Project Management Report: Target's Canadian Expansion Failure

This report analyzes the failure of Target's Canadian expansion, examining the key factors that contributed to its downfall. The report delves into the rushed and oversized nature of the expansion, the focus on physical stores over e-commerce, and the challenges in adapting the US concept to the Canadian market. It identifies principles that were not followed, such as inadequate market research and flawed marketing execution. Furthermore, the report proposes strategic implementations, focusing on customer segmentation and alignment of business strategies, to mitigate similar problems in future expansions. The role of a project manager in implementing these strategies is also discussed, emphasizing the importance of understanding customer needs and adapting to the local market conditions. The report concludes with a reflection on the importance of competitive advantage and successful business practices in the retail industry. This assignment, available on Desklib, provides valuable insights into business strategy and project management.

Running head: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction to case study................................................................................................................3
Factor of failure...............................................................................................................................3
Principles which was not followed..................................................................................................4
Strategy implementation to mitigate the problem (Project Manager role)......................................4
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................6

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Introduction to case study
The case study which is focused on the report is related to the Target which had
announced that they would be closing their 133 Canadian stores. Later after the announcement
was made from the end of the company, the customers responded emotionally to the news and
put forward their verdict towards the news.
The main aim of the report is to highlight the different aspect which is related to the
failure of the working of the company. On the other hand, estimation of mitigation strategy
would be discussed which would be resolving the problem.
Factor of failure
The main factor of the decision of the closing of the store was that the CEO of the
organization found out that they would not be making a profile at least by 2021 ("Why Target’s
Canadian Expansion Failed," 2018). There were many factors which can be included in the
sector of this decision making area. One of the factor which can be stated here is that after nearly
two years of the exceptional decision and very hard work the company tried to enter the
international expansion scenario. The entry of the expansion was found out to be oversized and
rushed with nearly 124 stores opening in a short period of tenure (Maylor, Blackmon &
Huemann, 2016). Another factor which leads to the failure was the growth aspect which was
focused on physical store aspect rather than e-commerce aspect. Particularly the discount market
relating to the Canadian was very tough to manage and indulge in the working which could have
led to different form of competitive advantage.

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Principles which was not followed
The main strategy which was not followed from the end of the company was that they did
not focus on the factor of getting into the idea of the market and directly indulged into the factor
of expansion ("Why Target’s Canadian Expansion Failed," 2018). International expansion can be
stated as one of the important factors even for the top retailers in the sector of the business. The
marketing strategy which was made from the end of the organization was that they had properly
implemented the marketing strategy bu5t the execution of the process was very much flawed
(Gambles, 2017). The location of the store can be stated to be not so much feasible form the
point of view of the customers, on the other hand, the stores also struggled with the challenges
which are related to the shelf replenishment which directly leads to stock-outs. According to the
execution issue, the target organization was not able to implement its differentiated US concept
in the country of Canada. As a result of this, they were not able to get an overall idea of the
concept of the market in Canada and failed in the different sectors of interaction.
Strategy implementation to mitigate the problem (Project Manager role)
In this sector, it can be stated that the company should have focused on the two types of
customer one were those who were familiar with the retailers from the US and those who were
new to the brand. The main strategy which could have been implemented is the setting of the
requirement of the customers and putting a stock which is related to the concept (Doppelt, 2017).
The first impression which is given to the customer always play a significant role which directly
leads to the factor of the success of the company and the trade of the company. So it should be
focused on the aspect of satisfying the customers so that they get what they demand (Amran et
al., 2016). The alignment of the business according to me is one of the important factors which
should be given one of the most important priority due to the factor of the working of the

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company would be based on the factor ("Why Target’s Canadian Expansion Failed," 2018).
Hence the discount rate which was given to the customer can also be stated as one of the factors
which should be focused which directly would be altering the engagement of the customers and
how they would be indulging into the concept of the working of the organization.
Conclusion
At the end of the report, it can be stated that different retailers are very much successful
in the field of working and the manner of business they indulge. One of the important factors
which should be focused should be the gaining of the competitive advantage of the company into
how they directly work and excel in the different scenario of the business.

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References
Why Target’s Canadian Expansion Failed. (2018). Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/01/why-
targets-canadian-expansion-failed
Doppelt, B. (2017). Leading change toward sustainability: A change-management guide for
business, government and civil society. Routledge.
Maylor, H., Blackmon, K., & Huemann, M. (2016). Researching business and management.
Macmillan International Higher Education.
Jenkins, W., & Williamson, D. (2015). Strategic management and business analysis. Routledge.
Gambles, I. (2017). Making the business case: Proposals that succeed for projects that work.
Routledge.
Amran, A., Ooi, S. K., Wong, C. Y., & Hashim, F. (2016). Business strategy for climate change:
An ASEAN perspective. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental
Management, 23(4), 213-227.
Pauli, G. (2017). Upsizing: The road to zero emissions: More jobs, more income and no
pollution. Routledge.