Case #8 - Ulta Beauty's Race to Win in an Omnichannel World 1. What grade would you give to CEO Dave Kimbell for his efforts thus far to guide Ulta through the COVID-19 pandemic? 2. What does a SWOT analysis reveal about the attractiveness of Ulta's current situation and future prospects? 3. What do PESTEL and five-force analyses along with a careful examination of case Exhibits 1, 4, and 5 reveal about Ulta's current and prospective operating and competitive environments? How strong are those macroeconomic and competitive forces? 4. What are the major elements of Ulta's strategy? 5. Which one of the five generic competitive strategies discussed in Chapter 5 most closely approximates the competitive approach that Ulta is employing? Has that generic strategy evolved, and if so, how so? 6. What do the operating and financial data in case Exhibits 2, 3, 6. 7 and 8 reveal about Ulta's performance? 7. What 3-4 top priority issues do Mary Dillon, Chair of Ulta's Board, and Dave Kimbell, CEO need to address?