HRM11120: H&M in fast fashion: Continued Success: Leading Strategic Decision-Making Assignment, ENU, Singapore

1. Case Study: “H&M in fast fashion: continued success?”

2019 Annual Report The case study gives you background information and an overview of the company as well as the opportunities and challenges it has faced in recent years. The corporate website has information on the company history as well as some key facts and figures. The 2019 annual report provides financial information about the organization and its current strategic direction.

The case study has been published in 2015 and you should be using the corporate website and annual report to access updated information. You should be using these sources in combination to answer part A of this assignment.

Part A of your coursework assessment requires you to answer two questions using a report structure.

Questions: 1. Identify H&M’s distinctive resources & capabilities and analyze them using the VRIO framework to determine the organization’s competitive advantage.

2. Critically evaluate the VRIO framework and discuss which other model or framework could be associated with VRIO to overcome its limitations. Presentation The assessment in Part A is case analysis and you should note that case analysis is not a conceptual explanation or discussion but the application of concepts and frameworks to interpret the case information, analyze key events and statements, and reach evaluative judgments.

The concepts and frameworks are covered in the lectures, tutorials and prescribed reading and the guide below gives you a few pointers on how you need to use this knowledge to answer the questions. In developing your analysis and arguments, you should use supporting evidence from the information contained in the case studies.

Your answers must take into account the three sources listed above. The case study is the primary source of information. The corporate website should be used to obtain updated information as the case dates from 2015.

The annual report gives you an overview of the efforts undertaken by the organization during its last financial exercise. The core textbook should be used as well to retrieve information on the VRIO framework. You are welcome to use peripheral sources to these recommended sources but the majority of the analysis should be based on the recommended sources.

In terms of presentation, introduce each question indicating how you will structure your answer and conclude each answer with reference to your preceding arguments and the task required by the question. You may wish to divide your answer into sections that reflect the major elements of your analysis.

 Question 1 requires you to apply the VRIO framework to determine the organization’s core resources and capabilities to evaluate its competitive advantage. This question is the precise application of a framework to develop an analysis specifically for the company.

You are welcome to use diagrams to illustrate the VRIO framework or a table. You should use headings and sub-headings to structure your answer. Question 2 requires you to reflect and analyze the framework. The aim is to identify the benefits and limitations of the framework, not of the organization.

At the PG level, you should be able to critically analyze a framework and determine objectively its contribution as well as its limitations. You can use examples from the case but the focus is on the framework, not the organization. You should use headings and sub-headings to structure your answer.