Competitive Advantage Essay

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MBL923P Essay Assignment question: Select any company of your choice listed on the JSE or any other securities exchange (e.g. New York Securities Exchange). 1) Explain how the sources of competitive advantage for the company you have selected have changed over time. 2) What recommendations would you make to the management with regard to regaining or sustaining competitive advantage? Assignment guidelines You will be required to conduct research by way of, for example, reviewing company involuntary disclosures (e.g. annual reports), news reports, and analyst commentary to demonstrate how this company’s sources of competitive advantage have changed over time. Possible answer Company: Choppies stores listed on the Botswana stock exchange i) Location of stores. Choppies enterprise has 63 stores in Botswana, 13 in South Africa and 10 outlets in Zimbabwe. Since joining Choppies in 1992 when the company was trading as Wayside supermarket in Lobatse the current CEO and major shareholder Mr Ramachandran Ottapah strategically planned to expand the business to other areas of Botswana before going regional. According to Capital securities (2011) who conducted a research on Choppies before it being listed on the Botswana stock exchange, the company strategically planned its growth critically considering location and population density. Whilst its competitors like Spar and Pick n Pay where mostly visible in city centers Choppies expanded to low income areas as well as small villages across Botswana. By 2008 Choppies had close to 40 shops in Botswana covering almost every geographical area in Botswana in comparison to its close competitors according to an article that appeared in a Botswana local newspaper the Sunday standard of 2009 (http://www.sundaystandard.info/article.php?NewsID=4524&GroupID=3 ). As a result the company was able to capture 35% of the

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