BMGT3200 International Business Strategy Assignment 002 Brief 2026

BMGT3200 Assignment 002 Brief

BMGT3200 Assignment 002: Write an Individual Report

You are required to write an individual report of 2,000 words that covers the following areas for either Aldi or Walmart in a country of your choice*
* note:
(1)    You cannot choose the UK
(2)    The firm must have retail sales in the selected country

Assignment 002 (continued):

The 4 areas to be covered for the selected country

1)    The main factors in the external environment (i.e., both the macro-environment and the micro-environment) of the supermarket industry, and how these factors impact Aldi or Walmart.
2)    Identify and critically discuss the distinctive capabilities (using the VRIO framework) and the key relative weaknesses of Aldi or Walmart.
3)    Critical evaluation of the business-level strategy of Aldi or Walmart over the last five years.
4)    Recommendations on how Aldi or Walmart should modify its strategy to maintain a competitive advantage and a discussion of the suitability and feasibility of these recommendations.

Some issues to think about

Here are a few prompts:

• What is the supermarket industry?
• Why has it grown?
• Who are the key players in?
• What trends are going on that impact the supermarket industry?
• What might be influential in the future?

Reading around the industry

Understanding of the supermarket industry improves by reading literature connected to it
This may include:

• Reports on the sector
• Press/trade articles on (grocery) retailing
• Websites about (grocery) retailing
• Journal articles on retailing & strategy

Finding sources of information is important

• You will get some suggestions, but part of the L6 challenge is to be able to work independently to find sources
• w/c 2 March 2026, we will look more at sources of information

TASK 1: External Environment

The main factors in the external environment (i.e. both the macro- environment and the micro-environment) of the supermarket industry, and how these factors impact Aldi or Walmart.

analysis of the external environment

• PEST/PESTEL
• Porter’s Five Forces

The analysis is for a country
Relate the factors to Aldi or Walmart
Remember to highlight key factors and evidence them
Sources such as Euromonitor International are important
w/c 2 March 2026 will focus on the external environment

TASK 2: Strategic capabilities

Identify and critically discuss the distinctive capabilities (using the VRIO framework) and the key relative weaknesses of Aldi or Walmart.

Evaluation of the organisation’s strategic capabilities
Identify the organisation’s strengths and weaknesses

• Needs evidence
• Compared to competitors

VRIO analysis is central to evaluating SCs
SWOT is useful too

TASK 3: Business-level strategy

Critical evaluation of the business-level strategy of Aldi or Walmart over the last five years

What has the business strategy been? Use frameworks (e.g. generic competitive strategies)

• Remember: strategy may have changed over the last 5 years

How suitable has the strategy been?
What evidence is there of the success of the strategy?
How has the firm performed (e.g. sales, profits, market share, etc)

TASK 4: Recommendations

Recommendations on how Aldi or Walmart should modify its strategy to maintain a competitive advantage, and a discussion of the suitability and feasibility of these recommendations.

• Make clear recommendations
• Give a logical justification of the recommendations
• Provide supporting evidence
• Use some elements of the SAFE framework (Week ‘18’ content)

Assignment-focused sessions