Eric Wiebes Eric started his career in the oil industry. He became a strategy consultant in 1990 and a partner at OC&C Strategy Consultants in 1996, advising both corporate clients and national governments on an array of strategic issues. Today, Eric works for the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Marc Baaij Marc is an associate professor of strategic management at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) of the Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Before joining RSM, Marc worked in the industry and in strategy consultancy. Marc teaches strategy formation to graduate students as well as executives.

Bas Keibek Bas became a strategy consultant in 1995 and since then has assisted a diverse spectrum of corporate clients in meeting strategic challenges. Additionally, Bas, a partner of OC&C since 2002, has extensive experience in evaluating potential acquisitions for private equity clients. Prior to joining OC&C he worked in the UK offshore oil industry.

Pieter Witteveen Pieter launched OC&C in the Netherlands in 1992. His consulting experience covers a wide range of issues, such as strategic positioning, acquisitions, restructuring and portfolio strategy, for clients in virtually all sectors of business. His career before OC&C includes many years in strategy consulting and several managerial positions.

Preface vii

Introduction xi

What is this book all about? xi

Introduction to the Allware case study xxv

Part I - The preparation phase 1

Introduction 3

1 Days 1 to 5 - We create a question out of a concern 7

2 Days 6 and 7 - We set up a project organisation 27

3 Day 8 - We structure the question 39

4 Day 9 - We formulate hypotheses 51

5 Day 10 - We make a work plan 57

6 Allware: the first two weeks 79

Part II - The analysis phase 89

Introduction 91

7 Days 11 and 12 - We develop the analyses further 95

8 Days 13 to 17 - We collect data 117

9 Days 18 to 42 - We carry out the analyses 135

10 Days 43 to 45 - We present the conclusions 149

11 Allware: on with the analysis 171

Part III - The decision-making phase 181

Introduction 183

12 Day 46 - We put forward a few business options 185

13 Day 47 - We set up scenarios 193

14 Days 48 to 57 - We model the results 199

15 Days 58 to 60 - We choose the strategic direction 209

16 Days 61 to 65 - We write the strategic plan 215

17 Allware: make a choice and carry on 221

Part IV - The implementation phase 225

Introduction 227

18 Set up an organisation to implement the strategy 231

19 Draw up the implementation plan 237

20 Direct progress 247

Afterword 259

Profile of OC&C Strategy Consultants 263

Index 267