Reflective Business Report

This report prepares a reflective business report on how Barsus Shoes, a global footwear company could expand operations into North America. The report outlines the situational analysis using Porters 5 Forces and Porters Generic competitive forces, engages in an internal analysis of the company, evaluates the marketing strategy and performance analysis of the company, discusses the corporate social responsibility that the company needs to engage in to be viewed favorably in the American market and concludes by providing a number of important recommendations for strategic growth of the company in America in the future.

Running head: REFLECTIVE BUSINESS REPORT
Reflective Business Report
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................2
1.1. Mission and Vision of Barsus Galactic Footwear.......................................................2
2. Situational Analysis of Barsus Galactic Footwear.............................................................3
2.1. Situational Analysis using Porter’s 5 Forces...............................................................3
2.2. Situational Analysis using Porter’s Generic Competitive Strategy.............................4
3. Marketing Strategy for Barsus Galactic Footwear in North America................................5
4. Performance Analysis.........................................................................................................6
4.1. Judging E-Commerce Sales.........................................................................................6
4.2. Ensuring Customer Satisfaction..................................................................................7
5. Corporate Social Responsibility and Citizenship...............................................................7
5.1. Supporting the Cause of Homeless People..................................................................7
5.2. Supporting Women-Centric Issues..............................................................................8
6. Future Strategic Recommendations....................................................................................8
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................9

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Task 1 – Report
1. Introduction
The footwear industry in North America is growing and expanding like never before,
with the average American being highly conscious about the style and design of shoes that
they wear, over and above the comfort level associated with such shoes. As such the time to
establish a business in footwear in the country of America is ripe, given the huge demand for
trendy and stylish shoes among the American population (based on the results of the business
strategy game). This report prepares a reflective business report on how Barsus Shoes, a
global footwear company could expand operations into North America. The report outlines
the situational analysis using Porters 5 Forces and Porters Generic competitive forces,
engages in an internal analysis of the company, evaluates the marketing strategy and
performance analysis of the company, discusses the corporate social responsibility that the
company needs to engage in to be viewed favorably in the American market and concludes
by providing a number of important recommendations for strategic growth of the company in
America in the future.
1.1. Mission and Vision of Barsus Galactic Footwear
Barsus Galactic Footwear is a company that combines the latest technology with eco
friendly materials to produce footwear for all individuals. While the Barsus shoes primarily
cater to sport lovers and enthusiasts, they can also by individuals who want to feel absolute
comfort and relaxation when they put on shoes, whether for professional or personal use. The
primary target market for Barsus Galactic Footwear is comprised of athletes but can also
include people who are fond of exercising and engaging in outdoor activities quite a lot. The
sophisticated technology with which the Barsus shoes are made are certain to make those
who do wear such shoes feel like absolute Gods when walking or running using them.

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2. Situational Analysis of Barsus Galactic Footwear
2.1. Situational Analysis using Porter’s 5 Forces
The position of Barsus Galactic Footwear in the North American market is analyzed using
Porter’s 5 Forces –
Competitive Rivalry – As a footwear store in America, Barsus Galactic Footwear is bound
to face a good deal of competition and rivalry from other shoe stores and companies, given
that there are so many shoe companies running operations across the length and the breadth
of the country. Barsus Galactic Footwear has to make use of the best technology and has to
ensure that its shoes are unique in terms of style and design as well as comfort and feel in
order to attract the attention of buyers, namely athletes and lovers of sporting activities in
America, given the huge number of competitive forces that are at play over here (Baker and
Hart 2016).
Supplier Power – Supplier power in North America as far as the provision of raw materials
for the manufacture of shoes is concerned, is likely to be quite low, given that there are so
many shoe dealers, distributors and manufacturers in America and so many suppliers for shoe
producers to choose form as well. Low supplier power is something that Barsus Galactic
Footwear can take full advantage of, in order to come up with beautifully designed shoes that
are a treat to the eyes and which are wonderful to wear as well. Barsus Galactic Footwear will
be able to choose from many different suppliers in America to acquire the raw materials that
it needs to make quality cost effective shoes for athletes and sports enthusiasts (Baker and
Hart 2016).
Buyer Power – The buyer power is certain to be quite high where Barsus Galactic Footwear
is concerned. This is because buyers have so many options to choose from as far as the
purchase of athletic shoes is concerned. There are numerous companies in America, let alone

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the branded ones like Nike and Reebok that manufacture sports shoes and shoes that feature
sophisticated technology, so Barsus Galactic Footwear will have to come up with numerous
competitive strategies in order to deal with the buyer power that it is going to be faced with
when it runs its operations in North America (Baker 2016).
Threat of Substitution – There are many shoe companies in North America that make use of
innovative technology in order to make sports shoes. Hence there is every possibility of
Barsus Galactic Footwear facing the threat of substitution when running operations in the
USA. Barsus Galactic Footwear must be careful of not divulging its technology secrets and
keep all information pertaining to the technology that it uses to manufacture footwear highly
confidential in order to keep it from getting leaked and consequently avert the threat of
substitution in America (Baker 2016).
Threat of New Entry – Given the huge demand for shoes that is already prevalent in North
American countries like the USA and Canada and especially in the different cities and towns
of the USA, the threat of new entry for Barsus Galactic Footwear in North America is quite
high. New shoe companies are mushrooming across the country in every twelve to fourteen
months hence Barsus Galactic Footwear is a shoe company that must be aware of this reality
when it conducts its business operations in America, over the long term so as to be able to
combat such a threat in the manner desired (Baker and Hart 2016).
2.2. Situational Analysis using Porter’s Generic Competitive Strategy
The position of Barsus Galactic Footwear is now going to be analyzed using Porter’s
generic competitive strategy.
Cost Leadership – Barsus Galactic Footwear in order to gain a good foothold in the North
American footwear industry must engage in the low cost manufacture of shoes, so that it is
able to make its unique footwear accessible to buyers in America at the most competitive of

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prices. For this purpose Barsus Galactic Footwear needs to seek out suppliers in America that
can provide it with the raw materials that it needs, at bulk prices, so as to use the
sophisticated technology that it needs to use to manufacture comfortable, well designed and
affordably priced footwear while running operations in North America (Banerjee 2017).
Differentiation – A differentiation strategy is something that Barsus Galactic Footwear
definitely needs to deploy in order to make its footwear products stand out in the American
market. Barsus Galactic Footwear needs to ensure that the type of shoes that it manufactures
are unique in terms of design as well as comfort level, and that the technology it uses to make
its footwear cannot be easily equated by other shoe manufacturers in the states.
Manufacturing shoes of a specific style and design or a specific shades of colors, like black,
silver and grey only, can help Barsus Galactic Footwear make its products seem unique and
worth purchasing on the part of American consumers (Chaffey and Smith 2017).
Cost Focus – Cost focus is something that Barsus Galactic footwear can use in order to
attract clientele for its products simply because of the affordable price at which such shoes
are made available to them. There is nothing more, that a middle income sports lover wants
than to own a pair of comfortable and beautifully designed shoes which did not cost a lot of
money to buy, and which is also sturdy and durable in terms of quality, and likely therefore to
last in the wardrobe of such a person for a long time to come (Chaffey and Smith 2017).
3. Marketing Strategy for Barsus Galactic Footwear in North America
Product – The product that is being marketed by Barsus Galactic Footwear in the North
American market is affordably priced, comfortable and beautifully designed that are made
using innovative technology. Such shoes are ideal for wear by sports enthusiasts and for
people who are professional athletes (Smith and Turbnull 2016).

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Place – Barsus Galactic Footwear will begin its operations in North America by first setting
up a store in Washington DC. Based on the success of its operations in Washington DC, the
company will decide whether it wants to expand to other American cities in the near future or
not (Smith and Turnbull 2016).
Price – The price of the average shoe manufactured by Barsus Galactic Footwear will be kept
at $ 150 in order to make such shoes easily affordable on the part of the average American
populace. The price will not be increased to more than $ 150 in spite of the fact that such
shoes are going to be manufactured using the latest innovative technology that makes them so
comfortable to wear and to walk and run around in. If the sales are good in the first six
months of business operations, then Barsus Galactic Footwear will hike up the price at a later
date (Chaffey and Smith 2017).
Promotion – Barsus Galactic Footwear is a company that will make extensive use of social
media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in order to market its shoes in the best
possible way. Social media channels have a wide user base and are the finest way by which
Barsus Galactic Footwear can cascade information about its products to a large number of
customers in the shortest possible time span. Leaflets for promotion will also be distributed at
prominent shopping malls and departmental stores that sell shoes, as a part of the company’s
promotional efforts in Washington DC ( Baker 2016).
4. Performance Analysis
4.1. Judging E-Commerce Sales
Ecommerce Sales ought to be one of the most important or key performance indicators
that Barsus Galactic Footwear should rely on in order to determine whether its operations are
being conducted successfully in USA or not. The product must be available for sale on

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platforms for ecommerce like Amazon and E-bay over and above being available for sale at
departmental stores, and shopping malls. Since most people tend to buy their products online
these days, Barsus Galactic Footwear can examine sales figures for its products on
ecommerce sites to see whether its target audience is interested in buying its footwear or not
(Hansen and Powels 2016).
4.2. Ensuring Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is a key performance indicator that Barsus Galactic Footwear
should going to rely on very heavily as well to determine how well it is doing in the country
of America. Customer satisfaction with regard to the shoe wear that is marketed by the
Barsus Galactic Footwear Company in North America will be judged by taking a look at the
customer reviews on the company’s social media pages. If the reviews are positive by and
large, then the company will assume that its operations are going well in the USA (Keegan
and Rowley 2017).
5. Corporate Social Responsibility and Citizenship
Corporate social responsibility is something that Barsus Galactic Footwear is going to
have to engage in, when launching and conducting operations in the United States of
America. By doing so, it will create a favorable impression for its products among American
consumers, getting them to buy its shoes more readily than they otherwise would have.
Corporate social responsibility initiatives will involve giving back some of the proceeds that
the company earns in terms of revenue to society by making a contribution to charitable
causes or by supportable a number of humanitarian initiatives in Washington (Lidstone and
McLellan 2017).

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5.1. Supporting the Cause of Homeless People
For one, Barsus Galactic Footwear can champion the cause of the homeless people in
Washington DC by making a financial contribution in the form of aid to organizations in the
city that work for the betterment of the homeless people. The contribution should be a
substantive one and should be a contribution that the company makes annually to such
organizations, rather than once in a blue moon if the company’s corporate social
responsibility initiatives in America are to be taken seriously. By supporting the homeless in
Washington, Barsus Galactic Footwear will definitely be able to create a good impression for
itself in the eyes of the common American people (Van Den Berg and Braun 2017).
5.2. Supporting Women-Centric Issues
Barsus Galactic Footwear can also take up women’s causes in Washington DC especially
the cases of women who are victims of domestic violence. There are many care and
rehabilitation centers for victims of domestic violence in Washington DC that Barsus
Galactic Footwear can make a financial contribution to. By supporting women’s rights in
Washington DC, the company will be able to win the hearts and minds of people in the city
and of its female customers especially, who will now want more than ever to own and sport
Barsus Galactic Footwear using any opportunity that they get to do so (McDonald 2016).
6. Future Strategic Recommendations
In order to grow and expand in the North American market in the best possible way,
Barsus Galactic Footwear must take the following recommendations into consideration –
 Barsus Galactic Footwear needs to make sure to manufacture quality footwear at
all times, not giving customers any reason at all to complain about the texture of
the shoes or the comfort factor at any point of time. If Barsus Galactic Footwear
intends on competing well in the North American market, then it needs to make

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sure that the quality of its products is absolutely top notch at all times (McDonald
2016).
 The price of Barsus Galactic Footwear shoes needs to be kept competitive for as
long as possible in order for the company to draw and retain the interest of its
customers. Customers these days are interested in buying and owning shoes that
give them full value for the money that they spend on them. Hence to keep
customers interested in its products always, the price of the shoes must be
competitive at all times, giving customers every reason to buy such shoes instead
of buying shoes from another store or company (Lidstone and McLellan 2017).
 Barsus Galactic Footwear needs to set up a customer care executive team in order
to look into customer needs and requirements in the best possible way, making
sure that no customer remains unsatisfied with the products that the company has
to offer. The customer care executive team should be made to work round the
clock by hiring employees who are willing to work day shifts or night shifts, and
they should be trained to respond to client needs in the most effective ways
possible, helping the company to understand and meet the requirements of its
target customer base in the best possible way (Fill and Turnbull 2016).
 Barsus Galactic Footwear is a company that needs to offer frequent rebates and
discounts on the prices of its shoes every now and then, giving customers a reason
to buy Barsus shoes instead of shoes offered by any other company in the states.
The discounts and rebates should range between ten and twenty percent so as to
enable customers to save money on their purchase of Barsus shoes and to avert too
huge a loss for the company at the same given time.

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Conclusion
Thus, there are numerous ways by which a company like Barsus Galactic Footwear
can grow and expand in the North American market. The demand for footwear in North
America is just as high as it is in every other part of the world, given that people need to wear
good shoes when they go to work or when they engage in sporting activities. Since there are
many shoe companies that offer trendy and affordable shoes in America, Barsus Galactic
Footwear needs to cash in on its innovative technology to provide American customers with
the most comfortable footwear they have ever dreamed of, at the best prices, and which are
available in the most unique and stylish of designs as well (Chaffey and Smith 2017).
Task – Key Decisions taken during the Business Strategy Game
One of the most important decisions that was taken when the business strategy game
was being played was to analyze the footwear industry in North America using Porters 5
Forces and Porters Generic Forces for Competitive Strategy. Such a decision was arrived at,
given that both of these tools are the most well established of tools for the analysis of any
external market situation and we believed that such tools would generate accurate results if
these were made use of for understanding and analyzing market forces that are in place in the
country of America and how such forces need to be dealt with for the purpose of business
expansion.
Another crucial decision which was taken when the business strategy game was being
played was to consider women’s issues and issues of the homeless people as important
corporate social responsibility issues that ought to be addressed by a company like Barsus
Galactic Footwear when it expands its operations into North America. It is not enough for a
business to generate profit alone. Rather, a business must learn to give back to the society
where it earns its revenue from, and it was this reality, that made us convinced that corporate

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social responsibility is something that Barsus Galactic Footwear is going to have to take up
when it enters America and that womens issues need to be a part of such measures. This is
largely due to the realization that iolence against women is on the rise in every part of the
world and the country of America is no exception.
When the business strategy game was being played, it was decided by team members
as well, that, the role of social media is something that would have to be exploited to
understand how easily a company like Barsus Galactic Footwear can reach out to its
customers in the USA. Social media platforms are widely used by people around the world
for the purpose of knowledge dissemination so we believed that Barsus Galactic Footwear at
least could make good use of such channels in order to make its products known to the
American public in the shortest span of time, and in the most effective of ways, given that
social media also the use of visuals and rich written content at the same given time.

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