ICAnder och Monica: En del av ICA:s framgångssaga

Title: ICAnder and MonICA: A part of ICA’s success. A case study of owners of ICA-stores in the region of Skane. Seminar date: 2019-06-04 Course: FEKH19 Business Administration: Bachelor Degree Project in Strategic Management, Undergraduate Level Authors: Caisa Erixon, Mohammad Khalil, Hanna Nyremo Advisor/s: Olof Hallonsten Key words: Resource based view, Competitive advantage, VRIO, Dynamic capabilities, ICA-owners Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how different owners of ICA-stores work strategically to preserve their market position in an evolving and dynamic industry. Methodology: This study is a qualitative case study on ICA Sverige AB of which the sample constitutes owners of ICA stores in the region of Skane. The data has been collected through semi-structured interviews that has been recorded and transcribed, whereas the data has been analyzed by means of the theoretical perspectives presented. Theoretical perspectives: The theoretical framework of the study is constituted of Porters five forces model, the resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities. The main focus throughout the study is mostly on the two last mentioned theories which describe how companies can create and sustain competitive advantage. Empirical foundation: The empirical data is based on the chosen company for the study, ICA Sverige AB and its owners in the region of Skane. The empirical foundation in this study presents a conclusion of the different interviews that were made. ICA Sverige AB has been one of the biggest competitors on the Swedish food retail market for many years. The study examines how working with a resource-based view on competition can contribute to achieving a sustained competitive advantage in the Swedish food retail market and what resources that are most valuable for the ICA-owners. Conclusions: Organizations within the Swedish retail food industry need to work more with dynamic capabilities to be able to compete with the domestic, but even global changes that are happening. This has been shown in earlier research. This study also shows that in accordance to RBV, ICA Sverige AB is one of the most valuable resources for the ICA-owner whereas this enables change and flexibility for the entire organization.