Abstract
As a research project, my partner and I would like to conduct an overall analysis of the business processes and current strategies of Lowes Inc. We plan to collect the bulk of our research primarily by shadowing store and sales managers at the local Lowes store site. Lowes is a public company so it will be fairly easy to attain financial information to compute key ratios that will aid in the determination of the company’s financial standing. Using the company’s largest competitor Home Depot Inc. as a benchmark, we will be able to see how Lowes currently matches up to its competition, as well as how it has fared in the past. After gaining an overall understanding of the company’s internal capabilities and external environment, we would like to explore possible strategies that the company could implement for further growth. We will focus on the use of corporate integration, strategic alliances, and corporate diversification to develop a strategy that will capitalize on the core competencies of the firm and hopefully provide them with a sustainable competitive advantage.
