Debenhams Strategy
(Sometimes: Last Name or nothing, depending on the customer/university)
DEBENHAMS STRATEGY SELECTION AND EVALUATION
by Student’s name
Code+ course name
Professor’s name
University name
City, State
Date
1
Debenhams Strategy
(Sometimes: Last Name or nothing, depending on the customer/university)
2
Introduction
Business strategies refer to the methods or plans used by companies in conducting
different functions in their business operations. It is the responsibility of the company
managers to formulate as well as implement the most appropriate strategy to enable it to
compete effectively and thrive in its environment. It also requires the efforts of the entire
company to achieve the preset goals. For this to be achieved, it is important for the company
to view the corporate level strategy as it is accountable for definition of the market and also
helps in deciding on which markets to compete as well as the geographical regions to
function in. This document mainly focuses on Debenhams Company by evaluating the
corporate level strategies. It gives a brief explanation of the strategies and then recommends
the appropriate strategy that can be embraced by Debenhams Company.
Brief Description of the Company
Debenhams is a British retailer that operates under the department store format in the
United Kingdom, Denmark and Ireland. It also operates other franchise stores in other
nations. It was founded as a single store in London in the eighteenth century but remarkably,
it has grown to more than 160 shops that cover more than 10 million square feet of retail
space throughout the UK and Ireland. Its franchise stores are mainly in Philippines and other
countries (Debenhams 2012). Currently, the company has been ranked the second largest
department store in the UK. In the corporate level strategy, some of the strategies that can be
used in running firms include vertical integration, horizontal integration and strategic
outsourcing (DuBrin 2008). This document will however spotlight on strategic outsourcing
and horizontal integration.
Strategic Outsourcing
Outsourcing basically refers to contracting out a business operation to a provider
outside the business unit. Companies outsource their products, not for economic gain, but for
Debenhams Strategy
(Sometimes: Last Name or nothing, depending on the customer/university)
Reference List
Debenhams 2012, Debenhams, viewed 23 January 2012, <http://www.debenhams.com/>.
DuBrin, A 2008, Essentials of management, Cengage Learning, New York.
Frank, AG 2000, ReOrient: global economy in the Asian age, University of California Press,
Chicago.
Furrer, O 2010, Corporate level strategy: theory and applications, Taylor & Francis, New
York.
Gaughan, PA 2010, Mergers, acquisitions, and corporate restructurings, John Wiley and
Sons, New York.
Hill, C & Jones, G 2009, Strategic management theory: an integrated approach, 9th edn,
Cengage Learning, London.
Hitt, MA, Ireland, RD & Hosk, RE 2010, Strategic management: competitiveness &
globalization, concepts, 9th edn, Cengage Learning, London.
Jones, G & Hill, C 2007, Strategic management: an integrated approach, 8th edn, Cengage
Learning, New York.
Miller, FP, Vandome, A & John, M 2010, Horizontal integration, VDM Verlag Dr. Mueller
e.K, New York.
Rockford Consulting Group, 2009, Strategic outsourcing, viewed 23 January, 2012,
<http://rockfordconsulting.com/strategic-outsourcing.htms>.
3