Adoption of vertical integration towards business performance excellence: a case study

Abstract

This study examines the case study organization’s achievement of business excellence or success through vertical integration, which is considered an outdated strategy by recent scholars. This study examines the case study organization's business excellence or success through vertical integration, which is considered an outdated strategy by recent scholars. Using a single case study strategy, this study investigates why the case study organization moved to vertical integration as a key strategic initiative and explores how vertical integration drives performance excellence in the case study organization. This explores vertical integration in a Sri Lankan retail company, focusing on the motivations and rationale behind its adoption as a strategic practice for business excellence, using a qualitative approach to explore an organizational strategy of vertical integration into the company's operations. Data collection methods include in-depth interviews and focus group discussions and This study's data analysis is based on thematic analysis. This study mainly applies institutional theory as the theoretical framework to investigate the phenomenon under investigation. The research site of this study, which is called Evergreen Mart to preserve its anonymity, is a leading retail operator's subsidiary in Sri Lanka. Through the research findings, the purpose of the study is to discuss how this case study can adopt vertical integration as a successful business strategy. Evergreen Mart collectively covers the major aspects of business performance excellence, including operational efficiency, financial performance, supply chain reliability, and customer satisfaction according to interviews and focus group discussions. By linking these areas with the strategic initiative of vertical integration, this study can finally say that vertical integration contributes to a successful strategy in pursuit of business performance excellence for sustainable success in the competitive market environment of Evergreen Mart.