4. What is the core competency of Farm Fresh?

Can it use this core competency to its advantage in developing new products and/or finding new domains, or would it have to search for other core competencies?
In our opinion the core competency of Fresh Farm Dairies is the skill of the top management team headed by Chaudhry Ekram Ali. It was Chaudhry Ekram Ali who in the first place floated the idea of launching Fresh Farm Dairies and enters the business of packaged and processed milk. Ekram clearly had a vision for the company and was ready to take bold steps to ensure that his vision became a reality. Initiatives such as bringing in new partners and taking loans for expansion were some of the bold moves Ekram made. Following the expansion phase Ekram was confronted with corporate challenges. He responded to these challenges by restructuring the organizational model by introduction functional departments such marketing, HR, finance, R&D and Production. Ekrams ambitions included launching new product lines such low calorie milk, flavored milk, ice cream and chocolate. He also wanted to enter the domain of retailing by launching F Mart which would sell the various product lines of Farm fresh dairies. Ekrams skill as CEO provides the core competency to enter new domains.

5. How would you categorize the Corporate Level Strategy of Farm Fresh using the Miles and Snow Typology? Support with sound arguments.
In our opinion using the Miles and Snow Typology the corporate level strategy of farm fresh resembles the analyzer. The analyzer strategy aims to establish a balance between stability and innovation. Fresh farm is currently stable in terms of its process package milk business in the Punjab sector and its striving for achieving stability in Sindh. The process package milk business is the core domain and is the source for stability. A fresh farm considered following the behavior of its competitors and offered and new product lines such as low calorie milk, flavored milk and butter. The innovative initiatives of fresh farm could be witness by actions such as introducing fresh farm ice cream and chocolate. Fresh farm also aims for entering the domain of retailing by a launching their own retail chain by the name of F-Mart. The overall behavior of fresh farm provides a strong argument for maintaining a balance between stability and creativity and therefore the analyzer strategy would suit the company best.

6. Do you find a paradox in the way Ekram is trying to manage Farm Fresh in terms of structural requirements?
In our opinion we dont find a paradox in a way Ekram is managing the company. Initially fresh farm was only a supplier of milk and was a centralized structure. There was no need for functional departments or specialist as the operation of the company demanded a simple

structure based on the principle of centralization. However as the company entered the process package milk business it took its first step in the corporate sector. The company now had to behave like a corporate entity that required adopting a totally new structure. Ekram created this new structure by developing functional departments such as Marketing, HR, Finance and Production. Specialist were hired to manage each of the respective departments and worked towards achieving the company goals. The need for restructuring was a necessity due to the ambitious expansion plans of the company. Various product lines were introduced and others were in the pipeline and therefore required the appropriate man power and professional expertise. Considering the arguments presented above we belief that Ekram responded correctly to the structure challenges of an evolving company which is currently undergoing expansion phase.