STRATEGY AND DECSION-MAKING
COURSEWORK 2
This coursework is based on “Walmart, Inc. in 2018: The World’s Biggest Retailer
Faces New Challenges” case study in Grant’s Contemporary Strategy Analysis, 10th Ed.
Students are required to answer all four questions. All questions carry an equal weighting of 25/100 marks. The marking criteria follows the university’s assessment scale that is outlined in Section 5.1 of the Module Guide.
Students should answer each question in turn and use only the information provided in the case study. While there is no wordcount for each individual question, the total word count for all four questions in total shall not exceed 2,500 words. Students should provide the total word count at the bottom of their submissions.
Students are required to submit the assignment via Turnitin in Blackboard. The final submission date is Wednesday, January 8th, 2020 at 23.59 hrs.
Answer all four questions:
- How well is Walmart performing? To what extent is its performance attributable to industry attractiveness and to what extent is it attributable to the firm’s competitive advantage, if any?
(25 marks)
- In which of Walmart’s principal functions and activities (namely: purchasing, distribution and warehousing, instore operations, marketing, IT, HRM, and organization and management systems/style) do its main competitive advantages lie? Identify the distinctive resources and capabilities in each of these functions and activities.
(25 marks)
- To what extent is Walmart’s competitive advantage sustainable? Why have other retailers had limited success in imitating Walmart’s strategy and duplicating its competitive advantage?
(25 marks)
- What challenges does Walmart currently face? What measures does it need to take to sustain its recent performance and defend against competitive (and other) threats?
(25 marks)
