Description of the Company:
Reynolds is a billion-dollar company with over 70 years of experience in the automotive retailing industry and operations in 20 countries. Using this deep market knowledge, they have created the broadest portfolio of innovative, customer-driven products and services available to the worldwide automotive retailing marketplace.
Backing up their solutions is the largest customer-facing organization in the industry. Almost 2,000 of their 5,000 associates are on site working with automotive dealerships every day-delivering service, support, training and consulting.
Over the years, their ability to consistently deliver leading-edge solutions and the highest customer satisfaction in the industry has made them the undisputed market leader. The proof:

• They have a presence in over 90% of North America's automotive retailers.

• Nearly half of all cars sold in North America are sold through Reynolds and Reynolds systems.

• They have business relationships with nearly every car company on the planet.

• Their market share for core systems surpasses that of their two nearest competitors combined.

The Challenge:
Five project teams studied Reynolds & Reynolds' competitors in two of its product markets--customer relationship management and dealer management systems. Competitors were profiled on dimensions of size, diversification, strategies, market segments served, reputation, financial strength, management effectiveness, etc. Each team selected a different competitor and proposed strategies Reynolds & Reynolds could pursue to capture market share from the competitor. Written and oral reports were delivered to Reynolds & Reynolds executives.

The Strategies Teams Proposed:
Many interesting strategies were developed. For instance, to capture market share from competitors who serve niche markets, new products and marketing efforts to compete effectively in those niches were proposed. Customer service and product support were emphasized in strategies crafted to compete with rivals with smaller staffs. The best strategic analysis included a recommendation that Reynolds & Reynolds develop an autonomous business unit to compete in an underserved market niche--a niche that Reynolds & Reynolds' business model does not fit.


Link to company’s website: http://www.reyrey.com

"Having a new set of eyes to review your business strategy can be valuable. Having 30 sets of about to be minted MBA eyes review our business strategy proved to be invaluable. The student groups helped Reynolds executives see our market in  a different light then we ourselves had looked at it. And besides being invaluable, it was great fun for all of us on the Reynolds side!"
            Mark Brown, Vice President, Strategic Marketing and Planning       

“Through this project we learned how to research the problem and combine all the skills we learned in the curriculum to come up with a viable solution. We were expected to have ownership of our project. We were able to create and present a strategic plan for a big name company, all without the fear of being fired! This was an invaluable way to strengthen our management skills.”
              Diana Thacker

“I think that providing the opportunity for students to collaborate with and receive feedback from business professionals and faculty is invaluable in preparing them for the real world.”
              Doug Bisher

Doug Bisher, Jim Cox, and Diana Thacker. Aaron Howard is not pictured.