Read Case #4 – iRobot in 2019: Can the Company Keep the Magic? and/or use Endnotes
iRobot Chairman and CEO Colin Angle has employed you as a consultant to assess the company’s overall situation and recommend a set of actions to improve the company’s future prospects. Please prepare a report to Mr. Angle that includes:
(1) an evaluation of iRobot’s business strategy in the market for robotic vacuums;
(2) an assessment of iRobot’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats;
(3) an evaluation of iRobot’s financial and operating performance as provided in case Exhibits 1, 3 and 4;
(4) an evaluation of the company’s technology focus, including the focus on the smart home; and
(5) a set of action recommendations that Mr. Angle and iRobot’s top executive team should initiate in order to preserve and enhance the company’s growth and performance.
Your report should be 5-6 pages and should include an assortment of original (not copied from the case!) charts, tables, and exhibits to support your analysis and recommendations.
Your report should be no less than 3000 words (word count does not include title page, abstract, references or exhibits). The report should be in APA format.
Your report should answer:
Identify the driving forces in the robotic vacuum industry. Which of these forces appears to be the strongest? Where does the industry appear to be headed as a result of these forces?
What are iRobot’s competitive and resource strengths, and what opportunities do you identify? What notable weaknesses and threats are facing the company? Assess the combined impact of these forces on iRobot’s future profitability.
Describe iRobot’s business strategy. Does it appear well-suited for the company in 2019? 4. iRobot has the largest market share in a growing market, but does the company have a competitive advantage? A sustainable advantage? What additional strategies could the company adopt to secure or sustain competitive advantage?
Which of iRobot’s competitors presents that greatest competitive threat? Why? Support your answer.
From the provided financial data, what is iRobot’s financial condition? What do the financial statements suggest about the company’s future? If present trends continue, where do you see iRobot in the next few years?
What advice would you offer to CEO Angle to improve iRobot’s market position and profitability. Support your decision.
Your report should be written from the perspective of employee to employer and not as a student to instructor. You should not reference the “Case” in this context. In other words you have been given a task by an employer and should be addressing the employer.
Prepare a properly APA formatted paper of no less than 3000 words.
Include Title Page, Abstract, Body, References and at least one exhibit.
Written from the perspective of employee to employer.
Backed up by thoughtful analysis based the facts of the case and not unsupported opinion.
Five Forces Analysis
SWOT Analysis
PESTEL Analysis
Financial Analysis
Strategic Group Map
Three tests of a winning strategy