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(This Cover Page must be typed and submitted for each assignment/ project)

Name of the Assignment or project: Strategic Analysis (Project) Report Company studied: Caterpillar Class: MGT 487 Section __05___ Semester: Spring 2015

-I have proofread the entire document and stand by its accuracy and professional quality. -I assure that this document meets MSU’s Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures. (If any member doesn’t complete the below information, they will NOT receive any points) Name MSU Email Address Which parts did you Signature

MAINLY author? Ashley Bennington Bennington2011@live.missouristate.edu Resource Based View, Section #7,8,9 Ariel Foley Ariel585@live.missouristate.edu SWOT Analysis: O/T in Industry

Environment, Section #7,8,9

Charles Harris Harris357@live.missouristate.edu SWOT Analysis: O/T in General Environment, Competitive Strategy Lauren Pierce Pierce890@live.missouristate.edu Introduction, Section #7,8,9 John Werner Werner06@live.missouristate.edu SWOT Analysis: S/W in Company’s Value Chain

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Strategic Analysis (Project) Guidelines and Grading Rubric

Procedures and Format: (4 points if no errors in following instructions written below)

1. The report should begin with a cover page (see the previous page). Cover page will be page #1. This page will remain #2, right after the cover page.

2. Both report and presentation printouts are due April 28 at the start of the class. 3. The report has 100 points. Submit a typed printout. 4. Just staple the report on top-left; no folders please! 5. Page 2 will be a copy of this sheet. Page 3 of the report will be Table of Content, indicating major

sections and their page numbers. Sections will begin on Page 4. 6. Delete nothing. Keep all instructions above and for each section below. Do not change the format. 7. Please note that it will not be possible for me to grade any report that does not follow the format,

reference section, and the procedure 12 below. Instead, the report will be returned for correcting this shortcoming and will attract a penalty up to 20 points, if corrected copy is submitted within 3 days. If this requirement is not met, the case analysis report points will be capped at 60.

8. Integration: Use team-work, not discrete division of work. Everybody should read all sections to eliminate conceptual errors or to find scope to improve the writing of any items. Exchange articles and suggestions to improve the group output. Sections 6, 7, 8, and 9 MUST be the result of brainstorming by all, not completed by one person in isolation.

9. I reserve the right to call any group/member for an oral exam on the report, if I find it is inadequate for grading, or if I suspect academic dishonesty or severe group-problems. Grades based on oral exams will be guided by my holistic judgment of the person’s contribution and performance.

10. Prepare a PowerPoint presentation, 20-30 slides including the cover, and submit its printout. Identify author on each slide. Presentation has 25 points.

11. Do not attach presentation printout to the report. Have 2 slides per printed page. 12. Check-mark √each of the above item after completing it.

The instructions and procedures are there to provide integrity and uniformity to all reports. They have resulted from my experience and FAQs. They also enable you to think more and write less. I also believe everybody will understand they need to contribute well. The content itself is an attempt to interpret all the key concepts and frameworks of this course in the context of a single company and thus, is directed at many learning goals of the course and COB. I look forward to your turning in a great analysis. THANKS!

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Table of Contents

I. Caterpillar Inc. Introduction………………………………………………………………………..4

II. Resource Based View……………………………………………………………………………...6

III. SWOT Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………8

i. O/T in the Industry Environment………………………………………………………….8

ii. O/T in the General Environment…………………………………………………………..9

iii. S/W in Company’s Value Chain…………………………………………………………10

IV. Competitive Strategy……………………………………………………………………..………12

V. Issues Caterpillar is facing………………………………………………………………………..14

VI. Recommended Actions for Caterpillar…………………………………………………………...15

VII. Implementation of Recommended Actions for Caterpillar……………………………………….16

VIII. References………………………………………………………………………………………...19

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Content Sections: (Notice that each section starts on a new page) 1. Introduction:

Provide a very brief introduction of the company, covering (A) scope (product/technologies, geographic segments, target customers, etc.) and (B) size (sales, assets, personnel, etc.), (C) graphs showing its stock performance for the last five years (two separate graphs, one for its own performance and the other that shows a comparison with its THREE most important competitors and S&P 500). Use bullet format for data and other listing type of information. Make limited use of narrative. (1 page, plus graphs: 6 points).

(A) SCOPE -Caterpillar Inc. is world’s leader in the machinery industry and leading U.S. exporter -Three product segments are Resource Industries, Construction Industries, and Energy and Transportation. -Product offerings include selection of industrial gas turbines, diesel-electric locomotives, and diesel and natural gas engines. - 21 brands include CAT, CAT Financial, CAT Reman, Hindustan, , Asiatrak, FG Wilson, and Mak, -Core technology is trademarked CAT Connect, which allows for unique combinations of products customizable to job site needs. Developed to manage equipment, sustainability, safety, and productivity. (B) SIZE -2014 revenue of $55.18 billion -Total assets $84,896,000, total liabilities $64,085,000 -Market cap $51.15 billion, P/E: 16.72, EPS: 5.88 -May 1, 2014 share price $105.20 compared to February 21, 2015 share price $84.44 -CEO Doug Oberhelman, CFO Bradley Halverson (C) GRAPHS

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2. RBV:

Show analysis of the core competency of the company, as per RBV (resource based view, Chapter 2). (1-2 pages, 10 points)

Accurately list in the table the four properties that an organizational R/C should have in order to be a source of sustainable competitive advantage according to RBV (resource based view) (2 points). Now, for each of those properties, rate the core competency _______Technology __________ (write an identifying name of the core competency) of ____Caterpillar______ (write company name) as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Be sure to address applicable conditions for each property we discussed. First, describe the core competency in some detail here (be specific and provide any applicable data) (2 points):

Caterpillar’s core competency is their customizable technology, which sustains their status as the world’s leader in manufacturing construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. This technology provides a huge competitive advantage for Caterpillar as they give customers more combinations of technology and service to accomplish their business goals, regardless of the size or complexity of their job. Trademarked Cat Connect Solutions is centered on equipment management, productivity, safety, sustainability, and command. This gives the company the ability to focus on improving the utilization of their machines, optimize production efforts, improve the safety of their employees, as well as meet every possible customer need.

Now, rate and explain your rating of competitive advantage from that core competency (2 points). Property Rating

0= Lowest, 5= Highest

Explanation for your rating. Be sure to address all relevant conditions for each property, as discussed in the class.

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Valuable

5 Harness External Situations: Because of the increased precision efforts Caterpillar is able to accomplish more in less time, increasing their revenue. Neutralize negative external situations: Assists in increasing material movement to increase cycle times and reduce loading/hauling costs. Increase effectiveness of the organization: Provides on-the-go load weighing which achieves more precise targets with machinery, increasing efficiency and jobsite productivity. Increase efficiency of the organization: Efficiency gains are up 50% while reducing materials and labor costs. Ref: #6

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Rare 5 If no competing firms already possess it in a comparable amount: Exclusive and unique technology that Caterpillar has developed in-house. If no competing firms already possess it in a comparability quality: Technology is known for fixing the trade-off issues other companies seem to still struggle with. Research proves that Caterpillar has developed a resource that is very rare. Other competitors have their own technology, but

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Caterpillar’s is highly tailored and it is the only one of its kind. Ref: #9

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Difficult to Imitate

4 Costly: Spends more than $2 billion annual on R&D, which a huge focus on their technology. Complex: Tailored aspect of the technology is very complex and makes it hard to duplicate. Legally protected: Patented technology takes a long time to create: constantly developing and making improvements. History dependent: Assists in the sustainability efforts and reputation of the 90 year old company. Ref: #18

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Non-substitutable

5 The firm must own the resource: Cat Connect is a registered trademark. The firm must have a high degree of control over the resource: Produced in-house and controlled exclusively by the company. The firm must have other Rare, complementary resources: Technology services works only with other products Caterpillar creates. Ref: #23

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SWOT Analysis (sections 3, 4, and 5). Caution: As discussed in the class, be careful about the difference between:

o A Threat and a Weakness. A Threat is outside the company, a Weakness is inside. o Likewise an Opportunity is outside the company, a Strength is inside. o Also, beware that a strength (or weakness) is the result of what company has done in the

past; an opportunity (or threat) is what the company faces in the future.

3. SWOT Analysis: O/T in Industry Environment Describe and evaluate external industry environment (Chapter 3) of the company. Use Porter's “five forces” model. Describe and evaluate 5 important opportunities/threats, one from each force. You must provide data or other specific information where applicable. (1 page, 10 points)

  What  are  IMPORTANT  

opportunities  or  threats  in  the  INDUSTRY  environment?  Note:  No  points  for  trivial  O/T  Provide  Ref.  #  for  each.    

Threat  or  Opportunity?  

Which  Force  of  the  Industry  Environment  applies?    

Which  Condition  /  Bullet  from  the  Class  PowerPoints  applies?    

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After  Bucyrus  acquisition,  Caterpillar  has  a  broader  mining  product  range  than  closest  competitor  Joy  Global.  Ref:  #6  

Opportunity   Rivalry  among  Existing  Firms  

Balanced  Competitors  and  High  possible  Differentiation  

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New  entrants  need  a  high  amount  of  capital  to  join  in  this  industry.  Ref:  #6  

Opportunity   Threat  of  New  Entrants  

High  Capital  Requirements  and  Higher  Economics  of  Scale  

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Technology  has  increased  the  power  of  buyers  providing  more  options  and  detail  to  purchases.  Ref:  #6  

Threat   Bargaining  Power  of  Buyer  

Buyer  is  provided  more  information    

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Stiff  competition  from  other  companies  moving  into  foreign  markets.    Joy  Global  has  been  upgrading  and  setting  up  new  capacities  in  China.  Ref:  #6  

Threat   Bargaining  Power  of  the  Supplier  

Large  number  of  competitors  and  low  switching  costs  for  buyers  

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Cat  MineStar  new  mining  technology  keeps  Caterpillar  competitive  and  at  the  peak  of  innovation.  

Opportunity   Threat  of  product  Substitutes    

Performance  comparable  to  focal  product  is  low.  Low  number  of  substitutes  

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Ref:  #5   4. SWOT Analysis: O/T in General Environment.

Describe and evaluate opportunities and threats in the external general environment (Chapter 3) that are particularly applicable to the company. Use the table format shown below. ONLY use items, from those on the overheads we discussed in the class for each sector, that are crucial for the company. Describe 5 important opportunities/threats, no more than one from each sector. You must provide data or other specific information where applicable. (1 page, 10 points)

  What  are  IMPORTANT  opportunities  or  threats  in  the  GENERAL  environment?  Note:  No  points  for  trivial  O/T  Provide  Ref.  #  for  each.    

Threat  or  Opportunity?  

Which  sector  of  the  General  Environment  applies?  

Which  bullet  from  the  Class  PowerPoints  applies?  

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Disaster  Relief  through  the  Caterpillar  Foundation  that  enhances  their  reputation  and  assists  the  community      Ref:  #6    

Opportunity   Natural   Weather/  National  Disasters  

2      

Designing  of  Bio-­‐Degradable  oils  and  fuels    Ref:  #16    

Opportunity   Technology   Multi-­‐Fuel  Machines  

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Diverse  Workforce    Ref:  #21    

Opportunity   Demographic   Ethnic  Make-­‐Up  

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Legal  Cases  such  as  with  the  SEC/  Brazil  CADE/  California  CADE  -­‐  anticompetitive  bid  activity  for  construction  and  maintenance  of  metro  and  train  networks  in  Brazil    Ref:  #4    

Threat   Political   Laws/  Regulations/  Judicial  Decisions/  Quasi-­‐Govt.  (CADE)  

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Fluctuating  Currency  Exchange  Rates    Ref:  #4    

Threat   Economics   Currency  Exchange  Rates  

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5. SWOT Analysis: S/W in Company’s Value Chain. Using value chain and internal audit (Chapter 4) describe and evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the company's resources and capabilities. Only include Finance & Accounting and Information Systems from internal audit (Table 4.3 in the text). Describe important strengths/weaknesses of 8 resources or capabilities and classify them against appropriate sub-heading from Tables 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3 in the text (no more than one from any sub-heading). You must provide data or other specific information where applicable. (1-2 pages, 16 points)

  What  are  IMPORTANT  Resources  or  Capabilities  of  the  company?  Note:  No  points  for  trivial  S/W  Provide  Ref.  #  for  each.    

Strength  or  Weakness?  

Which  sub-­‐heading  from  Tables  4.1,  4.2  or  4.3  in  the  text  applies?  

Which  particular  item  under  that  sub-­‐heading  applies?    

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Partnership  with  Trimble  is  working  on  bringing  complete,  technology-­‐enabled  jobsites  to  the  market  to  service  and  respond  to  customer’s  entire  fleet,  regardless  of  brand.    Ref:  #6    

Strength     4.1  -­‐  Servicing  Customers  

Do  we  take  care  of  customer  issues  quickly  and  successfully?    

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Caterpillar  Dealership  Network  has  locations  in  over  180  countries  to  help  provide  tailored  customer  service  and  expertise  to  get  the  right  products  to  each  customer.    Ref:  #6    

Strength     4.1  –  Getting  Products  to  Customers    

Do  we  have  the  equipment/tools  and  personnel  needed  to  get  products  to  customers?    

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Caterpillar  employees  more  than  8,000  engineers  and  over  350  PHD-­‐level  scientists/experts.    Ref:  6    

Strength     4.2  -­‐  Research  and  Development    

Are  our  R&D  people  well  trained  and  qualified?    

4        

Caterpillar  employs  went  through  nearly  a  four  month  strike  over  unfair  salary  and  benefits.    

Weakness   4.2  –  Managing  Human  Resources  

Do  we  have  a  good  relationship  with  our  employee  unions?    

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Ref:  #22    

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2014  sales  and  revenues  were  $55.184  billion  an  Caterpillar  is  still  the  world’s  leading  manufacturer  of  construction  and  mining  equipment,  energy,  and  transport.    Ref:  #6    

Strength     4.3  –  Marketing     What  is  the  organization’s  market  position  or  rank?  

6   Employee  selection  process  includes  an  extensive  application  process,  assessment  tests,  and  multiple  interviews  including  reference  checks.    Ref:  #6    

Strength     4.3  –  Management  

Are  employee  selection  procedures  effective?    

7   Acquisition  of  Siwei  in  2014  hurts  Caterpillar  after  finding  that  Siwei  falsified  accounting  records.      Ref:  #7    

Weakness   4.3  –  Financial  and  Accounting  

Do  financial-­‐accounting  employees  use  appropriate  financial-­‐accounting  tools  and  techniques?  

8   Cat  Connect  was  a  technology  created  to  provide  tailored  services  to  each  jobsite  that  increases  efficiency  and  effectiveness  on  each  job.    Ref:  #11    

Strength      4.3  –  Information  Systems  –  Information  Technology    

Has  the  organization  developed  any  competencies  in  the  information  systems-­‐information  technology  area?  

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6. Competitive Strategy: Show complete matrix for Porter’s Competitive (also called Generic Business level) Strategies (Chapter 5B) and mark your company in the cell that correctly identifies its competitive strategy. Explain how that is the correct cell. (Note: See Competitive Strategy assignment (1-2 pages, 10 pts). Matrix (1 point):

Company: Caterpillar Strategy: Broad Differentiation Competitive Scope of the company (2 points): Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction (52.39% market share) and mining equipment (93.55% market share), diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide composing 60.9% of the market share. The Construction Industries segment of Caterpillar offers a variety of equipment such as backhoes, loaders, excavators, tractors, and select work tools along with motor graders, tele handlers, soil compactors, and pipe layers, as well as its related parts for the heavy and general construction, rental, mining and quarry, and aggregates markets. Caterpillar’s Resource Industries segment provides electric rope and hydraulic shovels, trucks; large wheel loaders, scrapers, and dozers along with machinery components while supporting equipment with electronics and control systems for use in mining and quarry applications. The Energy & Transportation segment of Caterpillar offers engines, reciprocating engines powered generator sets, integrated systems and solutions for the electric power generation industry along with turbines and their related services, centrifugal gas compressors, diesel-electric locomotives and components, and rail-related products and services. Its Financial Products segment of Caterpillar provides retail and wholesale financing primarily for Caterpillar equipment, machinery, and engines; offers property, casualty, life, accident, and health insurance, insurance brokerage services, and purchases short-term trade receivables. Caterpillar also has a segment called “All Other” which remanufactures engines and components, provides business strategy, and development, management, manufacturing, marketing, and support primarily for paving, forestry,

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industrial, waste, and Cat products. The company was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. and changed its name to Caterpillar Inc. in 1986. The company was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois. Explanation of how the company uses its Value Chain achieve THAT competitive strategy (Refer to Competitive Strategy assignment for details of instructions) 1. Marketing and Sales (4 points): Product: Caterpillar offers extensive line of mining, construction, and home or farm equipment with a

variety of options depending on the customers projects and needs such as bulldozers, dump truck, excavators, etc… and software for the maintaining of the equipment.

Price: Cost of Caterpillars equipment and software are competitively priced to its competitors.

Caterpillar provides exceptional customer service and with instance upgrades in the software the customer is able to maintain its equipment efficiently and be more productive.

Promotion: Caterpillar offers incentives and packages to customers for on-site expert technicians for

scheduled and unscheduled maintenance of Caterpillar products. Caterpillar is using the Caterpillar Foundation, Mining Sustainability Project, and the use of Blur Collar Social Media in promoting equipment and services around the globe.

Place: Caterpillar is in over 200 countries and operates 110 production plants worldwide which allows

customers affordable access to Caterpillars expertise in heavy machinery. Caterpillar enters rapidly industrializing markets such as the $210MM investment in India’s forecasted growth in road infrastructure.

2. (Technological Development VC activity) (1 point): The continuous development of new software packages for Caterpillar’s equipment (such as trademarked CAT Connect) from the R&D departments has allowed Caterpillar to increase its machinery capability and product life cycle resulting in more efficient and effective lines of equipment.

3. (Operations VC activity) (1 point):

Since 1925, Caterpillar has operated 110 production plants which produce heavy machinery for multi-purpose use in many industries. The extensive experience in this business allows Caterpillar to successfully design and implement upgrades quick and easy. Caterpillar’s efficient operations have allowed Caterpillar to have revenues of $14,244MM and a net income of $736MM.

4. (Customer Service VC activity) (1 point):

Caterpillar stands by its superior customer service as it is one of the company’s founding principles. Because of this long-established policy, the company continues to provide in-depth assessment of a customer’s needs while building a package of equipment and software along with service contracts to allow the customer to reach their goal.

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7. Issues your company is facing: Select a set of crucial issues (6 in all) that the company's top management must address over the next three years. That is, what would be an agenda for FUTRUE strategic actions? This agenda arises from your entire analysis above. Be sure to provide a brief heading of each issue and organize each under the appropriate level of strategy (at least 2 under each level): (A) corporate/international (refer to your SWOT analysis and use topics from Chapter 6 & 7), (B) competitive (refer to your SWOT analysis and use topics from Chapter 5B), and (C) functional (refer to your SWOT analysis and use topics from Chapter 5A). Explain why each of those issues is important for the company to address. Do not provide recommendations in this section. (1 page, 12 points) Example: Issue A1: Slowing Growth. McDonald’s growth of revenue and profit (show data) has

significantly slowed down in the last 5 years. Likewise, number other issues as A2, B1, B2, C1, C2 and provide a heading for each. Issue A1: Slowing Growth: Caterpillar’s appeal to stockholders is declining and expert opinions claim there will be a difficult recovery. Caterpillar’s stock is down 14% YTD primarily due to its growth depending significantly on the success of the mining industry, which is struggling because oil prices are at uncommon lows of $48/barrel down from $102/barrel in July 2014. Issue A2: Undergoing legal-political environment issues: After nearly thirty years in China, Caterpillar acquired ERA Mining Machinery LTD and it’s subsidiary Siwei to try and break into the Chinese coal industry. Caterpillar acquired Siwei for $800 million, which was an inaccurate evaluation since falsified financial information that over-evaluated their assets. When the news of fraud became public, CAT stock dropped 1.5% overnight. Issue B1: Difficulty maintaining competitive advantage: Komatsu Ltd. has steadily gained financial advantage since the 20% fall in the dollar against the yen in July 2014. Additionally, 63% of Komatsu assets are in Japan compared to 53% of Caterpillar’s in the United States. As a result, Komatsu has lower manufacturing costs with a stronger domestic base. These two factors combined allow Komatsu to bid more competitively (lower offers) on construction equipment in the international market. Issue B2: Failure of exploiting competitive advantage: Caterpillar is the global leader in mining machinery yet there is no sign of an upturn in the industry. Caterpillar’s net income fell from 5,681,000 in December 2012 to 3,695,000 in December 2014. Issue C1: Poor product strategies:  On May 1, 2014 Scenic Boundaries Transportation won a putative class action lawsuit which alleged that Caterpillar sold thousands of defective emissions reduction systems in diesel engines knowing that the systems could not be repaired with replacement parts. The reputation for great service fell drastically with poor publicity due to low quality product sales. Issue C2: Poor people strategies/ weak human resource department: Caterpillar has been a leader in the past 20 years in taking a hard line when dealing with labor unions. Caterpillar is trying to pioneer new territory seeking steep concessions from its workers even when business is booming. This strategy works for Caterpillar, but at a sacrifice to other aspects of their business.

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8. Recommended Actions: Provide recommendations as to how the company’s top management should address each issue you identified. Explain your recommendations and the reasons for your recommendations. Provide thoughtful recommendations for future actions; do not repeat what they have already been doing. Be creative. Also, ensure that your recommendations are not contradictory (about 1 page, 6 points). Example: Recommendation for A1: Slowing Growth McDonald’s has huge opportunity to grow in

developing nations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Turkey. They share the same characteristics that the BRIC countries showed a decade ago, such as large number (provide data) of middle income families whose household income has risen by (provide data) … % in the last 5 years.

Likewise, explain recommendations for other issues. Recommendation for A1: Slowing Growth: Caterpillar should consider a reverse stock split to help increase the perceived value for shareholders. Their stock is consistently down and they need to regain lost support while their operations take a fall as well. Recommendation for A2: Undergoing legal-political environment issues: Caterpillar is working to make improvements with the situation that arose after acquiring Siwei. Shareholders have lost faith in the company which is in turn leading to a decrease in their stock price and market share. They need to try and gain back trust of both CAT and previous Siwei customers through providing forecasted financial statements for the upcoming year. They could also provide unique benefits for their shareholders to increase and regain loyalty to their brand. Recommendation for B1: Difficulty maintaining competitive advantage: This provides CAT an opportunity to strengthen relations with customers and offer higher service levels to compensate for the higher bidding price. The company may now focus on outstanding customer service and lay stronger foundations internationally to keep future losses to Komatsu from occurring. Recommendation for B2: Failure of exploiting competitive advantage: Caterpillar should create new product awareness for their mining equipment and cut down production until sales have caught up. Caterpillar needs to focus more on a few services and solidify customer relations before expanding their company to new industries. Recommendation for C1: Poor product strategies:  Conduct a thorough internal investigation as to which individuals allowed the defective parts to be sold. Re-call all engines and replace at no charge. Attempt to regain customer and dealer trust. Recommendation for C2: Poor people strategies/ weak human resource department: If Caterpillar continues their brutal approach to labor unions, it will continue to build a strict negative reputation for the company. Caterpillar needs to open more communication between top executives and the labor unions and create a new human relations organization in their company to oversee all issues. Instead of strikes, the company needs to put more of their resources into harmonizing relationships.

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9. Implementation of Recommended Actions. Address what resources and capabilities will be needed to implement your recommendations and how will your company find them. Be specific. (1 to 2 pages, 6 points) Example: Implementation of recommendation for A1: Slowing Growth McDonald’s has accumulated significant experience in developing large number of outlets in very big countries and that learning will come handy for Indonesia, Malaysia, and Turkey. They are all developing infrastructure such as transportation, urban housing, and modern retail centers such as malls. They also share food preferences due to large Muslim populations (provide data), so McDonald’s can easily use their US based menus such as beef burgers, and also use their product development capabilities to customize as needed. McDonald’s already has presence there and can form joint ventures with large local companies (like they did in India). Those partners who can provide not only capital but also cultural knowledge. In addition, these partners are likely to possess crucial capabilities (e.g., access to local officials) for achieving quick clearances for real estate, electrical connections, business license, etc. Likewise, address implementation of other recommendations. Implementation of recommendation for A1: Slowing Growth: After splitting CAT stock, the company will need to find ways to encourage the acquisition of their stock. They will need to find ways to complement the stock split with increased benefits to shareholders. Implementation of recommendation for A2: Undergoing legal-political environment issues: Caterpillar should drop the prices of Siwei’s products. They were previously a huge company and had a lot of consistent business that has disappeared. By lowering prices, they may be able to regain some of their customers and trust between people who still consider the acquisition a scapegoat. This may lead to a lot of loss at first, but the company will not survive if they cannot get any business. Implementation of recommendation for B1: Difficulty maintaining competitive advantage: CAT will need to conduct thorough customer research and place more emphasis on cultural understanding in order to conduct international business effectively. The company has experience in international business environment from global procurement and project development which should allow focused customer efforts to translate easily. If positive, substantial relationships are formed, CAT may see less profit fluctuation despite exchange rate changes. Implementation of recommendation for B2: Failure of exploiting competitive advantage: Caterpillar needs to implement a new marketing strategy for their mining products to reach out to consumers in a different way. Emphasizing a fresh new strategy to present their products to the mining industry will give them back their edge compared to their competitors. Caterpillar should implement marketing and customer awareness with more online and mobile outlets to keep the target market connected with the company. Implementation of recommendation for C1: Poor product strategies: Issue a press release listing the sincere apologies of the company and assure stakeholders that the intentional sale of defective product

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will never occur again. Locate and replace all damaged engine systems and offer future discounts on CAT products. Implementation of recommendation for C2: Poor people strategies/ weak human resource department: Caterpillar constantly rewards and raises pay of top management, while freezing union and factory workers pay to preserve future competitiveness. Instead Caterpillar needs to find room in the budget to better compensate their labor and factory workers. Caterpillar made over 4.9 billion dollars in 2012, but still won’t allocate sufficient funds to labor unions. They need to implement a section in their budget and strategic plans to reward essential labor union employees.

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10. Research & Referencing. The analysis should be written after thorough research. At least 5 substantive, non-overlapping, third party sources per person in the team should be consulted, cited and referenced in the report. The articles should be from highly reputed Business Publications (e.g., Businessweek, WSJ, Fortune, Forbes, etc.). Little known, internet-only publication sources will NOT be acceptable, unless I clear them before the due date. The analysis should not rely on just a few sources, especially the company’s website for assessing strengths and weaknesses. All companies talk big, especially about small things and the future. You have to examine their claims carefully. The company’s website will be an automatic source and will not be counted. Please pay special attention to presenting citation and references of sources. See examples below. You must list complete references at the end of the report. In the list, number each source and then, only cite that number immediately after presenting any information from that source in the body of the report. Be sure to also write page number from the original reference if you are using data and quoting directly. (It is necessary to distinguish between information that you copied from other sources and that you interpreted.) Caution: Do not use other reports and analyses. That will be plagiarism and may lead to XF. Analyses should be yours, only basic information such as facts and data can be obtained from other sources. Amount and quality of references, accuracy of citations, and completeness of listing procedures. (10 points)

Example of a List of References #1. Coulter, Mary. “McDonald’s Corporation.” Strategic Management in Action: 303. Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. (This is an example of a book as the source). Article I. #3. “Ford Jan U.S. vehicle sales off adj. 41.3 pct.” http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idINN0352175120090203?rpc=44. Article II. Accessed from fiance.yahoo.com on 02/03/09. (This is an example of the internet as the source). #6. Grant, Peter. “Comcast’s Big Bet on Content.”Wall Street Journal, 9/24/04: B1. (This is an example of a newspaper article as the source). #21. Lindblad, Cristina. “Burger King: New Owners for the Whopper?” Bloomberg Businessweek, Sept.6-12, 2010: 21. (This is an example of a magazine/journal article as the source). #26. Carroll, Rick. Delivery department, UPS, Springfield. Interviewed by Aaron Carroll on phone, 04/11/11. (This is an example of a personal interview as the source).

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List of References

#1. "3 Reasons Caterpillar Inc. Stock Could Tumble." NASDAQ.com. NASDAQ OMX, 01 Apr. 2015. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nasdaq.com/article/3-reasons-caterpillar-inc-stock-could-tumble-cm461033>. #2. “At Caterpillar, Pressing Labor While Businesses Booms.” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/ 07/23/business/profitable-caterpillar-pushes-workers-for-steep-cuts.html?_r=1. Accessed on 04/07/2015.    #3. Baldwin, Clare, and John Ruwitch. "How Caterpillar Got Bulldozed in China." Reuters. N.p., 23 Jan. 2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fhow-caterpillar-got-bulldozed-in-china-2014-1>. #4. "CAT_10-K_12.31.2014." CAT_10-K_12.31.2014. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/18230/000001823015000061/cat_10-kx12312014.htm>.  #5. "Caterpillar | SWOT Analysis | BrandGuide | MBA Skool-Study.Learn.Share." Caterpillar | SWOT Analysis | BrandGuide | MBA Skool-Study.Learn.Share. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.mbaskool.com/brandguide/heavy-equipment-and-engineering/4226-caterpillar.html>.  #6. "Caterpillar and Trimble Expand Solutions and Service Offerings for Global Construction Customers." Caterpillar. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.caterpillar.com/en/news/corporate-press-releases/h/caterpillar-and-trimble-expand-solutions-and-service-offerings-for-global-construction-customers.html>. #7. “Caterpillar Expands Research and Development Center in China.” http://constructionequiptmentguide.com/Caterpillar-Expands-Research-and-Development-Center-in-China/17461/. Accessed from ConstuctionEquptmentGuide.com on 02/20/2015  #8. “Caterpillar, Inc.” http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=CAT+Profile. Accessed from finance.yahoo.com on 05/07/2015.  #9. "Caterpillar Introduces Cat Connect Solutions to Help Customers Manage and Enhance Operations from Caterpillar Inc." OEM Off-Highway. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.oemoffhighway.com/press_release/11232252/caterpillar-introduces-cat-connect-solutions-to-help-customers-manage-and-enhance-operations>. #10. “Caterpillar Sees No Sign of Upturn in Mining Industry.” http://www.bloomberg.com/news/ articles/2014-07-24/caterpillar-raises-forecast-quarterly-sales-disappoint. Accessed from Bloomberg.com on 05/08/2015

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#11. Caterpillar shares are falling after it reveals a Big Accounting Problem at a Chinese Company it acquired.” http://www.businessinsider.com/accounting-faud-at-capterpillar-chinese-subsidiary-2013-1. Accessed from BusinessInsider.com on 2/20/2015 #12. “CAT’s Competition by Segment and It’s Market Share.” http://csimarket.com/stocks/ competitionSEG2.php?code=CAT. Accessed from CSIMarket.com on 05/08/2015. #13. Fontevecchia, Augustino. "U.S. And China Strengthening, Gold To Average $1,700 In 2013: Freeport McMoran." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 22 Jan. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2013/01/22/u-s-and-china-strengthening-gold-to-average-1700-in-2013-freeport-mcmoran/>. #14. Fool, Motley. "Is Caterpillar Inc. Finally a Good Buy for Value Investors?" NASDAQ.com. NASDAQ OMX, 02 Mar. 2015. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://www.nasdaq.com/article/is-caterpillar-inc-finally-a-good-buy-for-value-investors-cm449721>. #15. Greenhouse, Steven. "At Caterpillar, Pressing Labor While Business Booms." The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 July 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/23/business/profitable-caterpillar-pushes-workers-for-steep-cuts.html?_r=1>.  #16. Kaspersen, Janice. "Going Green: Biodegradable Products for Your Hydraulic System | Articles | MSW Management." Going Green: Biodegradable Products for Your Hydraulic System | Articles | MSW Management. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.mswmanagement.com/MSW/Articles/Going_Green_Biodegradable_Products_for_Your_Hydrau_4514.aspx>. #17. "Komatsu Construction, Mining and Utility Equipment Division | Winners | Porter Prize." Porter Prize. Hitotsubashi University, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://www.porterprize.org/english/pastwinner/2011/12/03151230.html>.  #18. Miller, James P. "In Battle of the Engines, It's Caterpillar vs. EPA." Chicago Tribune. N.p., 24 Mar. 2002. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-03-24/business/0203240023_1_truck-engines-caterpillar-epa>. #19. Popina, Elena. "Caterpillar Sees No Sign of Upturn in Mining Industry." Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 24 July 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-07-24/caterpillar-raises-forecast-quarterly-sales-disappoint>. #20. Singh, Shruti. "Caterpillar Faces 'Aggressive' Komatsu Fueled by Yen." Yahoo Finance. Bloomberg, 11 Mar. 2015. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://finance.yahoo.com/news/caterpillar-faces-aggressive-komatsu-fueled-040100570.html>.  #21. Wasserman, Steven. "Publications." Sedgwick - Law Firm & Presentations - At Caterpillar, Diversity Plays Important Role in Company's Success. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.sedgwicklaw.com/at-caterpillar-diversity-plays-important-role-in-companys-success-01-27-2011/>.

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#22. “With end of long strike at Caterpillar, a blow to US labor movement.” http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0820/With-end-of-long-strike-at-Caterpillar-a -blow-to-US-labor-movement. Accessed from TheChristianScienceMonitor.com on 2/21/2015  #23. Ziv, Kelly. "How Caterpillar Keeps Ahead of Construction Technology - FieldLens." FieldLens. N.p., 09 June 2014. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://fieldlens.com/blog/building-better/caterpillar-keeps-ahead-construction-technology/>.