prepare a report suggesting the best strategic direction for the firm to grow into another market, and to develop strategies that will help them to create a competitive advantage and achieve their strategic objectives. You need to consider effectively scanning both the internal and external environment in the case study to strengthen its current position in the given Market?

Details of Assessment
You are the newly appointed strategic consultant with JD Sports PLC a UK based retailer of
fashionable branded sports and casual wear. The board of directors in UK has decided to expand the
business in Real Estate Market in the UK. Therefore, you are instructed to prepare a report
suggesting the best strategic direction for the firm to grow into another market, and to develop
strategies that will help them to create a competitive advantage and achieve their strategic objectives.
You need to consider effectively scanning both the internal and external environment for JD Sports in
order to help the business to explore new opportunities in the Real Estate Market.
Company Background
Established in the year 1983 by John Wardle and David Makin, JD Sports has long been established
as the leading UK specialist retailer of fashionable branded, sports and casual wear. What started as a
single shop in Bury, England has now expanded across the UK, and by 1996, JD Sports has opened a
total of 56 stores. By 2011, JD Sports has dominated most of the EU, primarily in Germany, Ireland,
France, Netherlands and Spain, with Denmark and Sweden to follow suit. At this moment in time, JD
Sports was already regarded as the most innovative visual merchandiser of sportswear with the best
and most exclusive stylish range.
Fast forward to 2016, JD Sports officially launched its first store in Asia, right here in Malaysia. In
November, JD Sports opened its first flagship store in Pavilion Elite, Kuala Lumpur, and its third store
in Asia in Sunway Velocity, Cheras. Nevertheless, JD Sports looks forward to diversify their business
into Real Estate Market in the days to come.
However, for better understanding of the organisation you are required to research the given
organisation including its challenges and strategic management approach to expand in into
this new market.
• Applying the knowledge of relevant strategic management frameworks, you need to
• Carry out the external analysis
• Address the internal analysis
• Identify key issues, evaluate alternatives and make conclusions based on thorough analysis
You should make appropriate strategic management recommendations for the given
organisation in today’s business environment.
All these must be completed by accessing, selecting and utilising a variety of business
information sources.
2
Assessment Task Details
Your individual strategic management report will need to identify the internal and external
opportunities and threats facing the organisation (s) given in the case study, and utilize
appropriate frameworks that inform the development of strategic options and
recommendations for the organisation(s) in terms of future strategic directions and methods
of expansion into new market.
The report should therefore be comprised of areas for consideration that address the
following questions:
1. Appraise the current strategic positioning of the given organisation. (LO1, LO2, LO3
andLO5)
The following will need to be carried out to address this question:
Under take a critically evaluated strategic audit, using appropriate models and frameworks,
of the firm’s existing strategy in relation to its ability to exploit new global opportunities to
create a more competitive advantage
In order to prepare report for the board of directors you are required to scan Micro and Macro
environment of the company where it operates.
This will need to include an critical assessment of the external MACRO environment (using
the PEST or PESTEL framework); external MICRO environment (using Porter’s 5 Force
framework) and internal analysis of the organisation (applying Jay Barney’s VRIO or Michael
Porter’s Value Chain Analysis) to identify opportunities and threats in both these external
and internal environmental layers.
2. What strategic recommendations can you propose for the organisation(s) given
in the case study to strengthen its current position in the given Market?
(LO4,LO6)
The following will need to be carried out to address this question:
Your report must include an analysis and evaluation of organisation competitive strategies in
a critical and informed way. Evaluating best alternatives and make possible recommendation
and conclusions based on thorough analysis and consideration of their future competitive
strategies, applying either Porter’s Generic Strategies of Competition framework or Bowman
and Faulkner’s Strategy Clock.
Your final strategic management report should contain:
1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction (Company & industry background, key challenges faced by the selected
company)
3. External environmental analysis for identifying opportunities and threats: Macro
(PEST or PESTEL) & Micro (5 Forces Framework for analysing industry structure
and the nature of competition)
4. Internal environmental analysis for identifying strengths and weaknesses: VRIO or
3
value chain analysis
5. Identification of Competitive Strategies (Bowman’s Clock or Porter’s Generic Strategies)
6. Strategic directions (Markets, Products, Services) & methods of expansion
7. Conclusion and Recommendations
*** In-text citations and list of references using Harvard Referencing.