Case Studies: 08

Strategy case studies for management development program of a sugar-and-energy producer

Background

  • The client is a leading sugar, biofuel and renewable power producer. Management successor development program has been deployed a few years earlier and has continued to improve
  • The client would like to make the program more practical and customized to its company’s context
  • The project team has proposed to develop real existing strategic problems with real context into case studies in which the solutions from the training program will be fed back to the top management

Role and methodology

  • Identify key topics from top-down approach: discuss with top management to identify topics of interest
  • Develop case studies from bottom-up approach: field survey and interview key persons to understand detail situation, collect and analyze data
  • Brainstorm for solutions: assist in workshops to provide more details, initiate communication between different management functions, provide feedbacks and guidance to proposed solutions

Project outcome

  • Proposed strategic solutions to top management regarding:
    • How to inorganically expand renewable energy business which has been supporting (and hence following) unit of sugar production
    • How to develop own-farming expertise as the firm’s experience has been in contract farming
    • How to sustain sugar business and motivate sugarcane farmers especially new generations
  • High-level strategic thinking and cross-functional communication for middle management
  • Detail visibility to the problems and new ideas for top management

Keywords: Sugarcane, Sugar Production, Contract Farming, Ethanol, Power Plant, Strategy, Workshop

 

Case08