Brannigan Foods

Bert Clark, vice-president and general manager of Brannigan Foods’ Soup Division, wants to promise substantial growth in" rel="nofollow">in the division's busin" rel="nofollow">iness over the next three years. A consultant's report, however, suggests that long-term consumer trends present substantial challenges to this desire. The report, in" rel="nofollow">in turn, provokes several of Clark’s senior managers to weigh in" rel="nofollow">in with conflictin" rel="nofollow">ing plans for growth. Clark must decide which of his managers’ proposals to pursue and how to reconcile his decisions with both these managers’ desires and his goals. Could his team help him come up with a focused, coherent plan for growth? Clark thought back to the four strategic challenges he had presented to them: 1. Can new benefits be added to the current lin" rel="nofollow">ines to in" rel="nofollow">increase their growth and profitability? 2. Does an acquisition make sense to strengthen or diversify the lin" rel="nofollow">ines? 3. What new products might Brannigan develop in" rel="nofollow">internally that address the health and convenience trends? Or does Brannigan have enough new products already that can reverse the slide if they are properly marketed? 4. What marketin" rel="nofollow">ing strategy should be employed in" rel="nofollow">in reference to each of the above and how much should be put behin" rel="nofollow">ind the drive for next year versus what we should in" rel="nofollow">invest for our long-term objectives?