Reference no: EM133901466
Assignment:
Blackbeard the Pirate
Blackbeard the pirate stood behind the helm of his imposing, 40-gun ship the Queen Anne's Revenge. Years of sailing around the Caribbean raiding trading vessels and plundering ports made him and his crew very wealthy and earned him a reputation as one of the most notorious pirates to sail the West Indies. Yet despite his fame and fortune, Blackbeard was worried about the future of the Caribbean and piracy.
Years earlier, when he first began his career, the Caribbean was a much different place. The lack of a military presence meant that merchant ships sailed practically undefended. The merchants were willing to risk running from pirates because of the enormous profit that could be made transporting goods from the New World like Gold, Sugar and Cotton. Using his fast and nimble ship, Blackbeard could easily capture the slower merchants who put up little resistance. As his fame grew, some merchant ships even began to surrender immediately at the sight of his ship in hopes he would show mercy.
As Blackbeard became even more wealthy and famous, other pirates and ships started flocking to his command. Using his ever-bigger fleet he could now target additional shipping lanes and bring in even more booty. But growth didn't come without cost. As his fleet grew, it became increasingly difficult to coordinate raids and take advantage of opportunities as they emerged. Upon hearing news of a treasure fleet departing for Europe, in some cases by the time he coordinated a plan of attack with his captains, the fleet was already safely gone. Also, some of the new recruits were not the hardy, hand-picked bunch of experienced sailors he originally started with. Discipline broke down on some ships and some of the crew were neglecting basic maintenance duties.
As they became more successful, even the bravest merchants began to use different shipping routes in order to avoid Blackbeard's fleet. Despite adding weeks to their journey, the merchants decided the additional profit wasn't worth the risk. This meant fewer ships to plunder near Blackbeard's home ports.
To make matters worse, now that the cities and colonies around the Caribbean were becoming more developed and prosperous, they were better able to support military ships and better defenses which helped protect the vulnerable merchants. What used to be an easy haul in some cases became a bitter fight incurring costly losses.
As the military presence increased it became more difficult to find safe ports to dock at and resupply. Government crackdowns made previously pirate-friendly ports riskier to sneak into. As a result, Blackbeard found himself paying higher prices for provisions from merchants who were becoming more reluctant to sell to pirates.
Blackbeard was considering giving up piracy and entering into the lucrative sugar trade. He could repurpose his ships as trading vessels but he wondered how the crew would respond. First, they were pirates not merchants. Many would probably not want to give up the swashbuckling life of adventure for the boring life of a merchant. They would be reluctant to abandon their old way of doing things.
As Blackbeard pondered these issues he suddenly snapped to attention by a cry from the Crow's Nest. The lookout spotted the unmistakable sail of a Dutch trader on the horizon. It was time come about and take up pursuit.
Read the anecdotal story Blackbeard the Pirate and answer the following questions.
- Refer to the opening discussion and the article by Porter. What are the main strategic issues facing Blackbeard and his crew?
- According to the strategic management process, does Blackbeard need a new mission? Vision? Strategy?
- Why would market analysis and strategic planning be important to Blackbeard?
- What course of action would you recommend?