Introduction
Robin Hood was an English outlaw.
He lived in the Sherwood forest near Nottingham.
He became a hero in English folklore.
He was a skilled swordsman and an archer (Cadnum, 2002).
Originally, Hood was not an outlaw.
Why Robin Hood Became an Outlaw
The Sherriff of his town offered a prize to anyone who would shoot best with an arrow.
On his way to the town, he shot a man after a confrontation.
He felt the pain of killing the man and became an outlaw living in the forest (Pyle, 2005).
He became an outlaw in the early19th century.
The Merry Men
Hood had a group of outlaws called merry men.
He met these men in the forest.
They had unjustly been declared outlaws.
Hood became their leader.
They made a vow to fight evil men.
They also vowed not to hurt women and children.
Why Hood Joined the Bandit
Hood joined the bandit due to the low income that the people had.
The cost of living was rising.
Hood wanted to help the poor.
Mission
The Merry Men declared a mission.
Their mission was to, “Rob the rich and give to the poor”.
The merry men vowed to fight for justice.
They would fight all evil.
They fought for the poor.
Robbing the rich and giving to the poor (Pyle, 2005).
Internal Analysis: Strengths
The Merry Men trusted Hood.
They had a strong mission.
Hood was brave and a good archer.
He met Little John who was a valuable addition to the group (Cadnum, 2002).
He had a unifying and daring spirit.
Weaknesses
All the merry men were outlaws from the community.
No financial resources.
Non-trained manpower.
Members would resist robbing their relatives.
External Analysis: Opportunities
The outlaw group became famous among the poor
The forest had resources
Many rich people were traveling through the forest.
Threats
The group had to avoid contact with the Sherriff.
The rich started avoiding the forest.
The group became the target of attack.
Strategic Issues
To keep the Merry Men loyal to the group.
Offer training to the Merry Men.
Sherriff threat.
Organizational discipline.
Rationality (Toulmin, 2001).
Strategic Alternatives
Change political order.
Seek loyalty of members.
Help the poor in ways other than robbing the rich.
Recommendations and Implementations
Redefine the mission (Toulmin, 2001).
Encourage decentralization.
Recognize mistakes that may occur and anticipate solutions.
Return the band to legality.
Negotiate amnesty.
References
Cadnum, M. (2002). Forbidden forest: The story of Little John and Robin Hood. New York, NY: Orchard Books.
Pyle, H. (2005). The Adventures of Robin Hood: Volume 8 of Classic starts Sterling’s classic stars. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.
Toulmin, S. (2001). Return to reason. Cambridge, MA: Harvard.