Assessment 1
Preparation
For this assessment, locate a case study for one of the
leading clothing retailers listed below and then search for additional
information about the company’s international positioning strategies and
challenges.
Choose one of the following leading clothing retailers:
Zara.
The Gap.
PVH Company, which includes brands such as Calvin Klein,
Tommy Hilfiger, and others.
Select a case study for the retailer. You may use the
Internet links provided in the Suggested Resources or another scholarly,
peer-reviewed source, such as a database in the Capella library. The case study
must contain the following information in order for you to complete this
assessment:
Strategy for increasing market share in the global market
(international positioning strategy).
Information about how the company operates in a foreign
market.
Information about the business support systems for the
strategy (technologies, transport, et cetera).
Search current (within two years) professional and trade
magazines and reputable business publications such as the Economist, Forbes,
Bloomberg Businessweek, and the Wall Street Journal for the following
information:
The retail company’s competitive edge or advantage.
Information about laws and regulations that affect the
operation of the company in foreign markets.
Highlight two issues you think are most important.
Information about challenges that might affect the
competitive advantage or the implementation of the market share strategies.
Highlight two issues you think are the most important.
Scenario
You are a business consultant with a firm that has been
retained by a large national clothing retailer. Your client wants to expand
into more global markets and increase market share. Your first task is to
explain the strategies and problems of one of the top ten companies to your
client, as background information.
Deliverable
Write a succinct 2–3 page business report for your client.
Begin the report with the title and URL of the case study you selected. Include
in-text citations and a complete reference page to support your positions.
There are many ways to create a business report to meet the
criteria for this assessment. If you do not have experience writing business
reports, it would be beneficial to search and review examples on the Internet.
The challenge in writing this report is to distill a wealth
of information into a succinct, easy-to-read business format for your client.
This can be accomplished in a variety of ways:
By creating subheadings to organize the information.
By creating graphs or charts, in addition to text, to relay
complex information. For example, a simple chart could convey information about
the legal or regulatory environment.
By using bullets and phrases to convey pertinent information
rather than writing long blocks of text.
Address the following in your business report:
Describe a clothing retailer’s international positioning
strategy for increasing market share. Focus on one strategy you believe to be
the most important.
Summarize how the company’s business systems support the
strategy.
Explain legal and regulatory factors that contribute to the
competitive advantage (labor supply, health and safety regulations, tariffs,
permits, et cetera).
Analyze the cultural factors that contribute to the company’s
main competitive edge among retailers.
Analyze the global challenges to maintaining and growing
market share under the identified strategy.
Additional Requirements
Length: 2–3 pages, including any charts, graphs, tables, and
references.
References: Provide a minimum of nine reputable references
integrated into the report where appropriate. When you compile data from
multiple sources to create a table or graph, cite your references at the bottom
of the graphs or charts.
Provide a minimum of three reputable references related to
the legal environment, including labor supply, health and safety regulations,
tariffs, permits, et cetera.
Provide a minimum of three reputable references related to
the company’s competitive edge.
Provide a minimum of three reputable references related to
assessing the global challenges in the strategies for increasing market share.
Communication: Write clearly and logically, with correct use
of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics, and correctly format
citations using APA style.
