Reference no: EM132880168

1. What is Mattel's strategy? Which of the five generic competitive strategies discussed in Chapter 5 most closely fit the competitive approach that Mattel is taking? What type of competitive advantage is Mattel trying to achieve?

2. What does a SWOT analysis of Mattel reveal about the overall attractiveness of its situation? Does the company have any core competencies or distinctive competencies? Also provide a TOWS Matrix that pulls together your SWOT and core competency thoughts.

3. What are the primary components of Mattel's value chain?

4. What does the data in case Exhibit 4 reveal about Mattel's financial performance? How well is the company doing financially? Case Exhibit 1 might also help with this information. Use the financial ratios in Table 4.1 of Chapter 4 as a guide for doing the calculations needed to arrive at an analysis-based answer to your assessment of Mattel's recent financial performance. In addition to the ratios in Table 4.1, there are occasions when you will also need to calculate compound average growth rates (CAGR) for certain financial measures. The formula for calculating CAGR (in percentage terms) is as follows:

CAGR % = [ending value ÷ beginning value] 1/n - 1 x 100

(where n = the number of year-to-year or period-to-period changes)

5. What does the data in case Exhibits 3, 4, and 5 reveal about Mattel's operating performance?

6. What does the data in case Exhibit 6 reveal about Mattel's business segments?

7. What toy companies appear to be Mattel's closest rivals?

8. What does Mattel need to do to strengthen its competitive position and business prospects vis-à-vis other toy company rivals?

9. What strategic issues and problems does Mattel management need to address?