links to an external site.)

In all your answers, I am looking for your ability to apply what we have learned in our class.  The point here is not to do an unorganized “brain dump” because we need to recommend a clear course of action.  This requires logic and reasoning which can make your argument a compelling one.  The best way to do this is to use the frameworks that you wrote about to justify the HOW and WHY in performing your analyses!

 

1.      Analyze what is occurring in the mattress industry today. How are mattress sold traditionally?  What makes this industry so ripe for disruptive change?  What challenges do traditional companies like the Mattress Firm face?  How did they find themselves in the situation they are in and what is their prognosis looking forward?  Using your strategy from the reflection portion and we have learned in class, what would you recommend Mattress Firm should do strategically and why?  Doing a little additional research, compare the European (or another continent) retail industry for mattresses and would your recommendations change across cultures?

2.      Analyze the new business model by online mattress companies such as Casper. What is the role of IT in this new business model?  What competitive strategies are online mattress companies using and do you believe they are effective, why or why not?  If you were looking to create a mattress startup, using what we have learned in class, outline a strategy supported by your reflection portion, by which you think your startup could achieve a competitive advantage.  Remember, your strategies should have firm bases in the frameworks we have learned. How would you reconcile your strategy and feasibility with this reading (https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/27/business/casper-ipo-profits/index.html (Links to an external site.))?

3.      Critically compare your recommendation in #2 by explaining if yourself, as a consumer, would purchase a mattress based on the outcome of the strategy you championed. Why or why not?  Analyze the Sleeopolis lawsuit as a consumer and as a mattress startup.  What are the reasons for and against continuing with this strategy and what would you recommend from either perspective?

4.      How does Amazon entering the mattress market affect things? What do both B&M (Brick & Mortar, i.e. traditional storefronts) and the new B2C (Business to Consumer, i.e. e-commerce) mattress firms have to worry about?  Evaluate what you recommended in #2 and #3 – will your recommendations hold up, why or why not?  What should their plans be?  What changes could be made?