Under Armour's VRISO Analysis.

Internal Analysis of Under Armour: Applying the VRISO Framework

Purpose: The purpose of the assignment is to integrate and apply knowledge on how to conduct internal analysis and make conclusions about the strategic value of a firm’s resources.

Skills: This assignment will require you to apply such skills as searching and analyzing literature sources, extracting/collecting necessary information from them, analyzing the collected information, and synthesizing it into a report.

Knowledge: The assignment will help you to practice the application of the resource-based view, specifically the VRISO framework.

Submission Requirements: Use this document as a template to build your report. Assignment should be double spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font with 1-inch margins on all sides. You should cite at least 5 literature sources. Use APA style. No minimum page requirement. However, make sure you provide thorough explanations and support the statements that you make. Failure to follow submission requirements will result in 15% grade deduction.

Task: With respect to Under Armour conduct an internal analysis. To complete the task, you should answer the questions below. Please look at the grading rubric at the end of the document before you start working on the assignment.

Describe the concept of strategic resource (Recourse-based View) and define each of the VRISO components. Explain them using your own words (using no more than 1-2 sentences).
Apply the VRISO framework to Under Armour. What resource leads to UA’s competitive advantage or disadvantage over rivals in the industry? What is UA’s unique positioning that gives them favorable position with wholesale partners? Support your claim with an appropriate example/ story, citation from an article, etc. using Table 1.

In your answer, cite appropriate sources related to the company’s internal operations. Does the resource you have selected lead to competitive advantage? Also, describe how the strategic resource you identified can be leveraged to create other strategic resources.

Component	Give an example of how this strategic resource creates value for UA from the digital fitness point of view	Value of strength of component Scale 1 to 5 (low to high)
Valuable
Rare
Imperfectly imitable
Non-substitutable

What is the role of each wholesale partner in UA’s portfolio? How does this align to UA’s brand positioning and brand strategy?

Criteria for Success: The assignment is worth 5 points. Your report will be graded based on the grading rubric below. It provides specific details on how outstanding work differs from acceptable and unacceptable work.

Percent of the Grade	Outstanding (4.8-5 points)	Acceptable (3-4.7 points)	Unacceptable (below 3 points)
5%	The Resource-based View is clearly defined as based on firm’s internal capabilities.	The Resource-based View is stated. The definition may lack some clarity in its inclusion of all elements.	The Resource- based View is not clearly stated or is stated inaccurately.
5%	Each of the VRISO elements is accurately described.	Each of the VRISO elements is described	At least one of the VRISO elements is not correctly described. An example would be confusing “costly to substitute” with “threat of substitutes” from the 5 forces model.
10%	A strategic resource is identified correctly and logic for selection is explained	A strategic resource is identified correctly but insufficient logic and or details are supplied for selection	Incorrect identification of a strategic resource, but rather an irrelevant characteristic such as the use of a nonproprietary online platform
30%	The application of each element of the model to the firm is logical and includes ample reference to actual firm operations.	The application of each element of the model to the firm is done, but at least one element is not applied with convincing logic and/or the application lacks ample reference to actual firm operations.	Application of the model to the firm either does not include each element of the RBV model or applies at least one element with incorrect logic and/or no reference to actual firm operations.
20%	A logical description of how the identified strategic resource could be leveraged is provided.	Description of how the identified strategic resource could be leveraged is provided.	The description of how the identified strategic resource could be leveraged is not provided, not logical, or incorrect.
30%	The strategic role of each wholesale partner is described in detail. I logical explanation is provided.	The strategic role of each wholesale partner is described and explanation is provided.	The strategic role of each wholesale partner is poorly described and the explanation lacks details.