Corporate Level Strategies Analysis Takealot Assessment

Assignment 3

Background

You are a graduate of a postgraduate qualification in Business Management and have completed courses in Strategic Management. As a new graduate, you are approached by your lecturer to offer a discussion class with new students to teach them about the various models and frameworks in strategic management that formed part of your MNG4801 course. The lecturer wants you to use an organisation and industry that most students are familiar with, to explain the various concepts. The selected case organisation is Takealot.com and the e-tailing industry in South Africa.

Important: You may not contact Takealot.com, or ANY employee or stakeholder directly or indirectly involved with Takealot.com or any other organisation mentioned in the case study – ONLY make use of the case study provided, the prescribed material and general internet searches (Use of AI sites like ChatGPT and Bing is not permitted). You may consult and reference peer-reviewed academic sources.

Questions

1. Identify and discuss the corporate-level strategies evident in the case study. You should identify three (3) growth strategies and two (2) defensive strategies and their specific forms that are evident in the case study. Chipmunks Frankenstein

Support your discussion by integrating the appropriate theory and practical examples from the case study.

2. Takealot.com has adopted a differentiation strategy in response to heightened competition in the South African e-commerce market. Identify and critically discuss three (3) key components of Takealot’s organisational architecture that enable it to deliver on its differentiation strategy.

• As part of your discussion, you must locate, incorporate and reference 1 (one) applicable academic article of your choice (published between 2019-2024) from the UNISA library into your discussion
• Support your discussion by integrating the appropriate theory and practical examples from the case study.

3. Critically evaluate whether Mr Zietsman can be considered a strategic leader or not. Begin your evaluation by describing a strategic leader and then evaluate Mr Zietsman in relation to the following key responsibilities of a strategic leader:

• Understanding the organisation as a system
• Creating an integrated organisational system to enable strategy implementation
• Initiating and leading strategic change

Support your evaluation by integrating appropriate application of theory and examples from the case study. 

4. Identify and discuss the risks that Takealot is facing and recommend appropriate strategic risk management strategies and methodologies to Takealot senior management team. Support your discussion by integrating the appropriate application of theory and examples from the case study.

5. Answer the following reflection questions:

• While doing the assignment, did you realize that there is a gap between the theories and the practical application (i.e. how it is done in practice?)
• If yes, what do you think this means?

Assessment Requirements Brief Summary

The assessment required students to apply strategic management theories to a real-world case study (Takealot.com, South Africa’s e-tailing industry) and demonstrate their understanding by addressing the following key areas:

1. Corporate-Level Strategies: Identify three growth strategies and two defensive strategies evident in Takealot.com’s operations, integrating theory and examples.
2. Differentiation Strategy & Organisational Architecture: Explain three key components of Takealot’s organisational architecture that enable differentiation, supported by academic literature.
3. Strategic Leadership Evaluation: Assess whether the CEO, Mr. Zietsman, qualifies as a strategic leader by analyzing responsibilities such as understanding organisational systems, enabling strategy implementation, and leading strategic change.
4. Strategic Risks & Risk Management: Identify the main strategic risks Takealot faces and propose suitable risk management strategies grounded in theory.
5. Reflective Insights: Discuss the gap between strategic management theory and its practical application based on the assignment experience.

Key Pointers to Cover:

• Integration of relevant strategic management theories (Porter, Ansoff, Mintzberg, etc.)
• Use of practical examples from the Takealot case study
• Critical evaluation and reflective thinking
• Reference to one peer-reviewed academic article (2019–2024)

Approach by the Academic Mentor

The Academic mentor guided the student in a structured, step-by-step process to ensure all assessment requirements were met:

1. Understanding the Assignment Brief:

   • Mentor emphasized reading the case study thoroughly and highlighting examples relevant to corporate-level strategies, differentiation, leadership, and risks.

   • Clarified limitations: no direct contact with Takealot employees or use of AI-generated content.

2. Section 1: Corporate-Level Strategies:

   • Mentor helped identify and categorize three growth strategies (e.g., market penetration, market development, product development) and two defensive strategies (e.g., retrenchment, divestment).

   • Guided the student to integrate theory with examples from the case study for clarity.

3. Section 2: Differentiation & Organisational Architecture:

   • Mentor assisted in identifying the three key components enabling differentiation, such as technology infrastructure, customer service excellence, and supply chain efficiency.

   • Directed the student to locate one relevant academic article (2019–2024) and properly reference it.

4. Section 3: Strategic Leadership Evaluation:

   • Mentor explained strategic leadership theory, emphasizing responsibilities like system thinking, strategy implementation, and leading change.

   • Helped the student evaluate Mr. Zietsman against these criteria using examples from Takealot.

5. Section 4: Strategic Risks & Risk Management:

   • Mentor guided the student to identify internal and external risks (e.g., competition, cyber threats, market volatility) and match them with appropriate strategic risk management methods.

6. Section 5: Reflection:

   • Mentor prompted critical reflection, encouraging the student to discuss the gap between theoretical models and practical application in the e-commerce industry.

Outcome Achieved

• The student produced a coherent, well-structured assignment covering all key sections.
• Each section integrated theory with real-world examples from Takealot.com.
• Reflection highlighted practical insights and critical thinking about strategy application.
• Proper academic referencing was included, meeting UNISA standards.

Learning Objectives Covered

1. Apply strategic management theories to real-world business cases.
2. Critically evaluate leadership effectiveness within an organisational context.
3. Identify and manage strategic risks using appropriate frameworks.
4. Develop reflective and analytical skills to bridge theory and practice.
5. Integrate academic literature with practical business examples.

Boost Your Understanding with Our Takealot.com Case Study Sample

Looking to get a head start on your strategic management assignment? Our Takealot.com case study solution is designed to serve as a reference guide, helping you understand how to apply theory to practice. Use it to see examples of corporate-level strategies, differentiation strategy, leadership evaluation, risk management, and reflective analysis all explained clearly and step by step.

Important: This sample is for reference purposes only. Submitting it as your own work may lead to plagiarism issues.

Prefer a completely original solution tailored to your assignment? Our team of professional academic writers can provide a fresh, plagiarism-free, fully customised assignment, saving you time and ensuring academic integrity. Benefits include:

• Step-by-step explanations aligned with your assessment requirements
• Accurate application of relevant theory and case study examples
• Proper referencing and academic formatting
• High-quality, original content crafted by subject experts

Take control of your learning today either explore the sample or secure a custom solution that’s ready to submit.

Download Sample Solution        Order Fresh Assignment