Module number:
Module name: Business Strategy for a Competitive advantage
Name and student number: George stevens 10071474
Submission date: 27th april
Word count:
Table of contents
1. Introduction 3
2. Analysis and evaluation of the business strategy that J Sainsbury Ltd has pursued using Bowman’s strategic clock 3
3. Identification and analysis of the unique resources and capabilities that underpin the value chain 4
4. Identification and justification of the two most critical challenges that J Sainsbury Ltd might face in an international expansion plan 5
5. Conclusion 7
References 8
Appendices 9
1. Introduction
The success of organisational strategies is usually depended on various factors; the characteristics of the market and the industry involved as well as the organisational capabilities are taken into consideration for evaluating the ability of each organisation to secure its market position in the long term. Current paper focuses on the operations of J Sainsbury Ltd, a major competitor in the grocery retail sector of UK. For the last 5 years the sales turnover of the organisation has been significantly increased, reaching in 2011 the £21,102m, compared to £17,151m in 2007; also, for the same period, the operating profit of the organisation has been increased to £851m in 2011 from £520m in 2007. At the same time, the firm’s cost of sales has been also increased, reaching the £19,942m in 2011 from £15,979m in 2007; on the other hand, the firm’s gross profit has remained at same levels from 2007 up to 2011, indicating the inability of the organisation to support its growth in the UK market. The analysis and the evaluation of the organisation’s strategies and capabilities will help to understand whether the firm’s position in the UK grocery retail sector would be improved and
References: Elliot, D., Swartz, E., and Herbane, B. (2009) Business Continuity Management: A Crisis Management Approach. Oxon: Taylor & Francis. Grant, R. (2010) Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Text Only. Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons. Needle, D. (2010) Business in Context: An Introduction to Business and Its Environment. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Rosenhauer, S. (2008) “Profit is a Wonderful Word”: IKEA’s Strategy Behind the Profit. Munich: GRIN Verlag. Stone, M., and McCall, J. (2004) International Strategic Marketing: A[n] European Perspective. Oxon: Routledge. Wickramasinghe, N., and Von Lubitz, D. (2007) Knowledge-Based Enterprise: Theories and Fundamentals. Hershey: Idea Group Inc (IGI).