Graded Homework

Case #2

Under Armour’s Strategy in 2013-Good Enough to Win
Market Share from Nike and addidas?

Answer
ONE of Questions 1-5 AND answer Question 6. This is a graded exercise worth 5%
of your total grade in the course. You
may submit your analysis as an attachment to your personal journal.

1. How strong are the competitive forces
confronting Under Armour, Nike, and The adidas Group? Provide a five-forces
analysis to support your answer.

2. Does UnderArmour have any resource
strengths or competitive capabilities that qualify as a distinctive competence?
What does a SWOT analysis reveal about the overall attractiveness of Under
Armour’s situation?

3. What are the key elements of
Under Armour’s strategy? Which one of the five generic competitive strategies
discussed in Chapter 5 most closely approximates the competitive approach that
Under Armour is employing?

4. What is impressive about Under Armour’s
financial performance during the 2006-2011 period (as shown in case Exhibit 1)?
In general, describe (assess) their overall financial situation.

5. How does Under Armour’s competitive
strength compare with that of Nike and The adidas Group? Perform a weighted
competitive strength assessment using the methodology presented in Table 4.3 in
Chapter 4 to support your answer. Based on your assessment and calculations,
does Under Armour have a net competitive advantage or disadvantage in competing
against Nike and The adidas Group?

6. What 3-4 top priority issues do Kevin Plank and Under
Armour management need to address? What recommendations would you make to the
Under Armour CEO? At a minimum, your recommendations should cover what to do
about each of the top priority issues you identified.

3.
Under Armours mission is “to
make all athletes better through passion, design, and the relentless pursuit of
innovation.