Directions:
Complete five of the following ten questions. You may choose which five questions you would like to answer. Your paper does not have to be APA style, but it must be professionally presented to your instructor using MS-Word.
ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
1. How strong are the competitive forces confronting Under Armour, Nike, and The Adidas Group? Do a five- forces analysis to support your answer.
2. Does Under Armour have any core competencies and, if so, what are they?
3. Does Under Armour have any resource strengths or competitive capabilities that qualify as a distinctive competence?
4. What does a SWOT analysis reveal about the overall attractiveness of Under Armour's situation?
5. What are the key elements of Under Armour's strategy?
6. Which one of the five generic competitive strategies discussed in Chapter 5 most closely approximates the competitive approach that Under Armour is employing?
7. What is impressive about Under Armour's financial performance during the 2006-2011 period (as shown in case Exhibit 1)?
8. How does Under Armour's competitive strength compare against that of Nike and The adidas Group? Do a weighted competitive strength assessment using the methodology presented in Table 4.4 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?
9. What 3-4 top priority issues do Kevin Plank and Under Armour management need to address?
10. What recommendations would you make to Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank? At a minimum, your recommendations should cover what to do about each of the top priority issues identified in question 9.