Changing Business Using Top-Down Strategy - Exercise

This exercise is worth a total of 5 points. To receive full credit, prepare a short executive report that:

1. identifies the major problems in the scenario,
2. explains the likely impact of those problems on the business,
3. evaluates practical response options, and
4. recommends the best course of action.

Your response should be concise, professional, and no more than 500 words.

You are the digital business architect for DT-Groceries.com, a regional grocery delivery company that has successfully launched online ordering and now wants to scale operations.

The company currently employs 60 people, operates 15 delivery trucks, serves one metropolitan location, delivers five days a week, and averages about 50 deliveries per day. Roughly half of total sales now come from online orders. The digital ordering system has been live for two months and has proven that the business can sell online, but leadership now wants to redesign the e-business architecture so the company can scale more effectively.

After reviewing the business, you discover that growth is being slowed by several internal problems:

1. Technology capability gap: The existing online solution was built with outdated tools, and the technical staff are not current on modern web, integration, security, and automation practices.
2. Weak digital marketing execution: The marketing team is not using search, local visibility, email campaigns, customer retention workflows, or promotional targeting effectively enough to attract and retain new customers.
3. Manual order processing: Order handling is still largely manual, and the current process is already struggling under a modest increase in demand.

You are preparing a short report for the executive team explaining how these issues should be addressed.

Write a brief executive report that does the following:

1. Describe each problem and explain its likely impact on operations, customer experience, growth, or long-term viability.
2. For each problem, discuss practical options and the strengths or weaknesses of those options.
3. Recommend a top-down action plan that leadership should approve first.

Your report should be written for executives, so it should be clear, professional, and persuasive rather than overly technical.

This is a hypothetical scenario, so you may invent a small amount of reasonable supporting detail if it helps your report sound realistic. Use tact and diplomacy. Your job is not merely to criticize the company, but to help leadership see why structured change is necessary and what should happen next.

Assume that the executive team will read your report without meeting you first. Your writing should therefore stand on its own and communicate urgency, business impact, and a practical path forward.

Enter your response in the text area below, then click Submit. A live word count is shown to help you stay within the recommended length.

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