Exploring the Relationship between Risk Management and Business Strategies in the Sports Goods Industry in the City of Sialkot in Pakistan

The purpose of this study is to explore the current state of risk management practice and the influences on it, particularly concerning competitive positioning, in the sports goods industry in the city of Sialkot, Pakistan. This study is based on the analysis of twenty semi-structured interviews. It was conducted with the owners and other key decision makers of sports goods SMEs in Sialkot. The findings indicate that the main obstacle faced in improving risk management practices relates to underestimation of their link to competitive strategizing while determining the long-term strategic options. The value of this study lies in its potential to highlight the competitive situation of Pakistani SMEs within the sports goods industry in the face of increasing competition on the international scale. This study identifies the mutual impact of various types of risks, such as financial risk, reputational risk, strategic risk and price fluctuation risk, on adoption of a particular competitive strategy by SMEs. Altogether, it raises SMEs’ awareness of various business scenarios which would allow them to recognize risks earlier and improve their competitive standing.