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Assignment Title: Functional Analysis of Panther Ltd.
Module Title & Code: IB9FB0 – Business In Practice
Word Count: 3888/4000
Number of Pages: 25 "I declare that I have read the guidance on plagiarism/cheating provided in the Handbook, understand the University regulations and am aware of the potential consequences of committing plagiarism/cheating. This work is entirely my own in accordance with the University's Regulation 11 and the WBS guidelines on plagiarism and collusion. All external references and sources are clearly acknowledged and identified within the contents. No substantial part(s) of the work submitted here has also been submitted by me in other assessments for accredited courses of study, and I acknowledge that if this has been done it may result in me being reported for self-plagiarism and an appropriate reduction in marks may be made when marking this piece of work. I understand that should this piece of work raise concerns requiring investigation in relation to the points above, it is possible that other work I have submitted for assessment will be checked, even if the marking process has been completed. I am aware that the University expects all proofreaders to comply with its policy in this area and I confirm that if I have used a proofreader, the proofreader was made aware of and has compiled with University’s proofreading policy. If this is a revision of a piece of previously submitted work, my Programme Team and tutor are aware of this.”
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction 4
1.1. STRATEGY 5 1.1.1. STRATEGY CANVAS 5
2. Innovation 6
2.1. INNOVATION DRIVERS AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS 7 2.1.1. INNOVATION FOCUS FRAMEWORK 7 2.1.2. SUSTAINABILITY OUTLOOK 8 2.2. INTERDEPENDENCIES 9 2.2.1. CHRONOLOGICAL LAUNCH AND FEATURES OF ELECTRIC CARS IN THE FLEET 9 2.2.2. MARKETING & INNOVATION 9 2.2.3. OPERATIONS AND INNOVATION 9
3. Operations 10
3.1. OPERATION DRIVERS AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS 10 3.1.1. 4V MODEL 10 3.1.2. PRODUCTION CAPACITY 11 3.1.3. CAPACITY UTILIZATION 12 3.2. INTERDEPENDENCIES 12 3.2.1. MICRO EXPANSIONS 12 3.2.2. FUNCTIONAL TRANSFORMATION 13 3.2.3. OPERATIONS AND MARKETING 14
4. Marketing 15
4.1. OPERATION DRIVERS AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS 15 4.1.1. PREFERENCE MAPPING 15 4.1.2. FEATURES 16 4.1. INTERDEPENDENCIES 17 4.1.1. PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE 17 4.1.2. SEGMENTATION 18 Appendix 19-22 References 23-25
3
List of Figures
Serial Number
Topic Page Number
1. Excerpt from Strategic Blueprint (Risi, 2020) 4
2. Innovation Focus Framework (Montoya, 2020) 7
3.
Composite 4V model with an inclination metric 11
4. 4P Analysis for Panther Ltd. 15
List of Graphs
Serial Number
Topic Page Number
1. Panther Strategy Canvas (Kim and Mauborgne, 2005) 4
2. CO2 Emissions in g/miles for Panther Ltd (2019-2025) 8
3.
Capacity utilization of the factory 12
4. Key Expenses and Income (Q12-Q28) 13
5. Change in overall car prices 14
6. Panther Features Mix 16
7. Cumulative Marketing Spend/Sales (2019-2025) 17
List of Table
Serial Number
Topic Page Number
1. Features in Electric Cars Launched 9
4
1. Introduction
The current paper attempts to critically analyze the performance of an automobile
manufacturer, Panther Ltd. and understand the rationale behind key decisions that shaped
the company over the past 7 years. The paper blends in several academic concepts, internal
director meeting notes, data points from the Industry Masters (2020) portal, references from
both academic writings and real-world case scenarios for an in-depth breakdown of the firm
and its choices. The paper has also given recommendations and possibilities that the firm
holds in the coming years.
Panther Ltd. is a high performing business with revenues upwards of $7.5 Billion and the
highest market share in the automobile industries of America, Europe and Asia, predominantly
China, with these countries accounting for over 90% of all global electric vehicle (further, EV)
sales (IEA, 2020). The company currently runs 12 production lines divided equally between
the 3 factories across the geographies and produces all types of vehicles with a strong focus
on research and development and customer value for money.
The growth and limited shortcomings of Panther can be accredited to Innovation,
Operations and Marketing. These functions have been crucial in setting the overall tone of
business, day-to-day running and charting out the path for future. A strong combination and
impending trade-offs created room for clear analysis and underlying dependencies between
these functions. I worked as the Innovations Director of the firm, with an overarching focus on
strategic considerations of the company. This study is an impartial view of the firm’s
performance and my understanding of the inter-functional decisions.
The paper begins with the overlying strategy that is employed at the firm and is relevant
for a corporate and competitive level knowledge of the firm. This strategy is further used in the
functional analysis that is divided into 3 parts, with the first subpart analysing the functional
drivers and the second subpart correlating interdependencies with other functions. This is
followed by a conclusion that uses these drivers and interdependencies to create a coherent
business model used by the company and offering valuable suggestions for a future uptick.
5
1.1. Strategy
Figure 1: Excerpt from Strategic Blueprint (Risi, 2020)
1.1.1. Strategy Canvas
The company and its directors formulated a plan to create a different market based on re-
inventing consumer needs and demands. Kim and Mauborgne (2005) in their paper: “Blue
Ocean Strategy: Theory to Practice”, state that customers scarcely know what they genuinely
want, the idea is that they want ‘more’ of what is already offered at the right prices. The shift
in consumer preferences can be linked in any industry towards radical over incremental
changes, hence the product strategy focused on creating a new market of vehicles that
exceeded all industrial boundaries. This strategy forms the ethos of the company and is further
explained through the graph below.
• Objective
Create a technology driven electric mobility brand that offers value for money and maximizes efficiency, hence, maximising shareholder value.
• Scope
The company aims to be available across various segments, offering a range of, e-mobility equipped innovative mid-range vehiles across America, Asia and Europe while carefully increasing capacity.
• Advantage
Panther Ltd. is creating a new market for consumers with a propensity to experience cutting edge electric technology while offering vehicles significantly ahead of it's time.
Overall Strategy
6
Graph 1: Panther Strategy Canvas (Kim and Mauborgne, 2005)
The graph has been meticulously created based on competitor information and internal
company documents (Industry Masters, 2020). The blue line significantly outperforms the
metrics of its competitors as the Value Added by Panther has been considerably higher than
its competitors and has disrupted the global market (Appendix). The vehicles have been
equipped with the most advanced technology and offered longer-range travel which addresses
the “range anxiety” problem (Noel et al., 2019; Hidrue et. al.,2011; Egbue and Long, 2012).
The second concern is related to the charging infrastructure, in which case the company
strategized maximum in-house development and investment in charging infrastructure
continuously (Neubauer and Wood, 2014). Leapfrogging ensued in the year 2023 and the
company has since held the pole position in all geographic regions in terms of market share.
2. Innovation
The company has undertaken the ‘strategic innovation’ route that allows for a managed
innovation process while using industry foresight to create and satisfy the needs of customers
in the automobile sector. This approach offers a medium to high revenue potential (Palmer
and Kaplan, n.d.). The company set out with high leverage in research and development, such
that electric car deployment is advanced and vehicle charging infrastructure could be
deployed. Prof. Barnes (2020) suggests creating opportunities is contingent on creating a ‘new
fit’. Panther’s innovation strategy is based on creating a new product to serve the existing
market (Ansoff, 1957). In the Ansoff matrix, the company suffers from high risks in the products
level, but the use of blue ocean shifts the market, creating a diversification approach.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Segmentation Electrification Autonomous Tech
Range Promotion Value for Money
Low
to H
igh
Categories
Strategy Canvas for Panther Ltd.
Competitors Panther
7
2.1. Innovation Drivers and Performance Analysis
2.1.1. Innovation Focus Framework
Scale
Incremental Radical
Target
Internal Process Consumer Product
Timeframe
Quick Wins Long Term/Strategic
Trigger
Opportunity Driven Goal-Driven
Figure 2: Innovation Focus Framework (Montoya, 2020)
The following framework as suggested by Montoya (2020) who serves as the marketing
director for Experian Motors, adapted from Gartner is a ‘guiding’ framework which indulges in
the innovation focus that the company undertook. The investments made in technology were
radical from the onset with the first electric car starting development in Quarter 9. As part of
the short-term goal as discussed between the directors, the company focused on continuous
investment to launch electric vehicles first to market. The company did well in this regard by
reaching the target innovations by end of year 4.
The company followed an internal process-based innovation on the assumption that
consumers will accept decisive changes in vehicles. Brook and Pagnanelli (2014) highlight the
need for using a project portfolio managed innovation system which is a business model and
organizationally oriented. A careful analysis of the product features and launch timings shows
that the company may have fallen behind on short-term requirements of the customer.
However, the short-term hits can be sustained due to the propensity to high-risk with a focus
on the long-term strategy that the company had envisaged. The electric car industry has
several social barriers including range, infrastructure and charging time which took several
years to fruition. The company has made these investments and is expecting higher
acceptance in the following years.
8
The company is less susceptible to making changes based on market updates. As Risi (2020),
puts across a fundamental aspect of a business, "strategy is choosing what not to do". The
corporate element shows that Panther Ltd. has a strong focus which has led the company to
fall behind on several dynamic changes, in terms of customer turnover as well as market
momentum. However, the company has maintained a laser focus on the long-term goals of
market technical dominance similar to industry-wide approaches of Tesla Motors, Rivian and
Wyd (Wayland, 2020).
2.1.2. Sustainability Outlook
Graph 2: CO2 Emissions in g/miles for Panther Ltd (2019-2025)
The formative years of the company consisted of higher CO2 emissions due to a predominant
gasoline and diesel fleet. However, a range of factors including, but not limited to government
regulations and change in consumer preferences led the company to change its portfolio
outlook and create a clean energy fleet.
In the short term, the fleet incurred, falling but high CO2 emissions due to the addition of two
Hybrid Cars, a coupe and a compact. The company was able to discontinue older, higher
emission models and limit the sales of existing high emission models to reduce its carbon
footprint, which was a direct result of the innovation strategy. The method seems to have
considerably helped the company and the introduction of “Project Green Car” added impetus,
with gains from emissions reaching $3 billion.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6
g/m
ile
CO2 Emissions Control
Marks the
turning point in
CO2 emissions
and addition of
‘Project Green
Car’
Student ID: 195444
9
2.2. Interdependencies
2.2.1. Chronological Launch and Features of Electric Cars in the Fleet
Model Type Range Autonomous Connectivity
E Micro Extra Long I II
E Executive Extra Long II II
E Compact Medium III III
E Luxury Medium III III
E SUV Medium III III
E Convertible Short IV IV
E Micro Short II II
Table 1: Features in Electric Cars Launched
Features of Car = f(Competitor Features + Consumer Preferences + Employee Expertise + Margin Required + Innovation Strategy)
2.2.2. Marketing & Innovation
In the initial years, as per a comprehensive study on innovation in the automotive industry,
consumers demanded long-range vehicles to prevent charging inertia due to limited
infrastructure (Tiwari, 2017; Noel et al., 2019; Hidrue et. al.,2011; Egbue and Long, 2012).
When put to practice this served against the company and demand for the extra-long vehicle
range remained low due to the highly competitive prices. It also severely affected the
contribution margins due to the lower price for competitiveness and higher promotional
expenses. The competitors were offering a lower range of cars with limited technology that
remained more favourable with the customers. The company adapted market changes in the
years 2024 and 2025 which saw higher margins on short-ranged cars and higher acceptance
of older models.
The targeting aspect was in the space of creating an uncontested market space for high tech
electric vehicles with a value for money proposition to achieve scalability with the forthcoming
launches as was outlined by Musk (2006) in a blog post “The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan
(just between you and me)”. The market landscape was unfavourable and the much-
anticipated shift in customer preferences did not realise creating a cascading effect.
2.2.3. Operations and Innovation
10
Years 1&2: The legacy vehicles were streamlined, and hybrid cars were introduced to make
use of existing factory space and to balance cash flows from loss on higher emissions with
more energy-efficient cars.
Year 3&4: The company launched a high number of electric vehicles, while also re-launching
an older model. Due to the specialized nature of vehicles, scalability was not achieved, and
the timing of the launch was not synchronized with lines running empty and on certain
occasions halting of production due to storage cut-off levels.
Year 5&6: The company achieved better inter-functional control and the launch of customer-
friendly models that could be scaled, allowing the company to post strong results in terms of
revenue increase and return on investments (Appendix).
3. Operations
The operations processes have significantly altered as Johnson (2020), a guest speaker for
WBS Operations Team puts in terms of Just-in-Time (JIT). Panther applied a similar approach
to its resilience method followed to limit tariff shocks and constant changes to customer
preference. The strategic decision to invest $300 million in “Modular Design & Production”
with a short implementation time of 2 months, significantly limiting production disruption. The
academic models introduced by Johnson, 2020 help in analyzing the volume-variety interplay
which served as a key indicator of the operational performance of Panther Ltd.
3.1. Operation Drivers and Performance Analysis
3.1.1. 4V Model
The importance-performance matrix as introduced by Slack et al., 2010 has been interpreted
to understand the operational performance achieved by the firm concerning the importance
criteria set up in the strategic implementation practices.
11
Figure 3: Composite 4V model with an inclination metric[ :Type 1 :Type 2]
The 4V model as introduced by Slack et. al., 2010 provides into the volume-variety argument.
The Type 1 Models exhibit qualities of low volume, high variety, variation in demand and
visibility, while the Type 2 models are the antecedents of Type 1 models. The semi-radial
meter at the bottom is inclined towards Type 1 because 9 out of 14 models showed
characteristics remnant of Type 1 models. This description is necessary to carefully
understand the performance and decisions under the operations function.
3.1.2. Production Capacity
The production capacity formed of 12 production lines, equally divided between America,
China and Europe. The production lines expansion has been a severe cause of concern due
to its limited scalability. This problem can be isolated to the overdependence on Type 1
products which could not be scaled since the market did not receive the products well. The
limited sale of products prevented any expansion, like the Tesla introductory models, roadster
and model S with total sales of 2,450 and 158,000 respectively (Tesla, 2019).
The company invested too much on vehicle development and employed a very narrow
approach towards production expansion. The interplay between the risk of under-production
and empty lines can be viewed as a master strategy approach that will allow the company to
expand as demand arises and operate efficiently with product investments fulfilled.
Type 1
Volume High Low
Visibility (Customer Contact) Low High
Variety Low High
Variation in Demand Low High
Type 2
12
3.1.3. Capacity Utilization
Graph 3: Capacity utilization of the factory (Industry Masters, 2020)
The overall capacity utilization remained at an aggregate 77.5%. The company transitioned
from a carbon high to electric manufacturing which created decisive changes on the human
resources front, with increased training requirements and constant employment. On several
instances, a supply-demand gap seems to have contracted utilization to 57% and 69% in
successive years. Imperfect scaling up of Type 1 cars that dominated the product mix led to
the inventory levels exceeding maximum capacity on several instances bringing the
production systems to a halt. On the positive side, the acceptance of Panther vehicles has
grown significantly in years 5&6 and consumer preferences have aligned as forecasted. This
has solidified the company stance and placed it at a place to reap maximum economies of
scale and increase production lines.
3.2. Interdependencies
3.2.1. Micro Expansions
The expansion needs to be carefully aligned with Marketing and Innovation functions to make
way for production. Over the first 4 years a micro-outlook was taken, to minimize idle lines and
maximize efficiency. A line was added on the direction of the marketing team as a new car
was produced. The company did not leverage scale specifically in China due to a narrow
outlook of per car expansion policy.
68
88
57
69
92 93
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6
Overall Capacity Utilization in %
13
3.2.2. Functional Transformation
The decisions related to where a car is produced and in what quantities are a function of the
overall strategy, availability of production capacity and customer preferences. Based on the
firm analysis, it can be found that the allocation seems arbitrary with limited concern for
resilience in terms of tariffs and a primary motive of availability to scale production in the first
4 years with a lack of structure. Specific decisions based on customer preference and tariff
analysis after conferring with the marketing and innovation directors led to several changes in
place of production, which saw a significant spike in staff, G&A expenses and materials cost
and consecutively a drop in net income to an all-time low of $93 million in Quarter 20 as seen
in Graph 4.
Graph 4: Key Expenses and Income (Q12-Q28)(Industry Masters, 2020)
These changes are however mitigated due to the benefits received in terms of reductions in
the cost of operations, geographic pricing and increase in sales due to competitiveness in the
market as analyzed below.
In metanalysis, Al-Alawi and Bradley (2013) argue that manufacturers are limited by, “budget,
technology availability, brand preference, and preexisting product plans”, that limit the creation
of models tuned to the market needs. The rate of adoption is largely unknown which has driven
the stimulus for the current model transition by Panther Ltd.
$0
$500,000,000
$1,000,000,000
$1,500,000,000
$2,000,000,000
$2,500,000,000
$3,000,000,000
Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Q21 Q22 Q23 Q24 Q25 Q26 Q27 Q28
Movem
ent
Quarterwise (Q12-Q28)
Key Expenses and Income (Extract)
G&A Expenses Material Cost Net Income Staff Expenses
14
Graph 5: Change in overall car prices (Metadata in Appendix)
The net effect was an 8.5% drop in cumulative prices of the aforementioned cars across all
geographies. E Micro and E Lux have remained unchanged, as they were being produced in
the right geographies offering maximum returns to scale. The operations efficiency rose in
terms of, higher production while maintaining lower inventories. The material costs, staff
expenses and G&A expenses were brought under control.
3.2.3. Operations and Marketing
This move allowed the demand to improve succinctly, with products being produced where
they preferred more, compared to other countries. The price effect through tariff accounting
as visible in graph 5, allowed the company to increase margins by limiting direct price cuts
and achieving price levels close to the competition while still selling cars with better features
and securing higher margins at an average of 16%(Year 5&6) compared to 11% (years 3&4).
15
4. Marketing
Figure 4: 4P Analysis for Panther Ltd.
The 4P analysis gives a bird’s eye view of the marketing structure. This is, however, a
simplistic outlook limited by the dynamic nature of the business and the inclusion of various
caveats from competitors and internal departments. The analysis will draw key references as
the firm evolved its marketing strategy over the past 6 years.
4.1. Operation Drivers and Performance Analysis
4.1.1. Preference Mapping
The blue ocean strategy (Kim and Mauborgne, 2005) shows that the company was trying to
create a different market for its e-cars and aim to disrupt by radically changing customer
preferences by offering disruptive technology. In year 3, with the first EV launch, the first-
mover advantage purported by Kerin et al. (1992) fell back on the cost front but scored high
on differentiation. It is clear from the performance in terms of the limited sales and low return
on sales in the years 3&4 that the strategy failed on the time dimension with the firm unable
to manage short term dealings, hence, the first-mover advantage was nullified.
The considerable risks involved in creating paradigm shifts with an expectation to alter
customer preferences were realized. The customers soon caught up with the curve in years
5&6 and the company produced vehicles that could be competitively priced and obtained
mass-market appeal, with the return on sales reaching 19% by the end of Q28. The
Product
• High Variety
• Max technical capabilities
• Build customer preference around product
Price
• Penetration Pricing
• Constant Adjustments to maximise sales
• At par with competitors, offering better features
Place
• America, Europe and Asia focus
• Low Cost in China
• Mid Range in Europe
• High range with maximum deatures in America
Promotion
• Maximise Promotions
• Consistent increase in marketing spend
• Increase TV/Promotions on new launch
• Increase Training & Print in the quarters post launch
16
preferences are expected to shift with the company already having an autonomous vehicle in
the mix and consumers in the European and Asian starting an early trend shift towards these
vehicles (IEA, 2020).
4.1.2. Features
The features, when plotted against competitors, were significantly ahead of the market curve,
which should have led to higher sales. In a survey by IBM (2011), it was found that half the
customers would not pay more for similar featured gasoline, hybrid or diesel variant. The
company produced cars with better features and priced them at par with the competitors. In
retrospect, the cost of production pushed higher which led to very slim margins for continuity
of operations. This pushed the firm to spend higher on promotions and it further reduced net
profits. The high yield expected from investments in new models, which did not realize, can
be traced straight back to the features mix and low acceptance by customers given in the
graph below.
Graph 6: Panther Features Mix (Industry Masters, 2020)
A side by side comparison of the features shows that within each model Panther vehicles were
placed better than the competitors owing to the creation of a premium features company that
offers value for money. The penetration policy limited the scale of price to lean on the lower
end of the spectrum for all cars. The higher input cost made the majority of the vehicles
uncompetitive in the broad spectrum of the market. The learnings from mistakes and corporate
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
Ra
ng
e
Auto
nom
y
Co
nn
ect
Ra
ng
e
Auto
nom
y
Co
nn
ect
Ra
ng
e
Auto
nom
y
Co
nn
ect
Ra
ng
e
Auto
nom
y
Connect
Range
Auto
nom
y
Co
nn
ect
Ra
ng
e
Auto
nom
y
Co
nn
ect
E Micro E Compact E Executive E Convertible E SUV E Luxury
Level of F
eatu
res
Car Segment
Competitors vs Panther Features Mix (End of Year 4)
A B C Panther
17
maturity allowed for the launch of an E-micro (Hotwheels) that addressed all these concerns
and transitioned from Star to Cash Cow in the BCG Matrix faster than industry rates
(Henderson, 1970).
4.1. Interdependencies
4.1.1. Product Life Cycle
The product life cycle acted as the single most important metric for timeline decisions of launch
and liquidation of vehicles. It was also highly relevant in making progressive and/or regressive
changes to price and promotional spending.
The primary focus remained at clearing out inventory and increasing sales at the expense of
lower selling prices, hence, lower margins and high promotional activity. Consecutively,
leasing options were extended to allow ease of adoption, where, Haddadian (2015) states that
“EVs offer lower TCO compared to their ICE counterparts over the life of the vehicle”. The
company employed a range of external factors to boost demand. This seemed to have been
the overarching focus irrespective of the position within the product life cycle that a vehicle
was placed at any given point of time. This can be quantified by the marketing spend/sales
that significantly rose from Year 1 to Year 6.
Graph 7: Cumulative Marketing Spend/Sales (2019-2025)
The fear of low sales volume had a significant impact on the overall margins. Ideally, the
spend/sales ratio should improve as the product moves from Introduction to Decline. The
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6
Valu
es
Cumulative Marketing Spend/Sales
18
average age of the fleet varied throughout the simulation. Case in point is Year 3 when the
average age of the fleet was around 14-16 months, the Spend/Sales ratio increased by almost
200 points, which should have ideally dropped or stayed the same. The company did not
recognize undersupplied segments and, in the race, to compete in oversaturated markets
spent notably high on promotions while also reducing prices. The last 2 years which has high
sales, shows the graph plateau, which allowed for recovery and a higher return on investment
in the future.
4.1.2. Segmentation
A new product launch seemed like an exciting idea and involved effective communication
between Operations and Innovation Departments, along with the Finance Department issuing
the necessary financial resources. Since the product mix included variants that fit segments
in different markets the choices were based on the preference list. As Rudd (2020) stated
while arguing segmentation in a lecture slide that, ‘few products can satisfy all customers’.
The company was able to define global boundaries and maximize sales based on production
and tariff norms. The goal focus remained at securing the highest market share in each
segment of the vehicle, which would give a higher market share in each country.
The company had a not-so-swift transition from a marketing myopia point in the beginning and
middle years, to a customer-focused organization. This is a case of ‘customer informed’ to
‘customer-focused’ marketing, which is against the arguments dispensed by Rudd (2020).
Conclusion
The essay has broadly analysed the performance of individual functions of the organization
using KPIs and competitor analysis. The paper has highlighted the interdependencies that
exist between them using important decisions that created a mature company. These factors
have created the necessary elements to judge how well the company has performed. More
importantly, how each function works in collaboration to formulate a bigger picture.
As isolated functions, the company would find itself in complete disarray and succinct
communication with a strategy agreed between all the directors allowed the company to
succeed. The dynamic response system within Panther Ltd. is weak since all KPIs had fallen
significantly in years 3 and 4. This could have been prevented with a proactive reaction system
in the early quarters of decision making.
The idea of creating a novel product and distinguish a separate market is filled with risks and
that is exactly how the startup ecosystem works. Panther as a startup made significant
19
investments in innovation and launched products, but it failed in the short term. In context,
Skype was a video conferencing service that existed long before Zoom, but the COVID crisis
propelled Zoom and diminished Skype (Stokel-Walker, 2020). Panther is the Skype that will
succeed due to the underlying ethos of creating a technology-focused company with a value
for money proposition.
At the end of Year 6, the company has developed the resources and capabilities necessary
to storm the market. The company needs to increase factory lines to incorporate for the rise
in sales that are being forecasted. The ‘Coupe Autonomous’ offers the first-mover advantage
on both cost and differentiation grounds, thus, mitigating earlier errors and entering the market
at the right time with appropriate configurations.
This study is limited to the three functions and an overall outlook relating to the other functions
of the organization along with external market-related factors must be analyzed to supply a
broader picture. The limitation of text has blocked out the analysis of the key ratios and
financial figures. Overall the analysis will allow any external or internal user to understand the
company and make informed decisions for the future.
Appendix
Data on customer concerns for EV
Biggest concern about EVs Number of responses (%)
Battery range 158 33
Cost 129 27
Charging infrastructure 83 17
Other 58 12
Reliability 47 10
Safety 6 1
Source: (Egbue and Long, 2012)
Strategy Blueprint
20
Revenue
EBIT Margin
21
Return on Net Assets
Return on Sales
Value Added
22
Metadata on Change Calculation (Graph 5, page 14)
Car Type America Europe Asia
Old New Old New Old New Chan
ge
E Suv $72,6
78
$66,5
91
$66,5
91
$71,9
18
$77,5
83
$73,2
50
$5,09
3
2.35
%
E Compact (RV7) $29,0
36
$28,6
08
$26,0
07
$28,6
08
$31,1
81
$26,0
07
$3,00
1
3.48
%
E Compact (City
007))
$41,6
44
$38,9
75
$40,7
81
$36,0
88
$36,0
88
$41,5
01
$1,94
9
1.64
%
E Executive $56,2
17
$51,3
42
$51,3
42
$55,4
49
$60,0
61
$56,4
76
$4,35
3
2.60
%
E Convertible $48,2
00
$52,0
56
$52,0
56
$48,2
00
$53,0
20
$55,4
30
-
$2,41
0
-
1.57
%
23
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