Undertake a critical evaluation of the competitive dynamics within the United States Motorcycle Industry, particularly within the context of the case study period.
Contemporary Issues in Strategic Management
Coursework 1: Case Study Assessment
This summative assessment accounts for 50% of your final grade and is based on a case study of POLARIS INDUSTRIES.
The other 50% of your grade is accounted for by the second assessment (50%)
In the assessment brief below you will find:
- Details of the coursework
- Guidelines to assist you in answering the questions
- The assessment marking criteria
- Information on presentation and the submission date
You are required to conduct an analysis of the following case study and article:
POLARIS INDUSTRIES
POLARIS & VICTORY : Entering and Growing the Motorcycle Business:
Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D., Hoskisson, R.E. (2016)
Strategic Management: competitiveness and globalization – concepts and cases (12th edition). Boston: Cengage Learning
The purpose of this case study analysis is to critically examine the competitive dynamics of the
U.S. motorcycle industry and evaluate Polaris Industries` capabilities and core competencies in relation to its strategic decisions at both the business and corporate levels. The analysis should demonstrate a nuanced understanding of the industry environment and Polaris’ strategic positioning, with a focus on synthesizing evidence from the case study to derive well-supported and insightful conclusions.
- Exclusion of Historical Overview: Providing a historical account of Polaris Industries is unnecessary and should be avoided. The analysis must prioritize the application of strategic concepts to the events and data presented in the case study, moving beyond mere theoretical explanations to deliver substantive evaluative judgments.
- Use of Case Study Evidence: While it is acceptable to explore general background information on Polaris Industries, all analysis and arguments must be grounded solely in the evidence provided within the case study. External sources should not be used to augment or substitute the information provided.
- Reference Limitations: The focus of this assessment is on your ability to critically engage with the case study material. As such, your reference list should not exceed 10 entries, as the majority of key references are embedded within the case study itself.
This analysis is an opportunity to demonstrate advanced critical thinking and analytical skills, applying strategic concepts to real-world business scenarios in a sophisticated and precise manner. The ability to construct coherent, evidence-based arguments that align with the constraints of the case study is a critical component of this assessment.
THERE ARE 2 QUESTIONS TO ANSWER. Q1 is looks at porters 5 forces model and Q2 looks at associated value chain perspectives. Please take your time to read both questions carefully before attempting them.
PLEASE USE A FORMAL REPORT TO INCLUDE BOTH QUESTIONS:
COURSEWORK ASSESSMENT 1
ONLY USE EVIDENCE FROM THE CASE STUDY PROVIDED
QUESTION 1
OVERVIEW: Undertake a critical evaluation of the competitive dynamics within the United States Motorcycle Industry, particularly within the context of the case study period. Your analysis should be deeply rooted in Porter’s Five Forces Model, yet it should transcend a mere description of these forces. Aim to provide a comprehensive, analytical, and forward-thinking perspective.
Using a formal report format, construct a detailed critical evaluation of the competitive dynamics within the United States Motorcycle Industry, focusing specifically on the case study evidence provided and employing Porter’s Five Forces Model in a manner that transcends mere description of its individual components. Your analysis should explore the impacts of each force, drawing on both quantitative indicators (such as market share and growth rates) and qualitative observations (including expert insights and emerging trends). In doing so, consider how these forces interrelate and influence one another, using illustrative examples from the case study to demonstrate their interconnectedness. Incorporate broader theoretical perspectives—whether from strategic management, economics, or marketing—to reinforce or challenge Porter’s traditional framework, and ground your arguments in robust empirical data drawn strictly from the case study.
Conclude by offering strategic recommendations for relevant stakeholders, ensuring that your insights are firmly informed by both the Five Forces analysis and the broader theoretical context. Your work should exhibit advanced critical thinking, analytical rigor, and a cohesive synthesis of complex information, with all points supported by the evidence available in the case study.
QUESTION 2
OVERVIEW: Conduct a value chain analysis to fully assess the capabilities of the motorcycle division of POLARIS INDUSTRIES. In the process, its core competencies should be clearly identified, assessed, and evaluated. Fully explain how Value Chain linkages are an intermediary stage to identifying Core Competency. Assess which linkages are `core` by applying either Barney’s or Grant’s criteria and explain how these core competencies would support the selection of a generic competitive strategy.
This second part of your report should be a comprehensive value chain analysis of the motorcycle division at Polaris Industries, ensuring your discussion remains firmly grounded in the case study evidence. Begin by mapping out all primary and support activities that contribute to value creation, highlighting how these interconnected steps—from inbound logistics and operations through to marketing, service, and support—collectively influence the firm’s capacity to generate sustainable competitive advantage. Within this framework, pinpoint and critically evaluate Polaris’s core competencies, explaining the ways in which value chain linkages function as an intermediary stage in uncovering these strategic strengths. To determine which linkages genuinely qualify as “core,” apply either Barney’s VRIO criteria or Grant’s evaluative frameworks, offering a clear rationale for your selections and drawing on precise data from the case to substantiate your claims. Building on these insights, recommend a suitable generic competitive strategy—be it cost leadership, differentiation, or focus—demonstrating how Polaris’s most critical competencies directly support that strategic path.
Close your report with a forward-looking appraisal that anticipates potential challenges in preserving and enhancing these core capabilities, together with actionable recommendations for how Polaris Industries can evolve its value chain and sustain a strong market position amid shifting industry dynamics. Throughout your analysis, integrate theoretical perspectives, maintain a sharp critical lens, and use the case study as the principal source of empirical evidence to showcase advanced critical thinking and robust application of value chain methodologies.
Coursework Marking Criteria
Your assignment will be marked using GradeMark on Moodle, according to the following criteria:
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Category |
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Comment |
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Presentation of analysis, use of appropriate tools and case evidence. (10% weighting of total grade) |
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Presentation should be in report format and must have appropriate headings for sections and tables. APA7 must be used for all referencing. |
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Five Forces analysis of the competitive environment in the US motorcycle industry (50% weighting of total grade) |
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You must analyse each force individually through an examination of the structural factors which determine the impact of this force. Your answer will go beyond a simple description of each force. For each force sufficient arguments should be presented as to whether the force’s influence is high, medium or low. |
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Analysis of POLARIS INDUSTRIES` Value Chain capabilities, core competencies and generic competitive strategy (40% weighting of total grade) |
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You must go further than simply describing what it does. You must describe each activity through a discussion of what it does well (strengths) and what areas it needs to improve (weaknesses to address).To identify POLARIS INDUSTRIES core competencies, you must describe your analysis of the critical linkages/processes in the Value Chain, some of which should be the basis for your choice of core competencies (CCs). |
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Grades are awarded as follows:
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F 6 |
F 5- F1 |
P 1 |
P 2- P 3 |
P 4- P 5 |
D 1 + |
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N o n - s u b m is si o n |
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Mar gi n al p as s |
S a ti sf a ct o ry / g o o d |
Ve ry go od |
Ex ce lle nt |
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ASSESSMENT PRESENTATION INFORMATION
When preparing for your assessment, please take note of the following;
- Always draw on evidence from the case to support your analysis and conclusions. Using evidence without analysis will amount to describing what has happened in the case and will not gain many marks.
- Try to keep your answers to report format. Write in sections which reflect the major elements of your analysis.
- It is critically important that if you use information from the case or theory from academic texts, you must reference it appropriately. Any direct quotations from the text should be used sparingly – these must be placed in quotation marks and referenced in the same way.
Use no more than 10 good references.
The case ends in 2013 and you should answer the questions in terms of the information
presented in the case up to this time. As a result, you should not include generic references on POLARIS INDUSTRIES from the internet or from sources, other than those contained in the case and from its own website.
Assessment 1 = via Turnitin on Moodle -- FRI 14 MARCH Target Length: +/- 10% 2500 words
You are NOT required to submit a paper copy of this assignment.
Assignments submitted after the deadline without an agreed extension will be penalised according to the University Regulations.
The word limit excludes the cover sheet, figures/tables, references and appendices. Where a submission exceeds the stated word limit, the maximum grade awarded will be P1. Appendices can be used to provide additional raw information from your analysis, so long as the analysis itself is incorporated into the main body of the assignment.
You may upload your assignment as many times as you wish before the deadline, using the Draft Assessment Checking Facility. It is recommended that you do so at least once in order to check your Turnitin score – this is a helpful way of making sure that you have used references appropriately. Bear in mind that during busy periods Turnitin may experience delays in generating scores. Assignments submitted to the checking facility will not be marked. To make your final submission, use the Final Assessment Submission Link.
