Strategic management assignment: Market Position of Toys 'R' Us
Question
Assignment Task 1: Strategic Report Scenario:Your first assignment is to help save a company that is on the ropes: it is losing money, it is losing market share, and it seems to have lost its identity. Unless you intervene, the company will have to fold.
You will write a formal report and you may use graphics and charts in the report that will be sent ahead of the Board meeting to each member of the Board. The report should include full citations for all references (using the Harvard Referencing System format), to support your claims and approach. The body of the report should be clear, concise, and compelling.
Your report should include the following aspects:
Question 1
- Executive Summary – 300 Words
- Introduction& Current Market Position, share financial position with Data or Diagram. -- 300 Words (The report should include full citations for all references (using the Harvard Referencing System format), to support your claims and approach.)
Question 2
- What is Strategy, Definition and Meaning.
- Focus on the relationships between strategy,
- Who is stakeholder explain and make in diagram? (The report should include full citations for all references (using the Harvard Referencing System format), to support your claims and approach.)
- What is stakeholder expectations, and strategy which impact on organizational performance?
- Choosing a theory Resource Based, Agency, Game of strategic management to explain those relationships and expectations. Drawing Diagram & Explaining. (Need to select any of 2 Theory)
- Justify to the Board why you settled on this approach rather than some other one.
Question 3
- Identify of Impacton strategic management in international.
- Evaluate the impact of external factors on strategic management in international context, particularly Pestel analysis. Need to draw Pestle analysis Diagram with bullet points or share with data illusion & Explain below factors in details
- Who is stakeholder explain and make in diagram? (The report should include full citations for all references (using the Harvard Referencing System format), to support your claims and approach.)
- What is stakeholder expectations, and strategy which impact on organizational performance?
- Choosing a theory Resource Based, Agency, Game of strategic management to explain those relationships and expectations. Drawing Diagram & Explaining. (Need to select any of 2 Theory)
- Justify to the Board why you settled on this approach rather than some other one.
- Political factors
- Economic factors
- Social factors
- Technological factors
- Environmental factors
- Legal factors
Question 4
- Based on the analysis of the environments (internal and external) use relevant tools. Drawing Diagram SWOT Analysis (strength, weakness, opportunities, threats) & Explaining in detail each sector strength, weakness, opportunities, threats to covey board of directors.
- Current Challenges face by Company
- What are the organizational Objectives?
- Formulate a new strategy to face the challenges and meet organizational objectives.
- Critically evaluate the strategy and justify why this is the best way forward to save company. Explain in detail with using SWOT Analysis. You can used below strategies with Henry Mintzberg’s 5 P’s of Strategy or Intended, Emergent and Realized Strategies, Porter’s Generic Strategies, Mile’s and Snow’s Strategy Typology
Question 5
- Explain how your business strategy encourages.
- Supports on innovation and change which beneficial to organization.
- Evaluate your strategy against competing strategies based on its contribution to the success of your organization.
Question 6
- Develop an implementation plan for the strategy you have developed. Make sue to draw plan & explain.
- Define the Strategy Framework: The strategy framework shall be implemented via the drawing cascade model
- And document how your plan will fulfill major stakeholder expectations.
Question 7
7. Recommendations and Conclusion
The report shall not exceed 6,000 words and should include relevant examples and illustrations.
Assignment Task 2Organizational Redesign
Scenario: For the above strategy how would you restructure the organization which enables it to overcome the challenges and improve innovation, collaboration and coordination?
Develop and submit a strategic restructure plan. Include current organization chart and proposed organizational charts and describe the changes in detail.
Question 1
- Analyse the current organizational structure and evaluate its effectiveness in meeting organizational objectives.
- Describe the reasons why a restructure is required to enable the new strategy implementation.
- Include current organization chart and proposed organizational chart.
- Describe the proposed structural changes and its benefits in detail.
Question 2
- Critically evaluate the restructure plan addressing possible issues
- And negative consequences
- Ways to overcome them.
The report must require 2,000 words and should include relevant examples and illustrations.
Assignment Task 3:
Scenario:Finally, you will make a power point presentation on the implementation plan strategy developed by you as per Question at Serial No. 6 above, which will fulfill major stakeholders’ expectations.
Along with your PPT presentation, you can submit a written summary of the plan along with your reflections on possible limitations and challenges with the proposed plan and ways to overcome them.
Key points to consider:
- Introduction to the chosen organization
- Current situation of the organization - You may showcase newspaper headlines about your company.
- SWOT analysis on the chosen company.
- Strategy Implementation process
Answer
Answer 1
Executive summary
The present strategic management assignmentis based on strategic management and leadership in a multinational toy, clothes and baby products retailing organization, Toys 'R' Us. It has been identified that Toys 'R' Usis facing difficulties in operating in the competitive business environment for a long time which has made the company to encounter bankruptcy. However, currently, the company is on the rope and strong strategic decisions and management steps can only save the company from closure. The present strategic management assignment analyses the current market position and the financial position of the company. The concept of strategy and the relationships between different organisational strategies has been analysed in relation to Toys 'R' Us. The analysis of different stakeholders of the concerned organisation has been done and a resource-based theory and game of strategic management have been applied. The impact that strategic management has in relation to the international context is evaluated based on the factors in the PESTLE framework. A SWOT analysis of Toys 'R' Ushas been carried out and the challenges encountered by the company in relation to its organisational objectives are highlighted. Additionally, Mintzberg 5P analysis of the concerned organisation has been done along with a critical analysis of the strategy.
it has been identified that the 5P strategy can be fruitful for the organisation for reconfiguration of its supply network design. Moreover, the study developed within this strategic management assignment reflects that Innovation and changes are crucial for the organisation as these can improve the managerial efficiency levels as well as improve the supply-chain management techniques. The present strategic management assignmenthas developed a detailed implementation plan for the 5p's strategy, and the plan required 6 weeks to be completed. a cascade model has been also presented that can help in the strategy Framework implementation. In the second part of this strategic management assignment, the organisational structure of Toys 'R' Usis depicted and its efficiency is highlighted. A restructuring plan has been developed for transforming the hierarchical organisational structure into the matrix organisational structure.
Introduction Strategic management can be regarded as the business activities that include objective setting, analysis of the business environment, the competitiveness of the business and internal organizational elements and strategies in order to ensure that effective management steps can be taken to support the business growth strategically (Hitt and Duane Ireland, 2017). The present strategic management assignmentis based on the organization Toys 'R' Us, a multinational retailer of clothing, toy and baby products; the company is owned by Tru Kids, Inc. Therefore, the strategic management assignmentinvestigates the strategic decisions made by the company and conducts an analysis of its business environment to identify the challenges. Based on the problems identified the present strategic management assignmentmakes suggestions regarding strategic changes and provides an implementation plan. An organizational redesign is proposed in the strategic management assignment that can enhance its performance and mitigate the challenges that it is facing.
Current market position
The current market position of the company is gradually deteriorating. From the analysis of the market share of Toys 'R' Usit can be explained that it is losing its market share to retail giants like Amazon and Walmart in the domestic market as well as in the international markets, as those companies are retailing attractive toy brands in a maximum discounted price.
Figure.1: The market position of Toys 'R' Us
(Source: Richter, 2017)
The financial position of the company
The financial statements of the company mentioned herein strategic management assignment indicate that Toys R Us is slowly going towards bankruptcy and is on the ropes as it is encountering huge losses. It has been identified that the company is facing a number of challenges in the present business scenario of strategic management assignment; it is losing its brand identity, its market share, and profitability.
Figure.2: Consolidated statements of operations of Toys 'R' Us
(Source: Toys R Us. Report 2020)
Figure.3: The consolidated balance sheet of Toys 'R' Us (Source: Toys R Us. Report 2020)
Answer 2
i. Description of strategy
According to Roscoe et al., (2019, p. 740), it is mentioned in the strategic management assignment thatstrategy mainly includes to set the goals along with the determination of achieving goals as well as mobilizing the resources for executing the actions. A strategy is known to describe the way it can end the goals, which can also be considered through the means and also involves certain activities like strategic thinking and strategic planning. On the other hand, a business strategy is referred to as a set based on strategic statements and is also considered to be the summary for the way it can acquire goals along with meeting the expectations for the customers as well as sustenance of the competitive advantage within the marketplace. Richard Barry, who owns the organisation of Toys R Us has provided a statement about the domestic strategy of the organisation. This strategy noted herein strategic management assignment has been considered to back the particular brand within a modern way comprising a stronger as well as experiential content-rich concept which is omni-channel and is also referred to as Targeting the ideal retailer regarding the brand for working with (Kuo and Tsai, 2019, p. 280). Thus, for the present organisation examined in the strategic management assignment, strategy can resemble as an action plan for achieving goals consisting of some limited resources for identification of the challenges for its implementation to overcome any progress for the ultimate goals.
ii. Relationships between strategies
In the present strategic management assignment, it has been evidenced that an organisational strategy has been an action plan which is aimed for reaching a specific goal along with staying within the good stead with the vendors and the clients. There is also a relationship between strategy and structure of an organisation where the structure is known to be the way through which pieces of the company are able to get fit together on an internal basis. The strategy and organisational structure is known to be interrelated as the overall organisational strategy can help the particular organisation for building its structure. As stated by Carvalhoet al., (2019, p. 1500)This presents a clear focus for whatever it opts for achieving along with an organisation that can proceed for aligning with the structure in such a way for achieving this best.
iii. Stakeholders and diagram
Stakeholders might be affected through the objectives and actions of an organisation along with the change of its policies. The stakeholders for the concerned organisation have been its major customers; HMRC; its supply chain; Lenders; Pension regulators and Trade unions. However, the Pension protection Fund (PPF) has been its key stakeholder. This PPF has been established for compensating the members for defining the beneficial schemes of the pension within the event for insolvency that is albeit within a reduced level (Lee et al., 2019, p. 150). The respective fund mentioned in the strategic management assignment is known to be subsidised through levies within all the eligible schemes.
Figure.4: Stakeholder Chart
Source: (Developed by Nilesh Kamble)
iv. Stakeholder expectations along with the strategy impacting within organisational performance
Herein strategic management assignment, the process to manage the expectations of the stakeholders has been an activity for communicating and dealing with their expectations along with the concerns regarding the purpose to meet the needs of the stakeholders while resolving and addressing the issues and achieving the goals of the project. It has been evidenced herein strategic management assignmentthat the key stakeholder of PPF opposed the voluntary arrangement of the organisation as there have been no assurance abouts the organisation to have capacity for honouring the payments of future pension through a scheme that was known to deficit 25 million and more. However, it is also clear on this strategic management assignmentthat the organisation was founded to launch a strategy of TRU transformation, which ensured about the growth along with better implementation of the mission while bringing joy with the customer lives (Day, 2019, p. 59). The respective strategy outlined within this strategic management assignment involved some of the guiding principles such as easy; fair and expert. Hence, the respective organisation was found to manage the expectations of its stakeholders through finding solutions within fair prices based on the kids along with the babies as the organisation has been considered to be an expert along with understanding the challenges and joy of parenting.
v. Implementation of theories
Stakeholder expectations for the respective organisation can be well managed with the implementation of Resource Based theory and game of strategic management. According to the research on strategic management assignment, the implementation of resource-based theory generally contends about the possession of the strategic resources that mostly provides the organisation through a golden opportunity for the development of competitive advantage regarding its rivals. The particular advantages of competition can result in helping the organisation for enjoying the stronger profits with time (Hartnellet al., 2019, p. 832). On the other hand, this theory depicted in the strategic management assignmentmight lead to confusion as the utilisation of the term resources is done in various ways for the everyday use of common language. The respective organisation comprises various strategic resources such as the games; toys; online support resources and similar others which makes the organisation to be valuable.
Figure 5: Resource Based Theory
(Source: Developed by Author)
However, incorporation of game theory of strategic management has been to conceive the social situations within the competing players along with the production of an optimal making of decision for the competing and independent actors within the strategic setting. This theory mentioned in the strategic management assignment enables the strategic interaction within each and every layer for the organisational situation to contain the setting of rules along with the outcomes. Nevertheless, it has several limitations as it is perceived to be a highly unrealistic assumption along with having a little practicability. However, beside its shortcomings, the properly constructed game of strategic management might help the organisation in the reduction of its business risk; improving its internal alignment along with maximising the utility of its strategy (Posch and Garaus, 2019, p. 101878).
Fig 6: Game theory of Strategic management
(Source: Ozkan-Canbolatet al., 2016, p. 686)
vi. Justification of the board to settle the approach
The above theories provided within this strategic management assignment have been selected for implementation within the respective organisation as it has different benefits for both the organisations and the customers as compared to the other approaches. For instance, resource based theory ensures that the strategic resources might provide the foundation for developing the capabilities of the organisation which might lead towards superior performance. On the other hand, making use of the game of strategic management can enable the stakeholders of the organisation to think critically; provides cognitive skills regarding the ability to solve problems along with entering within the job market (Watts et al., 2020, p. 140). The respective theories illustrated in the strategic management assignment can also lead to innovation for managing the supply network design along with logistics while reviewing the current design of the supply chain as well as assessing the same.
Answer 3
i. Impact of strategic management in the international
As opined by White et al., (2016, p. 36) within this strategic management assignment, the international strategic managementrefers to the planning procedures for developing the international strategy within the direction for achieving the strategic fit among the organization’s resources and competence along with the global environment in which the Toys R Us company operates. It is the on-goingprinciples that adhere to the organization for competing in the international scenario. It is the process of planning that is aimed at developing the strategies to allow the organizations for its international expansion and global competitions. Thus, it is the planning used for the methods for developing the specified international strategies. According to Robson et al., (2019, p. 138), the international strategic management enables the business for capitalizing the competitive opportunities in the international context. The managers of the Toys R Us Companyrequires to develop the techniques and tools for analysing the business environment, in order to maintain competitive advantage. The appreciation of the complexities regarding the national institution, fluctuating demand, and multiple stakeholders has helped the managers of the Toys R Us company for efficiently allocating the resources for the sustenance and growth of their business. Hence, as opined by the impact of the strategic management in the international context involves certain criteria as discussed in the following section of strategic management assignment:
- Mixed sets of economies: The international strategic management needs a company like Toys R Us operating within the mixed economy sets for designing the business strategy which encompasses all of it. This means that the business goals require reflecting the market potential and the growth rates that all of these countries possess and at the same time it needs to be aligned with the complete corporate vision.
- Diverse talent pool:As per the investigation carried on this strategic management assignment, strategic management in the international context requires incorporating the diverse and varied pool of talent. The management of talent is the thing that needs to be defined as the international strategy so that it would comprise of the approaches that harness the potential along with leveraging the strengths, which arise from the different sets of individuals working together.
- Digitization and technology waves:The concept of strategic management raised in the present context of strategic management assignment utilizes the technological disruption and digitization waves that have impacted the international context so that it ensures the company to be updated. The strategic management assignment considers the words ofHoet al., (2019, pp 439-469) that all the processes are undergoing the changes and contemporary tools are entering the corporate spaces and thus, Toys R Us company has to follow the new technological trends entering the business market, and thus modifying the international strategy accordingly is very essential.
- Integration of management styles:To achieve the overall business objectives as discussed in the sections of strategic management assignment, there is the need of combining the management styles and providing a conducive environment where each of them can foster the leader for performing well. Thus, the management of employees, developmental interventions, feedback sessions will all be included within the international strategy of strategic management.
- Cost-effectiveness:Companies like Toys R Us use the opportunity for increasing the cost-effectiveness of the business. Their strategies have worked in allowing better opportunities for talent mobility, manufacturing set up, office relocation, and the back-office operations, to locations that are much more affordable. The company has even recognized that the drive pool of talent could be groomed for bigger roles in the corporate sector (Newburryet al., 2019, p. 2).
ii. PESTLE analysis
The impact of the external analysis upon the strategic management within the international context of Toys R Us can be particularly determined through PESTLE analysis that is as follows,
Factors |
Analysis |
Political |
This section of strategic management assignmentillustrates that Toys R Us is titled as the leading baby and toy products retailer on a global basis. The organization has successfully established the operation through its 1691 stores and also has obtained the license for 250+ stores in more than 38 nations. The brand is majorly recognized in Europe, Asia, and North America and is the market leader for the retail space of toy and baby products. It focuses upon the substantial scale, reduction of geographic footprints along with maintaining the vendor relationship for establishing the leading market position and distinguishing from the competitors. The company acquires a high ownership percentage of more than 70% within the Toy Holding Limited that includes locations like China, Malaysia, Brunei, HongKong, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore (Aithal, 2017, p. 2). |
Economic |
It has the broader product portfolio range that acts as the direct contributor to the earning and isles along with the cash flow in the firm. The analysis of each of the company's segments noted in the strategic management assignment is done and the performance judgment is based on Net Sales, Gross Margin, and Operating Earnings. The revenue generated by the form is the product of the merchandise sales to its consumers. Thus, the company operates 800+ stores in 49 states of North America, and the chain of 817 stores and 257 licensed stores across 38 countries. |
Social |
For many years the Toys R Us company experienced significant deterioration within the overall revenues and it was due to the fact that the organization was not dynamic enough for changing the strategies within the face of changing the consumer preference regarding the online portals. The brand lost its potential customers due to no changes in policies in regard to the major revolution in e-commerce and also it expelled the knowledgeable employees for cost-cutting campaigns. |
Technology |
The company explored in the strategic management assignment has adopted the rapid changes in technologies that have been massively driven by the e-commerce business by presenting a promising figure of $1,495 million in e-commerce in the form of its net sales. It has also introduced the Buy Online concept, Pick up in Stores concept in which the consumers are offered with the flexibility of shopping and browsing the commodities online (Ávila et al., 2018, p.278). It has also introduced the concept of Ship from Store and Ship to Store to fulfill the demand of the consumers. |
Legal |
This part of analysis provided within this strategic management assignmentmentions that the company faced a severe bankruptcy in the year 2017 and the lawyer, as well as the liquidation advisors, were paid more than $56 million and thus were criticized for the quick deterioration of the organization. Thus, the company has decided to be seized for incurring huge losses and none of the staff received any severance from the firm which showed their neglected behavior and affected their brand image negatively. |
Environmental |
The company examined in the segments of strategic management assignment was sensitive towards the upliftment of different communities within the society as they understood the significance of achieving sustainability and contribution to the society that created a positive impact. The company even supported the children charities by contributing $100 million and it also has a separate public charity named as Toys R us Children’s fund Inc. that donates more than $ 130 million for the security and safety of children (Ravat, 2018, p. 117). |
Table 1: Pestle Analysis
Source: (developed by Nilesh Kamble)
Figure 7: Diagram of PESTLE
(Source: Developed by the Nilesh Kamble)
Question 4
i. Analysis of Environments and Relevant tools in regards to the case scenario of strategic management assignment (Internal and External Analysis)
Strength · Having more than 1500 superstores in the Unites States and all over the world · Highly Developed E-commerce site is used · Global Brand Recognition of the Company |
Weakness · Seasonal Sales, Lack of consistency · Product safety issue is raised for last few years · High price of products · Bankruptcy has created loss |
Opportunities · Re designing of superstores · Brand Development |
Threats · Relationship with suppliers has been strained · Weak marketing Strategy · Strong competition in the Toy market (Walmart) |
Table 2: SWOT Analysis of Toy R us
(Source: Developed by Nilesh Kamble)
Fig 8: Depiction of SWOT
(Source: Gürel and Tat, 2017)
Based on the overall analysis done in the strategic management assignment, it has been identified that “Toys R Us” has good reputation in the international retail market and key areas of performance of the company are strong brand value, high price of products, weak marketing strategy and seasonal sales. These are needed to be intimated to the board of directors of the company for enhancing organisational performance. Furthermore, the readings developed in the strategic management assignment depicts that the supplier relationship of the company has been deteriorated and it is one of the major issues of the entity. Hence, it is essential to reconfigure the supply network design of the company.
VRIO Framework
The concept of VRIO framework used in the strategic management assignment is associated with the Resource-based view theory of strategic management (Ariyani and Daryanto, 2018, p.12). The framework explains the ability of the different tangible and intangible resources of any organization to help the company in gaining competitive advantage. The VRIO framework assesses the potential of the resources of any organization based on four major characteristics that are value, rarity, imitability, and organization.
Figure: VRIO Framework
(Source: Nam and Yi, 2020, p.42)
Resources |
Valuable |
Rare |
Inimitable |
Organized |
Financial resources |
The financial resources of the company are highly valuable for it as it helps the company to invest on the potential opportunities to enhance its performance. |
It is identified in the strategic management assignment that in the similar industry, very few companies possess as much financial resources as Toys ‘R’ Us. Therefore, it can be considered as a rare resource. |
The financial resources hold by Toys ‘R’ Us, is moderately inimitable and offers the company competitive advantage. |
The investments of the financial resources are inadequately organized that prevent the company to enhance competitive advantage. |
Human resources |
As per the research on strategic management assignment, the competencies and skills of the managers and employees of Toys ‘R’ Us, is highly valuable for it as their cooperation and commitment helps the company to enhance its productivity. |
The skilled and talented staffs hired by the company are also a rare resource in this industry. |
The human resources hold by Toys ‘R’ Us, is moderately inimitable and offers the company competitive advantage. |
The appropriate distribution of the human resources in different department allows the company to gain competitive advantage (Seoet al., 2016, p.3). |
Patents |
The patents of the different baby products and toys based on new technologies are highly valuable to Toys ‘R’ Us |
The patents hold by Toys ‘R’ Us are rare in the industry and allow the company to gain competitive advantage. |
Patents prevent other companies to copy the product ideas and ensure long term competitive advantage. |
Thepatents are highly organized to ensure sustained competitive advantage. |
Distribution network |
Toys ‘R’ Us possesses a strong distribution network which help it to collect raw materials for product manufacturing from wide sources and to deliver products with efficiency. |
A strong distribution network is not so powerful and rare resource for the companies in this industry. |
It is costly for the other organization to imitate the distribution network and therefore it also offers competitive advantage for a long time. |
Distribution network is well organized and supports competitive advantage |
Research and development competencies |
The research and development team of the company is moderately valuable and it helps the company to develop new product related ideas. |
By possessing a strong R&D team, organizations in this industry can gain temporary competitive advantage, but a weak R&D team of Toys ‘R’ Us prevents it to achieve competitive advantage. |
Although a strong R&D team is inimitable by other organization, the weak R&D team of Toys ‘R’ Us prevent it from encountering long term competitive advantage. |
R&D team is not well organized so does not contribute much to gain competitive advantage. |
Table: VRIO Framework
(Source: Developed by the learner)
ii. What are the current challenges Faced by the Company Toys R Us explored in the sections of strategic management assignment?
The comprehensive analysis of company performance clearly depicts that supplier management is the key challenge of the company Toys R Us. Phadermrodet al., (2019, p.199) in regards to the strategic management assignmenthave stated that identification of key challenges of a company in the competitive market helps to enhance strategic performance. Furthermore, it has been clearly identified from the overall environmental analysis that high price of products and seasonal sales are key challenges of the company (Toys R Us. report, 2020). Walmart is the strong competitor of Toys R Us and hence, in this competition price reduction is essential to the company.
Figure 9. Key Challenges faced by Toys R Us
(Source: Developed by Nilesh Kamble)
iii. Organizational Objectives
The key objective of strategic development of “Toys R Us” identified herein strategic management assignment is to focus on the development of supply management technique. This is because lack of effective relationship with suppliers, the price of products are not properly controlled by the company. Hence, it is clear that reconfiguration of supply network design is essential to the management by enhancing supply management. Other objectives of the company are outlined in the next section of strategic management assignment:
- Enhancing consistency in the sales of the organisation throughout the year
- Developing strong marketing strategy to enhance profitability position in the market
- Maintaining stability in the price level
iv. Formulation of New Strategy for facing challenges and objectives of the organization
During the year 1987, the Canadian management scientist Mintzberg has provided the theory of strategic development of an entity, which is called as 5P strategy of Mintzberg (WenJun, 2019, p.32). Based on this strategic model analysis presented in the strategic management assignment, it is recognized that planning, ploy, pattern, position and perspective are important matters in the preparation of effective strategy. The planning phase deals with development of an idea with purpose and it helps to identify objectives of an organization (Prasetyo and Lo, 2016, p.659). In case of “Toys R us”it is identified that the supply management planning is important to develop based evaluating key challenges. The next step identified in the strategic management assignment is ploy in which the competitive strategy is developed. In this stage, the management needs to focus on the reduction of price, which would be helpful to compete with Walmart easily. In the pattern phase, the company needs to focus on the past failures, and it would help to get future directions of strategic operation. In terms of position, it can be said that the company has to develop unique selling strategy to enhance customer base. In the perspective phase, cultural analysis is needed to be made for enhancing the position of the company.
Planning |
Idea Development of enhancing supplier relationship for reconfiguring supplier network and fulfilling organizational objectives. In this context of strategic management assignment, the resource based strategic management approach is needed to be considered as it would help to manage material and human resources successfully. |
Ploy |
The readings provided in the strategic management assignmentdescribes that the price reduction strategyhas to be developed by the management for enhancing competitive advantages. In this case also the resource based view is also applicable. This strategy would help to enhance competitive price in the market and organizational objectives would be achieved by overcoming challenges. |
Pattern |
Past failure of bankruptcy is needed to be evaluated to develop future strategies of market development. In this context of strategic management assignment, the application of game of strategic management theory is essential to consider as in this phase decision making is important. |
Position |
Management has to consider unique selling strategy based on cost control of the overall business |
Perspective Phase |
Organisational cultural development is needed to be considered for enhancing good relationship with suppliers. |
Table 3: Formulation of Strategy based on Mintzberg 5P Analysis
(Source: Developed by Nilesh Kamble)
v. Critical Analysis of the Strategy Based on Justification.
Based on the comprehensive analysis of above strategy done within the strategic management assignment, it is recognized that the 5P strategy would help to enhance competitive advantages in the market. This is because based on past experiences; the company would enhance organisational position considering new idea. According to the SWOT analysis, it is found that product safety and high price of products are drawbacks of the organisation and hence, it is essential to consider effectively strategy to overcome these issues. On the other hand, the SWOT analysis states that global brand recognition of the company is the good strength and it can recover the supply management performance easily. It is important to the management to enhance supplier management for ensuring the reduction of price in the competitive market. Hence, the 5 steps of new strategy illustrated in the segments of strategic management assignment would help to link between past failure and future directions. Ploy and Pattern phase of 5P strategy are important to the management of “Toys R Us” as it would help to adopt right decision according to the past situation. In terms of performance development, the application of 5P strategy is justified and it would increase organizational productivity.
Question 5
i. Explaining how the business strategy is encouraged
As per the investigation carried on the strategic management assignment, the past failure of Toys R Us has encouraged the management to adopt 5P strategy that has been given by Mintzberg. The company has incurred huge loss as a result of inefficient debt management during the year 2013 and it has created problem to the management in case of organisational development. According to the view of Mantere, (2017, p.281), the 5P strategy that has been given by Mintzberg is important in order to enhance strategic development of a business in the competitive environment. The reason mentioned in the strategic management assignment is management can explore opportunities effectively based on the 5P approach and it enhances competency level of the business. Continuing along the same line, Altamony and Gharaibeh, (2017, p.922) have stated that in order to analyse comprehensive business situation in the competitive market, the 5P strategy of Mintzberg is essential. The company has the target to reconfigure supply network design and hence, it is important to consider weakness of supplier management. The supplier relationship of the company has been damaged due to huge loss of the entity. The lack of good relationship with suppliers, the company could not control the price easily and it has decreased competitive advantages in the market. Under these circumstances, the management has identified the importance of enhancing the position in the market based on effective strategies.
The 5P strategy can provide fruitful result to reconfigure the supply network design as based on past failure, decisions would be adopted. Hence, the investigation of various strategies has encouraged the management to adopt 5P strategy for overcoming challenges. The 5P strategy has helped to align steps with challenges easily and it has encouraged the management to adopt this strategy. Furthermore, the strategy is cost effective and this is why the company has selected this strategy for overcoming the issue successfully. Hence, different dimensions of strategic development can be easily identified based on this strategy.
ii. Innovation and Change Beneficial to the Organization
The strategic management assignmentutilized the words of Medina and Guerrero, (2017, p.21) that innovation is the important matter to overcome organisational challenges successfully. This is because innovation strategy is adopted by identifying key areas of issues of the organisational performance. On the other hand, cultural change is also important for enhancing relationship with stakeholders (Miozzoet al., 2016, p.1341). Based on the 5P strategy analysis, it has been identified that, the management of “Toys R Us” has considered cultural changes for enhancing supplier relationship. This is because new innovation needs high investment, but the strategy of cultural change can enhance organisational performance the company at low cost. The company explored in the parts of strategic management assignmenthas already incurred huge loss in the past and it has deteriorated the profit performance of the organisation. Hence, under this situation, it is difficult to the company to recover the situation easily in the competitive market. The innovation and change both strategies are important to the company but change strategy would help the entity to enhance the position of the business in the market effectively (Narayanan and Adams, 2017, p.361).
Organisational change is important to the company as it would help the enterprise to enhance competitive advantages by improving managerial efficiency level (Lin et al., 2020, p.119952). The new innovation regarding supply chain management technique would be time consuming and costly. Hence, the findings obtained in the strategic management assignment signifies that it is important to focus on the change management and that would be beneficial to the organisation. The company can enhance good relationship with suppliers if organisational changes are adopted successfully. As stated by Domingueset al., (2017, p.299), change management technique is the primary focus of a business enterprise under the critical situation. The reason is it helps to increase cohesiveness among team members, adverse situations can be positively managed and productivity of an enterprise is enhanced. In case of “Toys R Us” also as discussed in the strategic management assignment, the management needs to focus on the organisational efficiency level through change management for developing competency level of an enterprise.
iii. Evaluation of the Strategy against the competing strategies based on contribution to the success
Based on the existing environmental analysis of the business considered in the strategic management assignment, it is found that the company has brand image in the domestic as well as international market. The high quality E-commerce site has provided effective service on time to the customers. Marqueset al., (2020, p.41) have stated that quality of customer service is the key factor success of a business. Hence, in this context of strategic management assignment, it can be stated that the management of Toys R Us has adopted 5P strategy for enhancing quality of service to the customers at reasonable price. Walmart is the key rival organisation of the company and this is why pricing strategy is the key matter. However, in order to enhance pricing strategy of the business entity, enhancement of supplier relationship is essential (Yeniyurt and Carnovale, 2017, p.211). As the company has strong brand value in the competitive market, it has contributed to the growth of the business. After 2013, the company has incurred huge loss and the management efficiency level is deteriorated. The 5P strategy implementation would help the management of Toys R Us to develop competitive benefits as past issues are verified in the strategy development process. In terms of competing strategies of the organisation, brand image is an important matter and it has been developed by the company. Furthermore, enormous resource base of the organisation has helped the entity to enhance redesigning process. Hence, the supply-chain management system is needed to be developed by enhancing supplier relationship. The 5p strategy can help an enterprise to develop competitive performance and this is why this strategy can enhance supplier engagement process. The ploy step of the strategy would help the organisation to over key challenges easily and the position of the entity would be developed in the market. Hence, the comprehensive discussion states that the company has enhanced the performance based on strategic decisions and in order to recover the current issue of strategic management assignment, the organization needs to focus on the successful implementation of 5P strategy.
Question 6
i. Implementation plan for the strategy
This is mainly referred to as the 5Ps of strategy, which generally outlined above referring to plan; position; pattern; ploy and perspective as well. The respective components can allow the particular organisation for implementation of an effective strategy. Competition has always been a factor through which it can make a mistake for the development of the strategies that have aimed at the competitors. Hence, it is stated herein strategic management assignment that the implementation of this strategy within the particular organisation can begin when the objectives; mission as well as strategies of the organisation are aligned with each other (Croucheret al., 2019, p. 356).
Activities |
Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4 |
Week 5 |
Week 6 |
Evaluating and communicating about the strategic plan |
? |
|
|
|
|
|
Development of the structure of implementation |
|
? |
|
|
|
|
Formulation of policies to execute the strategy |
|
|
? |
|
|
|
Setting budget plan for the resources |
|
|
|
? |
|
|
Allocating the resources |
|
|
|
|
? |
|
Discharging the activities and functions |
|
|
|
|
|
? |
Table 4: Timeline of activities Source: (Developed by the Nilesh Kamble)
It has been evidenced in this strategic management assignment that the activities which are important for the organisation to consider while a successful implementation of the strategy. Hence, an effective execution based on the incorporation of the strategy can be supported through the factors that are mentioned below:
People: This ensures an effective workforce as additional manpower can also be utilised while implementing the strategy. The toughest part for this factor noted in the report of strategic management assignment has been to consist of proper people while looking to have knowledge; skills along with the competencies that are needed for carrying out such tasks which can help in the implementation of the strategy. In case the recent employees tend to lack any skills, the organisation should ensure to have trainings; workshops and seminars for being better equipped within the strategic plan.
Resources: As put forward by Mohamed et al., (2019, p. 3234) in regards to the case scenario of strategic management assignment, this is referred to as the basic activity for implementation of strategy which considers both the non-financial and financial resources which are known to be available within the organisation along with lacking the required implementation. These are the expenses and costs along with the time.
Structure: The structure needs to be clear cut considering the lines of responsibility and authority within the hierarchy as well as the chain of command. Hence, the respective structure of the organisation encourages the management to enhance communication within the organisation even with the employees who are within the lowest tier for the hierarchy of the organisation who needs to be able to communicate with top management and supervisor. This enhances transparency while facilitating the process of implementation.
Systems: For the present organisation used in the strategic management assignment, it is known to comprise a better system of inventory management which can in turn enhance the incorporation of the strategy in a successful way. This also considers the supply chain network design of the organisation, which deals with strategic solutions for retaining the customers, and this enables the organisation to make it easy for improving any solution (Wijethilake and Lama, 2019, p. 150).
Culture: This is concerned with the overall atmosphere of the organisation related to its organisational members. This ensures that the organisation must make its employees comfortable and to make them feel a significant part of the company. Thus, the particular organisation selected to build this report on strategic management assignment comprises a culture for being accountable and responsible for one’s action through the corresponding incentives based on their positive performance.
ii. Strategy framework implementation through drawing the cascade model The strategy framework mention in this section of strategic management assignment has been considered as a tool which can help in structuring the business along providing guidance as they accomplish and grow with their missions. These are also able to be used through the analysis of the business issues along with the development of strategies. However, the strategy consultants are found to make use of these for communicating with their clients while offering solutions. Implementation of strategy framework is generally defined as designing a proper structure of an organisation along with the control systems for putting the chosen strategy within action (Vuorinen and Martinsuo, 2019, p. 760). Hence, the implementation of the particular strategy while highlighting the activities can be successfully incorporated through drawing cascade models. Adaptation of the cascade model can help the organisation for training a larger number of people within a limited time period. In the current scenario of strategic management assignment, this model is mainly used for the development interventions of teacher professionals for the organisational structure and for the present company, this can involve the HR department to train the employees and conduct workshops to make them prepared for implementation of the strategy and performing their jobs accordingly.
Figure 10: Cascade Model Source: (de Oliveira et al., 2019, p. 131)
iii. Fulfilling the plan for major expectations of the stakeholders
The implementation of the stakeholder along with its formulation process has been closely interrelated. This implementation described in the strategic management assignment can also fulfil the major expectations of the stakeholders for the respective organisation. This can occur as the incorporation of the particular model for carefully specifying the goals; mission and objectives that needs to be aligned with the strategy. The management of the stakeholder expectation for this case has been the activity for holding a clear communication with the stakeholders of the organisation along with the other employees about the effort of change which can be made through the consideration of the stakeholder strategy of management. This provides a necessary level of support where the project strategy might be implemented as it is expected (Papagiannakiset al., 219, p. 950). Thus, the steps provided in the strategic management assignment that needs to be considered by the particular organisation while implementing the strategy can be enlisted as follows:
- To ensure the success of the project before its beginning.
- To obtain the results much more faster to provide assurance to the stakeholders.
- To execute operations based on their needs to be performed against any objective for ensuring the success of the project along with keeping it simple to communicate with the stakeholders of the project.
Thus, through following these steps mentioned above within this strategic management assignment, the expectation of the stakeholder can be managed within the concerned organisation.
Stakeholder expectations for the loss-makingcompany are:
1) Shareholder: According to McDermott and Jessen, (2019, p.713), shareholders who invest in a specific organization, expects that they can gain profit from the venture. It has been identified that the expectations of the shareholders are manifested by the current share price of the organizations. Shareholders expect a high performance of the different projects carried out in the organization. Moreover, the shareholders have a high expectations regarding the success if the internal business projects. From the organization that incurs a loss, the expectation of the shareholders is different. From this types of organizations like Toys ‘R’ Us, the shareholder’s expectation is low risk and strong risk mitigation strategies. The shareholders ofToys ‘R’ Us focus greatly on the enhancement of potential of the company to prevent financial loss. Therefore, it is clear that major expectation of the shareholders from such organization is reduction of the financial loss.
2) Employees: In the opinion of Mann and Harter (2016, p.3), it is provided in the strategic management assignment that expectations of the employees are changing toward the companies in the recent times. However, the employee expectation toward the businesses that make huge loss is also different from the others. Job security is one of the major concern of the employees in Toys ‘R’ Us. It has been identified within this strategic management assignment that the employees of the concerned organizations expect that there job are secured by the company and the company can provide them with compensation continuously. Businesses now provide added benefits to its employees in order to keep them motivated at work. However, as a company starts to make loss, these benefits become restricted or limited. However, the employees of such companies have higher expectations towards the employment benefitslike stability in employee income, despite of the company’s loss making. Apart from that, as the company have to work more to enhance its performance, in this situation, employees also expect the company to offer better work-life balance. However, the company, due its less profits, may not offer added benefits to its employees during the problematic situations and unable to fulfil this expectation.
3) Supplier: As the concerned organization Toys ‘R’ Us is making loss in its business the suppliers also face insecurities regarding their payment and contracts with the organization. The suppliers of Toys ‘R’ Us have a long term attachment with the company and therefore, they expect to continue to relationship with the organization. Based on the study developed in the strategic management assignment, the major expectation of the suppliers is therefore regular business with the low profit making organizations. As suppliers receive payments from the organization on a contractual basis, they feel insecurity regarding the payment transfer when the company is making a loss. Hence, payment within the time is another major expectation of the suppliers in relation to companies like Toys ‘R’ Us. The suppliers also expect a steady generation of revenue from companies like Toys R Us, so that the suppliers can maintain their position in the market and continue importing materials from the manufacturers, with the conviction that they would be able to generate profit on their investments being made.
4) Investor: In the opinion of Maw (2018, p.232), it is presented in the strategic management assignmentthat investors generally prefer to make investment in companies that make profits. Therefore, in the present scenario, the investors of Toys ‘R’ Us are more likely to become concern when the company is making a loss for last few years. As the company is making losses even in the growth stage, the investors can have a negative perspective toward the organization. Investors in this phase expect that the company can pay back its return on investment within less time. Moreover, the investors also expect that the company can perform well in these problematic situations. However, new investors are not likely to invest on the company. Additionally, the existing investors also expect that the company is not asking for more investments in the situation.
5) Government: Government of the host countries possess a set of expectations from the private companies like Toys ‘R’ Us. Government of any country develop rules and regulations that are subjected to be followed by the private organizations operating in the country. Although the company is making a loss, the expectation of the government regarding the maintenance of the rules and regulations of the country regarding private companies do not change. Government also expects that the company can pay adequate tax to the economy based on its profits and revenues. The government has set a number of rules and regulations regarding activities of the private companies. However, it is also clear on this strategic management assignmentwhile the company is making a loss, it can become difficult for the company to fulfil all those expectations.
6) Communities: The expectation of the community toward the private organizations is very high. Community expects that private organizations can take effective approaches in order to enhance the economic development of the country. Moreover, it is also expected that the private organizations can offer employment opportunities to the community as well as lead to its constructive benefits, like establishment of shops, markets and near big company outlets. In the opinion of Li and Wang(2019, p.74) reflected on the scenario of this strategic management assignment, the ability of a company to enhance the health and safety of the employees is another expectation of the community. However, being a loss making company, Toys ‘R’ Us is not able to fulfil these expectations to greater extent.
Question 7
Recommendations
Based on different theories and framework used in this strategic management assignment, the organisation Toys 'R' Us can be recommended to strengthen the relationship with the internal stakeholders of the company. it is evident that there is a strong relationship between strategy and structure of an organisation. Thereby, it is important to focus on structural change in order to strengthen the business strategy. It is recommended that the company applies the resource-based view theory to improve the organisational performance with Innovation and manage the supply network design and logistics with effectiveness. The study developed within this strategic management assignment includes an implementation plan for the 5Ps of strategy. However, while implementing the particular plan, it is important for the company to understand the significance of the change management procedures and manage the change in an appropriate way so that the business strategies can gain success and help the company to improve from its current situation. An effective allocation of resources across the different departments of the organization is another major suggestion for Toys 'R' Us.
Conclusion
From the above-conducted study on strategic management assignment, it has been identified that the concerned organisationToys 'R' Usis facing issues in relation to both financial and management aspects of the business. The different internal stakeholders of the organisations are identified to be the manufacturers, designers, marketers, sales personnel, and experts. Two major theories: the resource-based view and game of strategic management have been explained that can improve the business strategy of Toys 'R' Us.International strategic management is another aspect that impacts on the business performance of Toys 'R' Us. pestle analysis has helped in identifying the different factors that have impacted the business.
Assignment Task 2
Question 1
i. The current organizational structure of Toys 'R' Us and its effectiveness
As explained by Lynch and Mors (2019, p.267), the organisational structurehas been defined as the underlined system in business organisations that can outline the way in which different functions and business operations are directed for the achievements of organisational goals and objectives. The development and implementation of a proper organisational structure is very important as the execution of different activities within the organisation and flow of information among different departments depends highly on organisational structure. From the study of the organisational structure implemented by Toys 'R' Us, it has been identified within this strategic management assignment that different activities within the company are carried out following a hierarchical organisational structure.
In the opinion of Kools, M. and George, (2020, p.263), in a hierarchical organisational structure, the major characteristic is the direct chain of command. According to the researcher, the direct chain of command exists between the top position within the organisation and the employees at the bottom level. Critical decisions in the hierarchical organisations are made by senior management and the decisions are then communicated down through the subsidiary levels of management. It has been identified within this strategic management assignment that in a hierarchical organisation when the employees at the bottom level of a company want to make an edition they need to pass the request for making decisions on the basis of the chain of command for the approval of the top management. Therefore, this type of organisational structure as presented in the above context of strategic management assignment is very complex as it takes a longer time for communication between the bottom level employees and the top management.
According to Adams et al., (2019, p.147), a hierarchical organisational structure is effective for those organisations in which it is important to control all aspects of the organisation by some selected people. In relation to the concerned organisation Toys 'R' Us, the major effect that the hierarchical organisational structure allows are, clear reporting due to the centralized power, control orientation, clear career path for the employees, and nice position or specialisation of the employees. However, in the case of strategic management assignment, the organisational structure is not much effective and it includes a range of disadvantages such as slow decision making, restricted flow of information and added costs. As stated by Mühlbacher and Böbel, (2019, p.318) A hierarchical organization is characterized by a restricted flow of information as information regarding the different business functions and activities tend to flow towards the top management only and the reverse flow of information is not significant. This is the major reason behind the increased conflicts within the concerned organisation toy and earthToys 'R' Us. Additionally, it is also evident that for the vast communication route between the bottom level and the top management level in the hierarchical structure, Toys 'R' Us has faced strategic decision making difficulties in the swiftly changing business environment. Apart from that, in order to maintain the hierarchical system in a proper way, the organisation has to spend a considerable amount of corporate overhead in order to support the senior management group, control and budgeting department, internal auditors, and the extra layers of management.
ii. Reasons for the requirement of restructure
Considering the advantages and disadvantages of the hierarchical organisational structure implemented by the focus organisation Toys 'R' Us,the requirement of restructuring is highly important. As explained in the recent report of Forbes the ongoing failure of Toys 'R' Usis steamed from the assumptions made by the company as well as for financial planning (Hartung, 2020). According to Eva et al., (2018, 172), the organisational structure plays a key role in making decisions regarding business assumptions that help support the business to gain a competitive advantage in the market. In the similar context of strategic management assignment, Hengstet al., (2020, p.255) have demonstrated that the financial planning in the organisation can be improved by involving the lower level staff of the finance department in the planning process so that innovative ideas can be incorporated by the organisation. However, as Toys 'R' Usimplements a hierarchy organisational structure the request of the lower-level staff in financial planning and business assumptions is not emphasised by the top management. So, the studies used to prepare this strategic management assignment illustrates that by making changes in the organisational structure, Toys 'R' Us can improve its performance in relation to making necessary assumptions and financial planning moreover it can include the innovative and creative ideas shared by the bottom level staff into the strategic decision-making process to make the DM business more creative.
It has been identified in the strategic management assignmentthat the major disadvantage of the hierarchical organisation and structure implemented by Toys 'R' Us, is the lack of response to the needs and requirements of the employees. In the view of Ahmadyet al., (2016, p.457), in hierarchical organisations people are organised into departments and teams that are driven by teamwork. However, due to the slow flow of information from the top to bottom level, the decision-making process becomes bureaucratic in nature. Moreover, few decisions made by the organisation going to the hierarchical structure can be explained as selfish decisions or rivalry. This type of decision not only decreases the motivational levels of the employees but also disrupts the teamwork (Joseph and Gaba, 2020, p.291). Therefore, from the evaluation showed in this aspect of strategic management assignment, there is a requirement for changing the organisational structure into a new one so that the problems faced in the organisation level could be mitigated to support the comeback of the organization to its original root.
iii. The current organizational chart and proposed organizational chart
The current organizational chart
The current organizational chart of Toys 'R' Usdepicts the hierarchical organizational structure within the organization in which employees are distributed in different departments based on their expertise. However, the flow of information is restricted from the top management and the bottom level employees.
Figure 11: The current organizational chart of Toys 'R' Us
(Source: Created by the Nilesh Kamble)
Figure 12: The propose matrix organizational chart for Toys 'R' Us
(Source: created by the Nilesh Kamble)
iv. The proposed structural changes and its benefits
After analysing the current organisational structure of Toys 'R' Usas provided above within this strategic management assignment,a range of job difficulties has been identified. Based on the problems, the organisation is suggested to adopt a matrix organisational structure which is depicted through an organisational chart above. In the view of Neubertet al., (2016, p.901), A matrix organisational structure relates to a structure of a company wherein the relationship between the different employees in relation to reporting are set up in the form of a matrix or grid rather than a structure that is hierarchical. It has been identified in the strategic management assignment that in matrix organisational structure employees possess a dual reporting relationship. The setup of matrix management has been proven to be effective for a number of multinational companies. For example, the multinational electronics company Philips implements a matrix organisational structure and it is one of the major characteristics of its business that is the basis of its success all over the world.
Matrix organisational structure of person organisation exhibits a range of benefits and advantages (Marik and Varon, 2018, p.148). In comparison to the hierarchical organisational structure in which a choice has to be made for single management among functional, geographic and production lines, in matrix organisational structure organisations can choose all the management. Therefore, for the employees, it becomes easier to report to the functional manager as well as the product line manager to help them regarding their skills and direction towards the productivity of the company. The study ofBonacchiet al., (2019, p.1082) considered herein strategic management assignment has explained that by implementing a matrix organisational structure, multinational organisations can be careful to utilise their resources in an efficient way as the knowledge and material sharing across the different departments becomes equal. Similarly, Streseet al., (2016, p.51) have mentioned that projects and products within the different functional departments can be coordinated formally with the implementation of a matrix organisational structure. As in the hierarchical organisational structure, slow decision-making process and slow flow of information from the top management to the bottom level staff was disrupted, it is important to develop a structure that can promote decision making and information flow. The matrix organisational structure improves the flow of information both up and across through the company. Therefore, it is an important benefits for Toys 'R' Us.
Question 2
i. Critical evaluation of the restructuring plan
According to Bilal et al., (2017, p.167) it is illustrated in the strategic management assignment that restructuring can be regarded as an act of business for making a significant modification to the different operational aspects as it faces different financial pressures. It has been identified that a restructuring plan can allow organisations to limit their financial harm and improve business performance. In the present scenario of Toys 'R' Us, the tree structure plan from a hierarchical organisational structure to a matrix organisational structure would include four major steps that are planning, organising, leading, and controlling. In the planning phase, the top management of the organisation order so would be required to develop a vision and mission for the change and set goals and objectives for the. In the next phase of strategic management assignment, the new design of the organisation can be implemented, and a cultural reform can be promoted through the development of networks. In the third phase, the leader of the CEO is required to motivate the employees regarding the requirement of the new organisational structure and define the ways in which the organisation would make decisions, communicate, and perform the teamwork (Zhang et al., 2017, p.861). In the last phase of the restructuring plan, the implementation of the new organisational structure would be controlled through different processes and systems. In this phase, strategic human resources can play a vital role. However, along the process of the implementation of the restructuring plan, it is likely that Toys 'R' Uscan face a high level of resistance from the end of the employees. Moreover, the changes in the organisational culture resulting from the structural change can also be a serious issue for the company.
ii. Negative consequences
Apart from the advantages of the matrix organisational structure in businesses, there are a number of disadvantages that the companies implementing the particular structure can encounter (Mathisenet al., 2017, 24). The existence of two managers that are functional and product line managers can increase the confusion among the employees and develop unnecessary conflict. As in the proposed structure, both the managers are proposed to be provided with equal authority, there is a probability of greater unnecessary conflicts in the organisational level. In the view of Sarna and Tyagi, (2017, 20) Organisational structural change is a major change within the organisation that is required to be managed in an efficient way otherwise it can face tremendous resistance and make the change implementation unsuccessful. Toys 'R' Usis following a hierarchical organisational structure for a long time and it has become embedded in its organisational culture. Therefore, the adoption of a new organisational structure and culture could be difficult for employees at different levels of the company.
iii. Strategies for mitigation
In order to mitigate the issues relating to the matrix organisational structure Toys 'R' Ushave to adopt some important strategies. It is evident herein strategic management assignment that a matrix organisational structure increases the conflict within the employees regarding the manner to report to the two managers. In order to mitigate this particular issue, Toys 'R' Uswill have to develop proper guidelines for the employees regarding appropriate reporting about different issues. The immediate managers would be responsible to brief the employees regarding the different roles of the two managers and the problems that can be solved by them (Harwood et al., 2016, p.45). This type of strategy as described in this section of strategic management assignment would help the employees to understand the expertise of the two managers so that they can report them regarding issues based on their expertise. On the other hand, the implementation of the plan is likely to generate cultural issues within the organizational level and increase employee resistance. Therefore, Toys 'R' Uswill have to implement a strong change management strategy and communicate with the employees regarding the importance of the structural changes. Motivational strategies can also be taken up by the company as per thehierarchy of needs based on Maslow’s theoryto enhance the motivational levels of the employees.
Assignment Task 3
1. Introduction to the organisation
Toys R Us is considered to be international clothing; toy as well as baby product retailer organisation, which is owned through the Tru Kids, Inc along with different others. The organisation was developed in the year of 1948 comprising the headquarters that is located within New jersey; Wayne; United States. It is a private company, which consists of 64000 employees within 17000 stores and even more than that for 37 countries (Toys R Us. Report 2020). The respective organisation is known to operate within France; poland; Austria; Germany; Spain; Portugal; UK and Switzerland. However, the vision of the respective organisation has been to put joy within the heart of the kids along with a smile upon the faces of their parents. Nevertheless, with the help of strategic programs and partnerships, the company has emphasized on keeping the children safe along with helping them when they are in need. Hence, the organisation has been dedicated to serving across the globe as a reputable neighbour. The family of Toys R Us have provided $120 million and above within the donations of product through the centre of Global resources; Stores within the US and distribution centres for the local organisations of charity.
2. Recent situation of the organisation
Based on the recent situation of the organisation as depicted in the current strategic management assignment, it has been evidenced that the particular company comprises a poor network design of supply chain. The company lacks in constant seasonal sales while dealing with the issue of product safety and premium prices of the products. However, the company dealt with Bankruptcy in the year of 2013, which has left the organisation to go through a huge loss. As opined by Torelliet al., (2020, p. 480), this made the supplier relationship within the organisation to get deteriorated. This has resulted in having poor service through the suppliers. Thus, for making the supply network properly aligned with the structure of the organisation, it planned for the implementation of the 5P strategy of Mintzberg through which planning; pattern; ploy; perspective and position can be considered.
3. SWOT analysis of the organisation
Strengths |
Weaknesses |
Opportunities |
Threats |
The company owns 1500 stores and more than that within the headquarter that is USA and across the world. Other than this, the company also comprises a huge network of distribution, which can benefit its supply chain system. |
Lacks within the competitive advantage as compared with the other competitor organisation |
The sites of e-commerce can be improved further through its introduction. |
Strong competition and the relationships with the supply network design have also been strained due to the competitor organisations (Ate?et al., 2020, p. 660). |
The company has developed an E-commerce site that can facilitate the consumers. |
Bankruptcy filing because of the online competition (Pérez-Cornejoet al., 2019, p. 510). |
This provides with a current range of the product which can be further expanded by an organisation within the collectibles space. |
Weak strategy of marketing along with having a poor relationship with the online stores who offer similar products in a lower range. |
Table 6: Swot analysis Source: (Developed by the Learner)
4. Process of strategy implementation
The phenomena of strategy implementation depicted in the strategic management assignment have been considered as a stage, which tends to demand the participation regarding the overall organisational culture. The development of strategies have been mostly within the hands of the strategic team of management; within the aid based on senior management as well as the key employees. While coming towards implementation, it is known to be the workforce which can execute a strategic plan consisting of the senior management while taking the lead. Hence, the present organisation might undertake the activities which are mentioned below:
Establishment of annual objectives:
As stated by How et al., (2019, p. 134) in regards to the strategic management assignment, this is a significant step as the objectives tend to represent the basis for allocation of the resources and have been a major instrument to monitor the progress for acquiring the longer term objectives along with the development of divisional; and organisational priorities.
Formulating policies:
This is referred to as a development based on an effective as well as acceptable action course to address whatever is placed within the agenda of policy.
Allocation of the resources:
This is considered to be the step for apportionment of the productive assets within various uses. This step is known to be raised as an issue due to limited supply of the resources (Jiang et al., 2019, p. 10).
Actual performance of the activities
This is to measure and monitor the actual performance through obtaining the organisational results as well as the outcomes over the intended goals as well.
Summary of the plan
Implementation of strategy within the respective organisational culture might result in creating certain shortcomings and challenges to successfully implement the same as this process is known to be time consuming; complex as well as difficult for implementation (Best et al., 2019, p. 1707). Moreover, this needs skilful planning for avoiding any kind of pitfalls.
Challenges
Ineffective training: This point provided in the strategic management assignment signifies that it can cause a failure for implementing the strategy as most of the time, corporate training is neglected by the organisations for the employees.
Lack within resources: This considers the direct costs based on executing any new strategy which have been associated with the board members and the consultants as well.
Lack in communication: In this strategic management assignment, it is the major key to successful implementation of the strategy. If there is no plan of communication, it can lead to a failure.
Strategies for overcoming the challenges
To overcome the challenge of training as discussed in the strategic management assignment, the employees should be provided with workshops which can be fit within their busy schedules. This also requires strengthening the skills while considering the Challenge based Development which provides new initiatives of strategy. On the other hand, a method of strategy implementation can be considered for dealing with the adequate resources that might be available for the organisation (Miles and Miles, 2019, p. 173). However, an effective plan of communication is also needed to be established while practicing the activities to implement the strategy. This helps the members of the organisation to be transparent in front of each individual along with quality steps to be followed for leading to higher productivity and opening up for different ideas to incorporate the strategies.
References
Adams, V.M., Mills, M., Weeks, R., Segan, D.B., Pressey, R.L., Gurney, G.G., Groves, C., Davis, F.W. and
Álvarez-Romero, J.G., 2019.Implementation strategies for systematic conservation planning.Ambio, strategic management assignment48(2), pp.139-152.
Ahmady, G.A., Mehrpour, M. and Nikooravesh, A., 2016.Organizational structure.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 230, pp.455-462.
Aithal, P. S. (2017). Industry Analysis–The First Step in Business Management Scholarly Research.International
Journal of Case Studies in Business, IT and Education (IJCSBE), 1(1), 1-13.
Altamony, H. and Gharaibeh, A., 2017. The role of academic researcher to Mintzberg’s managerial roles.
International Journal of Business Management and Economic Research, 8(2), pp.920-925.
Ariyani, W. and Daryanto, A., 2018. Operationalization of Internal Analysis Using the VRIO Framework: Development of Scale for Resource and Capabilities Organization (Case Study: XYZ Company Animal Feed Business Unit). Asian Business Research Journal, 3, pp.9-14.
Ate?, N.Y., Tarakci, M., Porck, J.P., van Knippenberg, D. and Groenen, P.J., 2020. The dark side of visionary leadership in strategy implementation: Strategic alignment, strategic consensus, and commitment. Journal of Management, 46(5), pp.637-665.
Ávila, D. V. L., Souza, S. O., Korn, M. G. A., Pessoa, A. G., &Araujo, R. G. (2018). Analysis of children modelling clay (toy) using inductively coupled plasma-based methods.Talanta, 188, 273-281.
Best, B., Moffett, S. and McAdam, R., 2019.Stakeholder salience in public sector value co-creation.Strategic management assignmentPublic Management Review, 21(11), pp.1707-1732.
Bilal, A., Jourabloo, A., Ye, M., Liu, X. and Ren, L., 2017. Do convolutional neural networks learn class hierarchy?.IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics, 24(1), pp.152-162.
Bonacchi, M., Marra, A. and Zarowin, P., 2019.Organizational structure and earnings quality of private and public firms.Review of Accounting Studies, 24(3), pp.1066-1113.
Carvalho, A.M., Sampaio, P., Rebentisch, E., Carvalho, J.Á. and Saraiva, P., 2019. Operational excellence, organisational culture and agility: the missing link?. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 30(13-14), pp.1495-1514.
Croucher, S.M., Zeng, C. and Kassing, J., 2019. Learning to contradict and standing up for the company: An exploration of the relationship between organizational dissent, organizational assimilation, and organizational reputation. International Journal of Business Communication, 56(3), pp.349-367.
Day, G.E., 2019. Understanding organisational culture in the hospital setting. Transitions in Nursing eBook: Preparing for Professional Practice, p.59. de Oliveira, G.F. and RabechiniJr, R., 2019. Stakeholder management influence on trust in a project: A quantitative study. International Journal of Project Management, 37(1), pp.131-144.
Domingues, A.R., Lozano, R., Ceulemans, K. and Ramos, T.B., 2017. Sustainability reporting in public sector organisations: Exploring the relation between the reporting process and organisational change management for sustainability. Journal of environmental management, 192, pp.292-301.
Eva, N., Sendjaya, S., Prajogo, D., Cavanagh, A. and Robin, M., 2018.Creating strategic fit: Aligning servant leadership with organizational structure and strategy.Strategic management assignmentPersonnel Review, 47(1), pp.166-186.
Gürel, E. and Tat, M., 2017. SWOT analysis: a theoretical review. Journal of International Social Research, 10(51).
Hartnell, C.A., Ou, A.Y., Kinicki, A.J., Choi, D. and Karam, E.P., 2019.A meta-analytic test of organizational culture’s association with elements of an organization’s system and its relative predictive validity on organizational outcomes.Journal of Applied Psychology, 104(6), p.832.
Hartung, A. 2020.Toys R Us - How Bad Assumptions Fed Bad Financial Planning Creating Failure. Forbes.
Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2017/09/20/toys-r-us-is-a-lesson-in-how-bad-assumptions-feed-bad-financial-planning-creating-failure/#4a75f4ca58ea [ Accessed 20 May 2020].
Harwood, I.K., Nakola, J.O. and Nyaana, D.N., 2016. Effects of Organizational Restructuring on Firm
Performance: a case of national bank of kenya. Global Journal of Advanced Research, 3(1), pp.43-49.
Hengst, I.A., Jarzabkowski, P., Hoegl, M. and Muethel, M., 2020. Toward a process theory of making sustainability strategies legitimate in action. Academy of Management Journal, 63(1), pp.246-271.
Hitt, M. and Duane Ireland, R., 2017.The intersection of entrepreneurship and strategic management research.The Blackwell handbook of entrepreneurship, pp.45-63.
Ho, M. H. W., Ghauri, P. N., &Kafouros, M. (2019). Knowledge acquisition in international strategic alliances: The role of knowledge ambiguity. Management International Review, 59(3), 439-463.
How, S.M., Lee, C.G. and Brown, D.M., 2019.Shareholder theory versus stakeholder theory in explaining financial soundness.International Advances in Economic Research, 25(1), pp.133-135.
Jiang, W., Wang, A.X., Zhou, K.Z. and Zhang, C., 2019. Stakeholder Relationship Capability and Firm
Innovation: A Contingent Analysis. Strategic management assignmentJournal of Business Ethics, pp.1-15.
Joseph, J. and Gaba, V., 2020. Organizational Structure, Information Processing, and Decision-Making: A
Retrospective and Road Map for Research. Academy of Management Annals, 14(1), pp.267-302.
Kools, M. and George, B., 2020. Debate: The learning organization—a key construct linking strategic planning and strategic management. Public Money & Management, 40(4), pp.262-264.
Kuo, T. and Tsai, G.Y., 2019. The effects of employee perceived organisational culture on performance: the moderating effects of management maturity. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 30(3-4), pp.267-283.
Lee, Y., Howe, M. and Kreiser, P.M., 2019. Organisational culture and entrepreneurial orientation: An orthogonal perspective of individualism and collectivism. International Small Business Journal, 37(2), pp.125-152.
Li, B. and Wang, C., 2019. Corporate Social Responsibility and Contemporary Community Expectations. Asian Business Research, 4(3), p.74.
Lin, H.E., Hsu, I.C., Hsu, A.W. and Chung, H.M., 2020. Creating competitive advantages: Interactions between ambidextrous diversification strategy and contextual factors from a dynamic capability perspective.
Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 154, p.119952.
Lynch, S.E. and Mors, M.L., 2019. Strategy implementation and organizational change: How formal reorganization affects professional networks. Strategic management assignmentLong Range Planning, 52(2), pp.255-270.
Mann, A. and Harter, J., 2016. The worldwide employee engagement crisis. Gallup Business Journal, 7, pp.1-5.
Mantere, S., 2017.Mintzberg’s pattern: middle managers in a polyphonic strategy process. In Handbook of Middle
Management Strategy Process Research. Edward Elgar Publishing.pp.274-287
Marik, P. and Varon, J., 2018. The optimal ICU organizational structure.Crit Care Shock, 21(4), pp.148-50.
Marques, L., Yan, T. and Matthews, L., 2020. Knowledge diffusion in a global supply network: A network of practice view. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 56(1), pp.33-53.
Mathisen, G.E., Brønnick, K., Arntzen, K.J. and Bergh, L.I.V., 2017. Identifying and managing psychosocial risks during organizational restructuring: It’s what you do and how you do it. Safety science, 100, pp.20-29.
Maw, A.K.M., 2018. Stability and Expectations: Economic Reform and the NLD Government. Southeast Asian Affairs, pp.221-242.
McDermott, M.C. and Jessen, C.J., 2019. At-Will or Something More: Reasonable Expectations of Continued
Employment by Minority Shareholders Post-Baur v. Baur Farms, Inc. Drake L. Rev., 67, p.713.
Medina, S.A.P. and Guerrero, N.A., 2017. Innovation and competitive advantage: Findings from organizational culture and business model. Dimensiónempresarial, 15(2), pp.15-25.
Miles, S. and Miles, S., 2019. Stakeholder Theory and Accounting. Strategic management assignmentThe Cambridge
Handbook of Stakeholder Theory, p.173.
Miozzo, M., Desyllas, P., Lee, H.F. and Miles, I., 2016. Innovation collaboration and appropriability by knowledge-intensive business services firms. Research Policy, 45(7), pp.1337-1351.
Mohamed, M.S., Khalifa, G.S., Al-Shibami, A.H., Alrajawi, I. and Isaac, O., 2019. The Mediation Effect of Innovation on the Relationship between Creativity and Organizational Productivity: An Empirical Study within
Public Sector Organizations in the UAE. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 14(10), pp.3234-3242.
Mühlbacher, H. and Böbel, I., 2019. From zero-sum to win-win-Organisational conditions for successful shared value strategy implementation.European Management Journal, 37(3), pp.313-324.
Nam, E.Y. and Yi, W., 2020. The Internal Resources of Chinese Internet Primary Banks Based on the VRIO Framework: A Case-Study of WeBank. e-??????, 21(1), pp.33-52.
Narayanan, V. and Adams, C.A., 2017. Transformative change towards sustainability: the interaction between organisational discourses and organisational practices. Accounting and Business Research, 47(3), pp.344-368.
Neubert, M.J., Hunter, E.M. and Tolentino, R.C., 2016. A servant leader and their stakeholders: When does organizational structure enhance a leader's influence?.The Leadership Quarterly, 27(6), pp.896-910.
Newburry, W., Deephouse, D. L., &Gardberg, N. A. (2019).Global aspects of reputation and strategic management.Strategic management assignmentGlobal Aspects of Reputation and Strategic Management, 1-20.
Ozkan-Canbolat, E., Beraha, A. and Bas, A., 2016. Application of evolutionary game theory to strategic innovation. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 235, pp.685-693.
Papagiannakis, G., Voudouris, I., Lioukas, S. and Kassinis, G., 2019. Environmental management systems and environmental product innovation: The role of stakeholder engagement. Business Strategy and the Environment, 28(6), pp.939-950.
Pérez-Cornejo, C., de Quevedo-Puente, E. and Delgado-García, J.B., 2019. How to manage corporate reputation?
The effect of enterprise risk management systems and audit committees on corporate reputation.European
Management Journal, 37(4), pp.505-515.
Phadermrod, B., Crowder, R.M. and Wills, G.B., 2019. Importance-performance analysis based SWOT analysis.
International Journal of Information Management, 44, pp.194-203.
Posch, A. and Garaus, C., 2019. Boon or curse?A contingent view on the relationship between strategic planning and organizational ambidexterity. Long Range Planning, p.101878.
Prasetyo, A.H. and Lo, W., 2016.Towards strategic mix 5P. International Journal of Business Management and Economic Research (IJBMER), 7(3), pp.654-661.
Ravat, U. P. (2018).INTEGRATION OF LIBRARY WITH SWOC ANALYSIS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO DIGITAL NATIVES.INTERNET OF THINGS AND CURRENT TRENDS IN LIBRARIES, 117.
Richter, F. 2017. Infographic: Toys "R" Us: Amazon Claims Another Victim?.StatistaInfographics. Available at: https://www.statista.com/chart/7060/online-toy-retailers-in-the-us/ [Accessed 20 May 2020].
Robson, M. J., Katsikeas, C. S., Schlegelmilch, B. B., &Pramböck, B. (2019). Alliance capabilities, interpartner attributes, and performance outcomes in international strategic alliances. Strategic management assignmentJournal of World Business, 54(2), 137-153.
Roscoe, S., Subramanian, N., Jabbour, C.J. and Chong, T., 2019. Green human resource management and the enablers of green organisational culture: Enhancing a firm's environmental performance for sustainable development. Business Strategy and the Environment, 28(5), pp.737-749.
Sarna, S. and Tyagi, S., 2017. The Impact of Organizational Restructuring on Employability Factor of
Employees: Study on L&T Group. AAYAM: AKGIM Journal of Management, 7(2), pp.16-21.
Seo, B.G., Park, D.H. and Choi, D., 2016, August. Innovative service concept generation based on integrated framework of design thinking and VRIO: the case of information supporting system for SMEs in Korea. In
Proceedings of the 18th Annual International Conference on Electronic Commerce: e-Commerce in Smart connected World (pp. 1-5).
Strese, S., Meuer, M.W., Flatten, T.C. and Brettel, M., 2016. Organizational antecedents of cross-functional coopetition: The impact of leadership and organizational structure on cross-functional coopetition. Industrial Marketing Management, 53, pp.42-55.
Torelli, R., Balluchi, F. and Furlotti, K., 2020. The materiality assessment and stakeholder engagement: A content analysis of sustainability reports. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 27(2), pp.470-484.
Toys R Us.Report (2020). Available at: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1005414/000119312508100880/d10k.htm (Accessed: 20 May 2020).
Toys R Us.Report(2020).Strategic management assignment Available at: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1005414/000119312508100880/d10k.htm (Accessed: 20 May 2020).
Vuorinen, L. and Martinsuo, M., 2019.Value-oriented stakeholder influence on infrastructure projects.International Journal of Project Management, 37(5), pp.750-766.
Watts, L.L., Steele, L.M. and Den Hartog, D.N., 2020. Uncertainty avoidance moderates the relationship between transformational leadership and innovation: A meta-analysis. Journal of International Business Studies, 51(1), pp.138-145.
WenJun, J., 2019. Reinterpretation of the Strategic Concept Based on Mintzberg's Strategic 5p Model. The Frontiers of Society, Science and Technology, 1(6).pp.31-32.
White, G.O., Guldiken, O., Hemphill, T.A., He, W. and Khoobdeh, M.S., 2016. Trends in international strategic management research from 2000 to 2013: text mining and bibliometric analyses. Management International Review, 56(1), pp.35-65.
Wijethilake, C. and Lama, T., 2019. Sustainability core values and sustainability risk management: Moderating effects of top management commitment and stakeholder pressure. Business Strategy and the Environment, 28(1), pp.143-154.
Yeniyurt, S. and Carnovale, S., 2017. Global supply network embeddedness and power: An analysis of international joint venture formations. International Business Review, 26(2), pp.203-213.
Zhang, J., Cui, L., Yu, P.S. and Lv, Y., 2017, November. BL-ECD: broad learning based enterprise community detection via hierarchical structure fusion.Strategic management assignment In Proceedings of the 2017 ACM on
Conference on Information and Knowledge Management (pp. 859-868).