Introduction

This document introduces the case study used in the assessment for the module. Your task is to work as a consultant and complete a strategy project for your client, Pippa Knight. The situation facing Pippa is described below. Additional information and videos will be released to enable you to complete the project.

Initial Case Study Briefing:

Your client is Pippa Knight, the founder and Managing Director of PK Sports Horses (PKSH). PKSH is a successful business based in East Yorkshire which has reached an important point in its development. The business involves a range of equine services which can be summarized in 4 main areas: rider coaching, horse livery (accommodation for horses), competition livery (competing owners’ horses) and the production of sports horses. Pippa is a professional event rider and the business affords her the opportunity to follow her dream – to compete at the most prestigious events in England and Europe.

In terms of rider coaching, Pippa delivers around 8 clinics per month at various locations where she provides lessons to riders of all levels. Each clinic has around 8 riders who pay £55 each. Horse livery is provided at her own yard and can be of 3 types: schooling, sales and full. These range from £450/month for full livery, and £550 for schooling and sales livery. Competition livery is different and clients pay from £600+ for this service. Competition livery is vital for Pippa’s competitive dreams. Producing horses involves breeding foals or buying 3-4 year-olds and selling them on at around 7-9 years. Pippa does both of these.

PKSH grew from Pippa’s love of horses and passion for the Olympic sport of “eventing”. Eventing is like horse triathlon and involves the disciplines of dressage, cross-country and show jumping. She is now 40 years old and has been competing at a high level for over 20 years. For most of her career, her goal has been to compete at the highest levels – events such as Badminton (UK), Burghley (UK), Luhmühlen (GER) and Kentucky (USA). In order to do this she must attract owners of horses for competition livery. Such owners pay Pippa to ride their horses; they want to attend the events and see their horses compete at the highest levels. Pippa also keeps some of the horses she is producing to compete at the high levels too, although the temptation is always to sell for a high price. Horses need to be around 10 years old at least to reach that level and peak around 13-16 years. Although Pippa has never won one of these events, she has represented Team GB in some events and has been on the podium at both Badminton and Burghley. She’s a fantastic rider and very well trained.

With Pippa getting older, her goals and values are changing. She knows her best riding days are mostly behind her and she now wants to make the business more efficient and increase its productivity. Competing horses requires immense amounts of travelling around England and sometimes the world. She’d like to reduce the amount of travelling she does and try to delegate more of the activities of the business. She wants to innovate her business and perhaps explore new ways of achieving revenues and leveraging her knowledge and contacts.

The yard currently has a range of facilities including 20 stables, a horse walker, 8 acres of grass paddocks, 2 all-weather canter tracks and an all-weather arena. PKSH employs 2 full-time yard staff, one ‘head girl’ and a ‘working rider apprentice’. She is also supported by her father, mother, husband and friends at certain times of the year and at certain events. She runs a large Mercedes horsebox which can carry up to 6 horses and in which they all live while away competing (which is many weekends from spring to autumn).

Answer