Module Name

(Module Code)

Critically assess how a company’s

history and culture has influenced
its strategic development
(Word Count - 2475)

Student Name
(Student Number)
Executive Summary

Having a clear and focussed strategy is crucial for a company to maintain its
competitive advantage and be successful. It provides a sense of direction useful for
guiding day-to-day decisions and can be adapted to suit the changing environment.
The current environment is ever-changing and more unpredictable than ever, so an
effective strategy must be developed in order to keep up with these changes and the
competitors in the market; as shown in the fiercely competitive UK grocery market.

The effectiveness of a strategy is thought to depend on how well it aligns with both
history and culture. It is likely that some components of a strategy will have been
used in the past and previous experiences of managers and employees can support
the new strategy and any decisions made. It is important that both managers and
employees hold the values, practices and beliefs of the company so they are
committed and actively contribute to the achievement of the strategic goal. By
aligning strategy with history and culture, a company may increase the chances of
the success and growth in the market.

This report first examines the theory on the influence of history and culture on
strategic development. It then provides a more in-depth analysis, with reference to
WM Morrison PLC, to understand how this theory can be applied to a successful
organisation operating in a highly competitive market.

2
Table of Contents

Executive Summary................................................................................................................................. 2
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................... 3
1.0. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 4
2.0. The effect of a company’s history and culture on its strategy ................................................... 4
2.1. How does a company’s history affect its strategy ........................................................... 4
2.2 How does a company’s culture affect its strategy .......................................................... 7
3.0 Application of relevant theory to WM Morrison PLC ............................................................... 10
3.1 WM Morrison PLC – Company Overview ...................................................................... 10
3.2 The effect of history on Morrisons’ strategy ................................................................. 11
3.3 The effect of culture on Morrisons’ strategy................................................................. 13
4.0 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 14

3
1.0. Introduction

Due to the rapidly changing business environment, the ability of a company to

develop a strategy and adapt it to changes in the internal and external environment
is becoming the key to survival (Steiner, 2010). Strategy is an integrated set of
actions designed to exploit core competencies to close the gap between a
company’s competencies and their competitive advantage in the market (Hitt et al.,
2008; Wirtz et al., 2010). The development of a strategy provides direction based on
a vision, mission and objectives (Gartenstein, 2017; Kiptoo & Mwirigi, 2014).

The history and culture of a company is thought to influence its strategic

development (Root, 2017). A company’s history is its evolution from inception to its
current state today (Gabrielsson, 2012). A company’s culture is the values, practices
and beliefs shared by employees, along with taken-for-granted assumptions (Reh,
2017; Schein, 2004), combining to create the company’s ‘personality’ (Flamholtz &
Randle, 2011). Pinc (2013) and Suda (2008) believe that the effectiveness of a
strategy depends on its alignment with both history and culture and that a misaligned
strategy will either stall or fail.

2.0. The effect of a company’s history and culture on its strategy

2.1. How does a company’s history affect its strategy

Most companies have some history. A company’s history contributes to its identity
(O’Mara, 1999), so is a key consideration when making business decisions. As
history is unique and cannot be imitated (Gulati et al., 2013), it’s important that a
company learns from its own previous experiences.

The first suggestion that companies learn from previous experiences was the
experience curve (Figure 1), suggesting that the knowledge acquired from
experience can reduce the time and therefore cost of producing a product.

4
 Figure 1: The experience curve (Henderson, 1968)

This concept was applied to strategic development. A strategy is developed by a

number of sources within a company who are likely hold different beliefs based on
their knowledge and how they view ‘strategy’, known as their ‘strategic lens’
(Johnson et al., 2010). One is the experience lens (Figure 2), viewing strategy as the
outcome of individual and collective past experiences (Sobhi, 2009).

Figure 2: The experience lens (Johnson et al., 2008)

The new strategy would likely be an adaptation of previous strategy, influenced by

past experiences of the managers (Preedy et al., 2003). The changes may be
limited, explaining why rationality and innovation are low. However, managers’
experiences will be viewed as important, explaining the high level of legitimacy.
Johnson et al., (2011) believe that history can legitimise the implementation of a
strategy, as previous success can be used as evidence to encourage commitment.

5
Although a previous strategy may have been successful, this doesn’t guarantee that
components of that strategy will be successful in the future. Change is the one true
constant in the business environment (Alexander, 2015) and a company that does
not change in line with this may no longer be relevant to their external environment
(Riley, 2015). A strategy developing incrementally influenced by history but failing to
keep up with a changing environment is said to be going through strategic drift
(Figure 3).

Figure 3: Strategic drift (Johnson et al., 2008)

A strategy influenced by previous experiences can encourage an unwillingness to

change. This is known as strategic inertia and results in companies resisting change
to remain with the status quo (Rothaermel, 2013). This puts the company at risk of
falling behind in the market (Barney & Hesterly, 2012), affecting their competitive
advantage and market share.

If a strategy is influenced by previous experiences, it is path dependent (Johnson et

al., 2017). Path Dependence Theory is the idea that processes depend on their own
history (Arthur et al., 1987), with past events found to establish ‘policy paths’ with
lasting effects on subsequent decisions (Johnson et al., 2017). The history of a
company will have facilitated the development of its capabilities, so the strategic use
of these will make the strategy path dependent (Holbrook et al., 2000). As strategic
direction is heavily influenced by past decisions, companies are prone to reproducing
existing ways of doing things and strategies are historically conditioned (Tribe, 2016;
Levy & Fukuyama, 2010).

6
Once a certain decision has been made so many times, it is ‘locked-in’ (Johnson et
al., 2017) and reinforced by technology, objects, the value system, day-to-day
behaviours, industry standards and training (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Path dependency and lock-in (Johnson et al., 2013)

Johnson et al., (2010) compare this lock-in with ‘furrows in the road’ becoming
deeper as more traffic goes along, giving the traffic no option but to go along those
furrows. A company experiencing a lock-in will find it incredibly costly to implement
change, often making it impossible (Rixen & Viola, 2009).

2.2 How does a company’s culture affect its strategy

Every company has a culture (Davis & McIntosh, 2005), often embedded in its DNA
(Eaton & Kilby, 2015). Culture has the potential to be an incredibly powerful factor in
strategic development (Rick, 2013). No matter how well planned a strategy is, it must
be executed effectively in order to be successful (Johnston, 2017). For employees to
actively execute the strategy, they must hold the company’s beliefs and values and
understand the intended direction of the company (Davoren, 2017). This supports
the findings of Johnson et al., (2017) that for a strategy to be successful it must be
aligned with culture. It is therefore vital that before a strategy is developed, the

7
existing culture should be measured and if necessary a target culture should be
defined (McAleese & Hargie, 2004).

The initial driver in a company is its mission, which feeds into the two paths dictated
by strategy and culture. Strategy dictates the guiding path whilst culture dictates the
driving path (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Organisational alignment (Rick, 2014)

A company’s strategy aims to carry out its corporate missions (Kokemuller, 2017).
These missions guide the company with a sense of direction. To achieve the
missions, a number of activities need to be executed based on the goals and
objectives set. These will be driven by the values, practices and behaviours held
within the company, so must align. This alignment is the glue that ensures a strategy
is executed effectively (Rick, 2014) and without it, the aim of a strategy will never be
fully achieved. Favaro (2014) believes that a good strategy misaligned with culture
will almost definitely be ineffective, but a company with a winning culture can
succeed even if its strategy is mediocre.

Johnson et al., (2014) believe that managers must understand the culture of the
company before developing and implementing a strategy. The culture of a company
consists of four layers (Figure 6).

8
 Figure 6: The four layers of culture (Johnson et al., 2013)

A company’s values are easiest to identify as they are often part of the mission. The
beliefs are more specific but difficult to identify, as they are often unrecorded. The
behaviours are the way in which the company operates on a daily basis. At the core
of a company’s culture are the taken-for-granted assumptions, referred to as the
paradigm. This is the ‘collective experience’ that guides employees when responding
to different situations they may face (Johnson et al., 2014) and is represented in the
Cultural Web Theory (Figure 7).

Figure 7: The cultural web (Seel, 2000)

9
The elements of the paradigm provide employees with a common understanding of
their company (Frost, 2010), influencing the way in which they choose to operate. As
a result, it has the potential to be an informer and driver of strategy (Johnson et al.,
2008). However, it is crucial for the strategy to be aligned with these elements to
discourage any challenges by influential and rebellious employees in subcultures.

If the paradigm is misaligned, Spender (2014) believes that the direct effect this has
on the company’s performance will be so significant that they should abandon the
paradigm and adopt a new one (Figure 8).

Figure 8: Culture’s influence on strategy (Spender, 2014)

3.0 Application of relevant theory to WM Morrison PLC

3.1 WM Morrison PLC – Company Overview

WM Morrison PLC is the fourth largest grocery retailer in the UK (Kantar, 2017).
Originally founded on Bradford market, the company opened its first supermarket in
1961 (Morrisons, 2017). Morrisons now has 491 supermarkets throughout the UK
and 1 in Gibraltar (Statisa, 2017; Ruddick, 2014). A detailed company history is
presented (appendix 1).

10
The company has grown significantly over the past few years despite some
uncertainty that saw profits fall (appendix 2). The company appears to have
overcome this, recently achieving a stronger sales performance than its competitors
(Wright, 2017).

From its beginnings, Morrisons was a company with family values and many believe
it still is (Bolton et al., 2003; Thompson & Martin, 2010). Despite the recent death of
the ‘driving force’ of the company, the Morrison family still hold a significant stake
(Butler, 2017; Bounds, 2017). Morrisons was known to be a northern firm ‘rooted in
the north with northern values’ (Wainright & Finch, 2008). However, the company’s
acquisition of Safeway in 2004 opened up access to the southern market and moved
the company from a regional to a national organisation. A partnership with Ocado
widened the customer base even further (appendix 3).

The company prides itself on its vertically integrated supply chain; sourcing and
processing most of the food sold through in-house manufacturing facilities
(Morrisons, 2017). This is a key strength (Stones, 2016) giving them a point of
difference in an increasingly competitive market. Morrisons has recently placed more
focus on this fact, recognising the personality of the company (Lauchlan, 2016) and
tailoring its strategy on this basis to utilise the unique strengths of its supply chain.

3.2 The effect of history on Morrisons’ strategic position

Morrisons origins as a market stall are reflected in the third of its priorities (appendix
4); ‘find local solutions’ (Morrisons, 2017). The company created ‘market street’ to
promote fresh and local food (Yoxall, 2009), giving customers the experience of a
market in a supermarket. As they now produce 1700 lines of food in-store every day
(Tottman, 2011), customers have an expectation of fresh and local food when they
visit Morrisons. These expectations have therefore locked in the production of local
food, as without it the company would lose its competitive advantage.

The market origins are also reflected in the uniform, particularly of those working on
market street; with white hats and striped aprons making the store feel like a street
market (Thompson & Martin, 2010). The market street concept has been
implemented in all 492 stores at a considerable cost, including the uniform and
11
training of all employees. With a similarly high cost implication of changing this it has
arguably been locked in, as these costs would likely outweigh the benefits. This may
be the reason why they continue to adopt the idea in new stores, such as the St Ives
store recruiting local foodmakers (Mansfield, 2017). However, this may be due to the
fact that the concept is believed to be incredibly successful and crucial to the
company’s turnaround (Foster, 2015).

Morrisons began as a family business and was led by that same family until the
retirement of Ken Morrison (Morrisons, 2008). He was made life president of the
company and was influential until his death. The family retains a significant stake in
the company and the family values are embedded in its operations. The company’s
vertically integrated supply chain demonstrates this, with manufacturing and
distribution done in-house by one of ‘the family’ rather than a supplier or third party.
Once this commitment was made and technology purchased, it would likely be
locked in to ensure a return on the capital investment.

Ken’s influence was demonstrated in the company’s previous strategies. This is

ironic, as Ken was known to be suspicious of strategy (Bell, 2004) believing that
running supermarkets was simple. His philosophy was fed down the hierarchy and
still influences the simplistic attitude found in the company (Kew & Stredwick, 2017).
Unlike its competitors, Morrisons focused on food. This was engrained in the
behaviours of managers and even now, Morrisons is much less interested in non-
food products than its competitors (Thompson & Martin, 2010) with one priority to
make the core strong again.

Ken shunned both loyalty cards and online shopping, believing they were ‘gimmicks’
(Finch & Bowers, 2003) and were not profitable (Kuenssberg, 2014). These have
since been introduced, suggesting that history may not always be the deciding factor
in strategic development and may be overruled by the current management’s beliefs
and expectations.

Ken’s reluctance to use software, such as that required to develop an online

presence, caused the company to effectively be locked out of the online market.
Implementing a website so late would be costly, but with sales falling more than 5%
(Kuenssberg, 2014) and the company falling behind in the market, they were forced
to launch online. This was 14 years behind Tesco, questioning the time, money and

12
market share potentially lost by Ken’s stubbornness causing the company to be
locked out.

3.3 The effect of culture on Morrisons’ strategic position

Morrisons is known as a family business and this is embedded in its culture

(Bawden, 2005). Throughout the company there is an emphasis on teamwork and a
‘one team’ strategy (Morrisons, 2017). This is reflected in its routines; the daily site
status call and the yearly conference to which all employees are invited. Along with
the high accessibility of management, this sustains the family culture encouraging
involvement from employees at all levels.

The company encourage internal applications (Morrisons, 2017) and promote

development of their own staff ‘from shop floor to top floor’ (Sykes, 2012). A recent
programme trained over 100 warehouse employees to become HGV drivers
(Robinson, 2015). The company has committed to developing its people as they
support the family values, with the company’s head office still retaining the family
feeling (Vandevelde, 2017). The stories element of the web is often unnecessary, as
newcomers are already aware of the values and behaviours held and so are easily
integrated into the company and its strategy.

The open office layouts found at each Morrisons site highlight the accessibility of
senior management. This is a symbol of the togetherness within the company;
encouraging trust, communication and collaboration (Byrom, 2017). Togetherness is
a part of Morrisons strategy and is reflected in its second of the 5 ways of working
(appendix 5); teamwork.

The control systems found at Morrisons are rewarding rather than punishing. A key
focus of these is loyalty, with long service celebrated regularly (Morrisons, 2017).
Colleagues receive long service awards despite being on a warning, emphasising
the focus on loyalty and not performance. The company wants to retain engaged
employees holding the company’s values, so their strategy is focussed on employee
retention (Morrisons, 2011). The company’s bonus scheme also encourages team
performance, with 3% available to all employees if their team’s targets are met
(Morrisons, 2017).
13
Morrisons northern roots can still be seen in its strategic direction. Most decisions
are made at the head office in Bradford (Tomlinson, 2002), referred to as ‘global HQ’
(Saunders, 2017). The directors and top management are based there, with one
director losing his job after refusing to move to the Bradford office (Ruddick, 2015).
As these are the people likely to have the most support for the company’s beliefs
and behaviours, the fact that their decisions are made ‘up north’ will no doubt have a
large impact on what those decisions are and how they affect the strategy. This was
one of the reasons there was a ‘culture clash’ when the company acquired Safeway
(McLaughlin, 2016) as decisions the company made in the north did not necessarily
work in the south. One example of this is the company’s focus on price (Bolton et al.,
2003), which was believed to be much less effective in the south than in the north
(Ruddick, 2015). Morrisons found this incredibly hard to change, as low prices were
firmly embedded in their history, culture and strategy.

4.0 Conclusion

This report analysed the influence of history and culture on strategic development.
There are many different views on how to develop an effective strategy, but there is
no doubt that an effective strategy is crucial to success. Both history and culture are
thought to have significant effects on a company’s strategy and there are a number
of theories that explain these effects in more detail. These help to understand how a
strategy can use history and culture to its advantage once it is implemented.

The case study on Morrisons shows how the company’s history as a family owned
northern market stall has heavily influenced both its culture and its strategy. The
company is focussed on being a vertically integrated team that work together across
the supply chain; from the point of production to the point of consumption.

It is clear that a company’s strategic development is heavily influenced by its history

and its culture and so the three must be aligned in order for a company to succeed.

14
References

Alexander, M. (2015). Why your business strategies must constantly change. Retrieved from
https://www.cio.com/article/2969563/it-strategy/why-your-business-strategies-must-constantly-
change.html.

Arthur, B.W., Ermoliev, M.Y., & Kaniovski, M.Y. (1987). Path-dependent processes and the
emergence of macro-structure. European Journal of Operational Research, 30 (3), 294-303. doi:
10.1016/0377-2217(87)90074-9.

Barney, J.B. & Hesterly, W.S. (2012). Strategic Management and Competitive Advantage (4th
ed.). London: Pearson.

Bawden, T. (2005, March 18). Cosy Morrisons falls victim to culture clash with Safeway. The
Times. Retrieved from https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cosy-morrisons-falls-victim-to-culture-
clash-with-safeway-jcshxbflxrk

Bell, R. (2004). Retail Strategy. Abingdon: Routledge.

Bolton, B.K. & Thompson, J.L. (2003). The Entrepreneur in Focus. Andover: Cengage Learning
EMEA.

Bounds, A. (2017, February 1). Sir Ken Morrison, supermarket entrepreneur, 1931-
2017. Financial Times.Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/6243df76-e89c-11e6-967b-
c88452263daf

Butler, S. (2017, February 1). Supermarket tycoon Sir Ken Morrison dies aged 85. The
Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/feb/01/sir-ken-morrison-
dies-morrisons-supermarket-tycoon

Byrom, S. (2017). Brtain's Best Trained Workforce?. Retrieved from

http://www.welovechatter.com/blog/britains-best-trained-workforce.

Davis, S. & McIntosh, D. (2005). The Art of Business. California: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Davoren, J. (2017). Organizational Culture & Employee Performance. Retrieved from

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/organizational-culture-employee-performance-25216.html.

Eaton, D. & Kilby, G. (2015). Does Your Organizational Culture Support Your Business
Strategy?. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 37 (4), 4-7.

15
Favaro, K. (2014). Strategy or Culture: Which Is More Important?. Retrieved from
https://www.strategy-business.com/blog/Strategy-or-Culture-Which-Is-More-
Important?gko=26c64.
Finch, J. & Bowers, S. (2003, January 10). Profile: Sir Ken Morrison. The Guardian. Retrieved
from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2003/jan/10/supermarkets1

Flamholtz, E. & Randle, Y. (2011). Corporate Culture: The Ultimate Strategic Asset. California:
Stanford University Press.

Foster, A. (2015). Morrisons' turnaround: fresh food offer has 'key role'. Retrieved from
https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2015/09/14/Morrisons-Market-Street-key-to-
turnaround-analysts.

Frost, A. (2010). Corporate Culture Change. Retrieved from http://www.knowledge-

management-tools.net/change-culture.html.

Gabrielsson, M. (Ed.) (2012). Handbook of Research on Born Globals. Chelthenham: Edward

Elgar Publishing.

Gartenstein, D. (2017). Why Is Strategic Planning Important to an Organization?. Retrieved from

https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/strategic-planning-important-organization-4103.html.

Gulati, R., Mayo, A.J., & Nohria, N. (2013). Management (2nd ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning.

Henderson, B. (1968). The Experience Curve. Retrieved from

https://www.bcgperspectives.com/content/Classics/strategy_the_experience_curve/.

Hitt, M., Ireland, R.D., & Hoskisson, R. (2008). Strategic Management: Competitiveness and
Globalization, Concepts and Cases (8th ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning.

Holbrook, D., Cohen, W.M., Hounshell, D.A., & Klepper, S. (2000). The Nature, Sources, and
Consequences of Firm Differences in the Early History of the Semiconductor Industry. Strategic
Management Journal, 21 (10/11), 1017-1041. doi: 10.1002/1097-
0266(200010/11)21:10/11<1017:AID-SMJ131>3.0.CO;2-G.

Johnson, G., Whittington, R., & Scholes, K. (2008). Exploring Corporate Strategy (8th ed.). New
Jersey: Financial Times/Prentice Hall.

Johnson, G., Whittington, R., & Scholes, K. (2008). Fundamentals of Strategy. New Jersey:
Financial Times/Prentice Hall.

Johnson, G., Whittington, R., & Scholes, K. (2010). Exploring Strategy (9th ed.). New Jersey:
Financial Times/Prentice Hall.

16
Johnson, G., Whittington, R., & Scholes, K. (2011). Fundamentals of Strategy (2nd ed.). New
Jersey: Financial Times/Prentice Hall.

Johnson, G., Whittington, R., Scholes, K., Angwin, D., & Regnér, P. (2013). Exploring
Strategy (10th ed.). London: Pearson.

Johnson, G., Whittington, R., Scholes, K., Angwin, D., & Regnér, P. (2014). Fundamentals of
Strategy (3rd ed.). New Jersey: Financial Times/Prentice Hall.

Johnson, G., Whittington, R., Scholes, K., Angwin, D., & Regnér, P. (2017). Exploring
Strategy (11th ed.). London: Pearson.

Johnston, K. (2017). How Does an Organization's Culture Affect Its Strategic Plan?. Retrieved
from https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/organizations-culture-affect-its-strategic-plan-
24249.html.

Kantar. (2017). Grocery Market Share. Retrieved from

https://www.kantarworldpanel.com/en/grocery-market-share/great-britain.

Kew, J. & Stredwick, J. (2017). Business Environment (2nd ed.). London: Kogan Page
Publishers.

Kiptoo, J.K. & Mwirigi, F.M. (2014). Factors That Influence Effective Strategic Planning Process
in Organizations. Journal of Business and Management, 16 (6), 188-195.

Kokemuller, N. (2017). Corporate Strategy & Marketing Strategy. Retrieved from

https://bizfluent.com/info-8139467-corporate-strategy-marketing-strategy.html.

Kuenssberg, L. (2014). Morrisons enters the online market - but is it too late?. Retrieved from
http://www.itv.com/news/2014-01-10/morrisons-enters-online-market-but-is-it-too-late/.

Kuenssberg, L. (2014). Tesco, Morrisons and Marks & Spencer all report miserable sales in run
up to Christmas. Retrieved from http://www.itv.com/news/2014-01-09/tesco-morrisons-and-
marks-spencer-all-report-miserable-christmas-sales/.

Lauchlan, S. (2016). Morrisons makes sales progress, but online barely into single figures.
Retrieved from https://diginomica.com/2016/05/09/morrisons-makes-sales-progress-but-online-
barely-into-single-figures/.

Levy, B. & Fukuyama, F. (January 2010). Development Strategies. Public Sector Governance
Unit.

17
Mansfield, D. (2017, November 14). Retailer says hundreds of jobs are available at new
supermarket. The Hunts Post. Retrieved from http://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/retailer-says-
hundreds-of-jobs-are-available-at-new-supermarket-1-5279681

McAleese, D. & Hargie, O. (2004). Five guiding principles of culture management. Journal of
Communication Management, 9 (2), 155-170. doi: 10.1108/13632540510621399.

McLaughlin, I.A. (2016). Strategic Human Resource Management Report - Morrisons

Supermarket. Calgary: BWL Ltd.

Morrisons. (2008). Retirement of Sir Ken Morrison. Retrieved from https://www.morrisons-

corporate.com/media-centre/corporate-news/retirement-of-sir-ken-morrison/.

Morrisons. (2011). Corporate Responsibility Review. Retrieved from

https://your.morrisons.com/Documents/Morrisons_Corporate_Responsibility_Review_2011.pdf.

Morrisons. (2017). Benefits. Retrieved from https://www.morrisons.jobs/life-at-

morrisons/benefits.

Morrisons. (2017). Company History. Retrieved from https://www.morrisons-

corporate.com/about-us/Company-history/.

Morrisons. (2017). Internal vacancies. Retrieved from https://www.morrisons.jobs/internal-

vacancies.

Morrisons. (2017). Retail. Retrieved from https://www.morrisons.jobs/our-teams/retail-team.

Morrisons. (2017). Strategy. Retrieved from https://www.morrisons-corporate.com/about-

us/strategy-structure/.

O'Mara, M. (1999). Strategy and Place. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Pinc, C. (2013). Aligning Organizational Culture with Business Strategy. Retrieved from
https://www.towerswatson.com/en/Insights/Newsletters/Global/strategy-at-
work/2013/viewpoints-qa-aligning-organizational-culture-with-business-strategy.

Preedy, M., Glatter, R., & Wise, C. (2003). Strategic Leadership and Educational Improvement.
California: SAGE.

Reh, J.F. (2017). How to Develop an Understanding of a Company's Culture. Retrieved from
https://www.thebalance.com/company-culture-2275155.

Rick, T. (2013). What is the Relationship Between Corporate Culture and Strategy. Retrieved
from https://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/strategy/relationship-between-culture-and-strategy/.

18
Rick, T. (2014). Organizational Alignment is the Glue for Achieving Better Performance.
Retrieved from https://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/performance-management/organizational-
alignment-is-the-glue/.

Riley, J. (2015). Strategic Drift. Retrieved from

https://www.tutor2u.net/business/reference/strategic-drift.

Rixen, T. & Viola, L. (2009). Uses and Abuses of the Concept of Path Dependence.
In International Summer School on the Logic of Self-Reinforcing Processes in Organizations,
Networks, and Markets, Freie Universität Berlin, Retrieved from http://www.wiwiss.fu-
berlin.de/forschung/pfadkolleg/downloads/summer_school_2009/Paper_Rixen_Viola.pdf.

Robinson, N. (2015). Retailers are reacting to the HGV driver shortfall. Retrieved from
https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2015/05/05/Retailers-stamping-out-driver-shortage.

Root, G.N. (2017). The Impact of Corporate Culture on Business Strategy. Retrieved from
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/impact-corporate-culture-business-strategy-21891.html.

Rothaermel, F.T. (2013). Strategic Management. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Ruddick, G. (2014, August 26). Morrisons in Gibraltar - the unlikely success story. The
Telegraph. Retrieved from
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/11054892/Morrisons-in-
Gibraltar-the-unlikely-success-story.html

Ruddick, G. (2015, February 26). Dear David Potts, here's how to get Morrisons back on
track. The Telegraph. Retrieved from
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/11438428/Dear-David-
Potts-heres-how-to-get-Morrisons-back-on-track.html

Ruddick, G. (2015, April 13). Morrisons director to leave after refusing to live in UK. The
Telegraph. Retrieved from
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/11533051/Morrisons-
director-to-leave-after-refusing-to-live-in-UK.html

Saunders, A. (2017). Lead Like a Yorkshireman: Tips from Ken Morrison, 1931-2017. Retrieved
from https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/lead-yorkshireman-tips-ken-morrison-1931-
2017/leadership-lessons/article/1423013.

Schein, E.H. (2004). Organizational Culture and Leadership (3rd ed.). New Jersey: Wiley.

Seel, R. (2000). Culture & Complexity. Organisations & People, 7 (2), 2-9.

Sobhi, A. (2009). Strategy Lenses. Retrieved from

http://knowledgepipe.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/strategy-lenses.html.

19
Spender, J.C. (2014). Business Strategy. Oxford: University Press.

Statista. (2017). Number of Morrisons stores in the United Kingdom. Retrieved from
https://www.statista.com/statistics/382340/morrisons-number-of-stores-united-kingdom-uk/.

Steiner, G.A. (2010). Strategic Planning (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster.

Stones, M. (2016). Morrisons' supply chain is 'a key strength'. Retrieved from
https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2016/05/06/Morrisons-supply-chain-strengths-key-
point-of-difference.

Suda, L.V. (2008). Aligning strategy, leadership, and culture for project success. In PMI Global
Congress, St Julian's, Malta, Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/aligning-
strategy-leadership-culture-8356.
Thompson, J.L. & Martin, F. (2010). Strategic Management (6th ed.). Andover: Cengage
Learning EMEA.

Sykes, R. (2012). Morrisons Supermarkets - Morrisons Academy. Retrieved from

https://www.bitc.org.uk/our-resources/case-studies/morrisons-supermarkets-morrisons-academy.

Tomlinson, H. (2002, September 14). Sir Ken Morrison: Methuselah is the Solomon of
supermarkets. The Independent. Retrieved from
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/sir-ken-morrison-methuselah-is-the-solomon-
of-supermarkets-176931.html

Tottman, M. (2011). Morrisons. Retrieved from

https://www.slideshare.net/mattbentley34/morrisons-analysis-of-preseen-case-study.

Tribe, J. (2016). Strategy for Tourism (2nd ed.). Oxford: Goodfellow Publishers Ltd.

Vandevelde, M. (2017, February 1). Supermarket tycoon Sir Ken Morrison dies aged
85. Financial Times. Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/7b5f24a8-e882-11e6-893c-
082c54a7f539

Wainwright, M. & Finch, J. (2008, June 6). Sir Ken queries Morrisons' southern view. The
Guardian. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2008/jun/06/morrisons.supermarkets

Wirtz, B., Schilke, O., & Ullrich, S. (2010). Strategic Development of Business Models. Long
Range Planning, 43(1), 272-290.
Wright, G. (2017, June 27). Morrisons achieves strongest sales performance of ‘big four’
grocers. The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved from
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/retail/morrisons-achieves-strongest-sales-performance-
of-big-four-grocers-1-8617277

Yoxall, L. (2009). Market Street concept lifts Morrisons' profile. Retrieved from
https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/market-street-concept-lifts-morrisons-profile/913113.

20
Appendices

Appendix 1: Morrisons History

Source: Tottman (2011). Morrisons. Retrieved from

https://www.slideshare.net/mattbentley34/morrisons-analysis-of-preseen-case-study

Appendix 2: Morrisons Profits

Source: Vinter (2015). Morrisons surprises analysts with good Christmas sales – but there’s still a
big problem. Retrieved from http://www.londonlovesbusiness.com/business-
news/retail/morrisons-surprises-analysts-with-good-christmas-sales-but-theres-still-a-big-
problem/11673.article

21
Appendix 3: Morrisons Customer Base

Source: Morrisons (2017). Where we deliver. Retrieved from

http://groceries.morrisons.com/webshop/quickReg.do

Appendix 4: Morrisons 6 priorities

Source: Morrisons (2017). Preliminary Results. Retrieved from

http://seekingalpha.com/article/4053663-wm-morrison-supermarkets-plc-2016-q2-results-
earnings-call-slides

Appendix 5: Morrisons 5 ways of working

Source: Morrisons (2017). Our future. Retrieved from https://www.morrisons.jobs/about-

morrisons/our-story
22