Case $8$: Under Armour$$s Strategy in $2020$: Can It Revive Sales and Profitability in Its Core North American Market?

ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

What is your assessment of the Under Armour$$s performance downturn in North America that first appeared in the fourth quarter of $2016?$ Causes? Reasons?

What is your assessment of the strength of the competitive rivalry among the leading participants in the North American market for performance sports apparel headed into $2018?$

How strong are the other four competitive forces confronting Under Armour, Nike, The adidas Group, and the producers$/$marketers of other sports apparel brands in North America as of $2020?$ Do a five$-$forces analysis to support your answer.

Does Under Armour have any core competencies and, if so$,$ what are they?

Does Under Armour have any resource strengths or competitive capabilities that qualify as a distinctive competence?

What does a SWOT analysis reveal about the overall attractiveness of Under Armour$$s situation headed into $2020?$

What are the key elements of Under Armour$$s strategy?

Which one of the five generic competitive strategies discussed in Chapter $5$ most closely approximates the competitive approach that Under Armour is employing?

As of $2020,$ how does Under Armour$$s competitive strength in the global market for sports apparel and athletic footwear compare against that of Nike and The adidas Group? Do a weighted competitive strength assessment using the methodology presented in Table $4\mathrm{.}4$ in Chapter $4$ to support your answer. Based on your assessment and calculations, does Under Armour have a net competitive advantage or disadvantage in competing globally against Nike and The adidas Group?

What financial performance issues do you see at Under Armour based on the data in case Exhibits $1,2,$ and $3?$

What are the key issues confronting Under Armour$$s top management team as of mid$-2018?$

What recommendations and suggestions for improvement would you make to Kevin Plank regarding the turnaround strategy put in place at Under Armour?