Main body only, no need to write introduction and conclusion. Assessment 2 Guidance Please find below advice on answering the questions for the second assessment. 1. Please compare and evaluate Adidas’s and Nike’s global competitiveness and global strategies. The key words here are compare and evaluate. Remember this is the key part of the question. It is not enough to just simply state what Adidas and Nike do. You can do this by looking at WHAT each brand does, and then WHO was more successful and WHY they were more successful. For the WHY, you should use theory to back up your points. So for each point of comparison you should include the following: Sub heading (e.g. Communication Strategies) WHAT communication strategies does Adidas use? (Use references to back up points, e.g. Mintel, Marketing Week, The Guardian etc. The company’s website could also be a source of information but you need to complement this with other references) WHAT communication strategies does Nike use? (Use references to back up points, e.g. Mintel, Marketing Week, The Guardian etc. The company’s website could also be a source of information but you need to complement this with other references) WHO is more successful? (Nike, Adidas, or are they similar) WHY are they more successful? (use theory/models to reflect on what may have caused the success. For example, you can use books, Journal Articles, industry reports such Mintel) Then move onto your next point of comparison with a new sub heading. E.g. Market regions. What regions does Adidas operate in? What region does Nike operate in? And so on. Repeat this until you have covered all the points you wanted to. What things can you compare? Below is a list of areas that you could compare across Adidas and Nike, however if you choose others that is fine. Remember it is more about how you justify your arguments with theory and models. Possible areas to consider: • Discussion of different regions that they operate in • On line sales issues (essentially comparing their online sales) • Segmentation , targeting and positioning (this needs to be included) • Competitive strategies of both brands, • Different products both companies offer • Communication strategies • Growth Strategies (i.e. Ansoff’s Matrix) How to link theory for the WHY You just need to find information that backs up why Nike or Adidas are more successful. For example, as far as communication strategies are concerned, if you find that one of those companies spends more on communication and/or uses a wider range of communication tools, you just need to find references supporting that a higher promotional expenditure/wider range of tools is associated with success (e.g. creates more awareness). Another example may draw from comparing the celebrities used by the two companies. What celebrities do Adidas use? Lionel Messi. What celebrities do Nike use? Colin Kaepernick. Who uses them better? Maybe Nike. Nike have recently used Colin Kaepernick, a controversial choice, but customers may have identified more strongly with Kaepernick’s values. This may have led to stronger customer-brand identification. This controversial choice also generated more news stories for Nike, which may have further embedded the brand in consumer’s minds, creating top of mind awareness. Information on this advert can be found in various sources such Marketing Week. Additional examples could be that one company is more innovative that the other (i.e. has introduced more products in the market) and you find evidence (from books, journal articles) that innovation is associated with company success. A similar argument could be that one of those companies has moved into wearable technology sooner and therefore may have a first mover advantage. You could link this to being an Innovator on the Diffusion of Innovation. You may even what to use frameworks to explain why one of these companies is more successful. For example, your analysis may conclude that one of those companies has adopted strategies that differentiated it highly from competitors. This could have resulted in reducing the threat of substitutes as indicated by Porter’s five forces. 2. Which region would you recommend Adidas to focus on during the next five years? The key part of this is to pick one region and then spend the section justifying this decision. For example you could pick Asia, and then spend the section justifying why Adidas should focus on Asia. Below are some areas you could look at for your justification, taken from chapter 10 of Ghauri book page 215, the slides are called “Global market entry and selection strategies lecture. Remember you will need references to back up your points. Exhibit 10:2 Dimensions of country attractiveness and competitive strength Country attractiveness Competitive strength of the company *Market size (total and segments) * Market share (Achievable) *Market growth (total and segments) * Marketing ability and capacity *Competitive conditions * Product and positioning fit *Market uncontrollables (Cultural,legal, * Quality of distribution services political environments) Chapter 6,7,8 from core text Ghauri (2014) Other potential areas to consider are: • Growth opportunities • New market opportunities • Issues affecting global trading (e.g. Brexit) 3. What should Adidas do to become No. 1 in the global sportswear industry? For this question you should give recommendations based on how Adidas can become number 1 in the industry. So you need to supply a list of justified recommendations. Around 4-5 recommendations may be sufficient for the word count. For each recommendation you need to cover: WHAT the recommendation is WHY you are recommending this (backed up by theory/research). In other words how your recommendation will help them become number one You may find it helpful to give each recommendation a sub heading that clearly states what the recommendation is and what it hopes to achieve. And then carry out the WHAT, WHY and HOW for each recommendation. Some points to consider: • One recommendation should be focussed on demographic issues (so social trends could Adidas respond to etc) • Another recommendation should focus on new product development (so what new products could Adidas create and why)
