business paper 3 Flashcards
business objectives and strategy
business objectives are what a business hopes to achieve, and a business strategy is what a business does to achieve those objectives
corporate aims
what the business wants to achieve in long term
mission statement
a statement of the aims of a business designed to give stakeholders a sense of direction
corporate objectives
short term targets which are set to help achieve overall goals-
Mission statement BENEFITS
- can create and help support a shared vision for employees which can lead to the greater motivatio and engagement as they understand the aims of the business and as a result there might be increased productivity
- stakeholders will form a better impression/image of the business as a result of readin its mission statement and this might attract investors, which can help a business develop more products and make a bigger portfolio
- customers may agree with the business values and choose them over other competitiors, which gives them a better brand image and a competititve advantage as they differentiate from others.
Mission statement DRAWBACKS
- often its too vague and general or merely statements of the obvious, which does not add to any different aspect of a business and it can seem bland and as it does not have its unique selling point which can put off customers and potential investors.
- unrealistic statements can be demotivating for employees, as they might think they are not good enough to achieve the overall goal for the business, therefore their performance might be bad which can influence companies brand image and therefore not meet the needs of the customers.
Ansoff’s matrix
its a decision making model that can be used to help businesses analyse its strategic options and opportunities for growth.
Market penetration
- same product, same market
its a safest option and its useful if the brand is well known for its porducts therefore they have higher revenue on the same products.
it can increase bran loyalty.
encourage customers to use the product more ofter
its useful if the marekt is growing, there is a good understanding for the product, there can be value added therefore price put higher
the company already has market share and customer base
market development
- same product, new market
existing products may not fit the new market
changes may have to be made to adapt to the new market which can be costly
different pricing policies to attract new customers
tastes and preferences may be different
new customers, have to get their trust, time consuming
cheaper than product development
product development
- same market, new product
suitable for short product life cycle or dynamic markets (trends change quickly)
connected to product innovation and incrased improvement
same market therefore there are customers and this can help extend the life cycle of the product
its costly as there is a higher investment in research and development,
higher risk if the product will be successful
diversification
- new product, new market
highest risk, it takes business outside its area of expertise
well known businesses can take more risks, so its suitble for those businesses
if one product fails, a successful product in another market may prevent the overall business facing problems
might perform poorly compared with more experienced operatiors and gain a bad reputation.
usefulness ansoff’s matrix
+ clear, graphical representation of a corporate strategy and it can help to show risk and potential reward for a given strateg, which can motivate employees in the business, and potential lower the % of mistakes as the strategy is clear and easy to understand.
+ can help a business to assess the degree of risks or resources requieremnet for each option, which can help them be successful and avoid the risk shown
+ helps to identify different ways of growing (organic inorganic?)
drawback ansoff matrix
- just one decision making model, others may be used and could give different readings of the situation and provide more in depth data that would be more useful for the business as it looks at every aspect. Formal market reseach in each market may give better indications of the needs of each new marekt. More research needed to understand the market conditions and customers preferrences.
- it is a theorethical and simplistic tool that takes no accound of changing economic and marekt conditions. Does not considure figures, or actions of competitiors and its subject to external factors that cannot be planned for such as COVID 19.
Porters strategic matrix
method that can be used in the development of a corporate strategy, it helps to identify the sources of competitive advantage that a business might achieve in a market.
cost leadership
- striving to be the lowest cost provider in the mass market
aim is to keep prices the same, but gain higher profit margins
lowering prices to gain market share
companies need a large market share to achieve cost leadership, economies of scale and negotiating with suppliers, to lower the cost
Benefits C.L.
+ can increase demand if price is competiitve (low cost)
+ increased profit margin
Drawbacks C.L.
- can result in poor bran image if prices are lower, customer may think that the quality is bad and they might trust other brands more
differentiation
- operating in a mass market with a unique position (customers value the product a lot)
companies need to offer a level of differentiatoin from the competitors. to add value:
quality, design, custome service, brand, sponsorships
focus
- targeting a narrow range of customers (niche)
it is used by small or very specific companies - cost focus:
focused on cost minimisation within a niche market - differentiation focus:
differentiation within a niche market
Benefits F.
+ as they are focusing on a narrow segment of the market they are able to gain an advantage of understandin its customers well and building relationships which will ensure loyalty and customer base. High level of customer satisfaction and products are specific to their needs.
+ less competitiors and higher profit margins as they can put the prices higher
Benefits D.
+ can charge premium prices (USP)
Drawbacks D.
- high cost for reasearch and marketing to hilhglight unique product and to do marketing and promotion
- others may copy the usp
Focus
- targeting a narrow range of customers (niche market)
its used by smalls or specific companies - cost focus
cost minimasation within niche market - differentiation focus
differentiation within a niche market
Benefits F.
+ as they are focusing on a narrow segment of the market they are able to gain an advantage of understanding its customers well, which leads to high level of customer satisfaction and loyalty products specific to their needs.
+ they have less competitiors and higher profit margins
Drawbacks. F.
- low bargaining power with suppliers, because their product might be really specific
also niche market so they do not order in bulk, therefore no economies of scale.
not a lot of suppliers to make the product therefore they can increase the prices.
Limitations of porters strategic matrix
- ignores other external factors, profit margins and profitability.
- it is only one tool, a business could also use ansoff or portfolio analysis.
- markets are dynamic, while this matrix is generic and not flexible (rigid), therefore it might not show the correct
Portfolio analysis - Boston Matrix
- a method of categorizing all of the products of a firm (portfolio) to see where each one fits within the strategic plans.
Boston Matrix - products evaluated according to competitive position in the market and potential growth rates.
Benefits B.M.
+ visual representation of situation, associated problems or opportunities which can be helpful than just relying on figures. In addition, as market share may be gained though investment in marketing, the matrix helps to focus on a promotion strategy of new ranges and designs to increase sales. It anaylises the current portfolio to help with strategies and growth.
+ its an analysis and it contributes to planning, for example products that have potential for future are identified and business can invest more into them, while products with little or no potential in market place can be withdrawn or re lauched.
Drawbacks B.M.
- it may be too simplistic, compared to financial analysis (or any other). In addition, its only a snapshot of the current portfolio. It has a little or no predictive value and does not take into the account external factors such as compeitiors or changes in trends.
- ## the positioning of products into the boston matrix and interpretation of positions, needs skill and experience which if one does not have can lead to mistakes, which is costly and it can cause a firm to lose money trying to sustain an old product that has been out dated by changes in trends.
Boston Matrix possible conclusion (depend on)
- market share and market growth is just one way of measuring the performance of a product, other factors such as, brand strength, competitive advantage or customer loyalty may be more important for some products. Business considering the overall business may be more important than analysis of individual products.
strategy
- stratgey is more longer term and relates to achieving an overall goal
tactical
- tactics are shorter term actions that help to achieve the strategy (day to day decision)
effect of strategic and tactical decisions on human, physical and financial resources
human resources - impact on the workforce, recruitment, training, redundancy
physical - impact on land, machines, tools, equipment…
financial - impact on financial resources such as raising funds externally/internally, sources of finance
- workers may have to be specially trained. which is more complex and costly, they might feel more motivated to do work because the company is tkaing care of them, or they might feel stressed because they have to fulfill expectations of the company.
- business has to invest more to buy more equipment, more storage , move to a new location
- big companies will have funds however, small bussines no, therefore it is not suitable for them
SWOT analysis
- it allows the business to gather information to then help make decisions regarding strategy
Internal consideration - strengths and weaknesses
External consideration - opportunities and threats
Benefits
+ by identifying its strengths a business will know which areas to further develop
+ areas of the weakness can be identified and addressed and improved
+ possible threath can be identified and planned for, and business can try and lower the effect of them on the business
+ potential opportunities can be explored and developed
Drawbacks
- its time consuming to do the swot analysis and it might delay the introduction of the product to the market, because business wants to make sure they are prepared for everything and can improve the product as much as they can before they put it on the market so the customers are satisfied. However, it does generate a lot of ideas, and information therefore it can be hard to decide. It does not prioritise actions or actually make a decision.
PESTLE
- a framework used for assessing key features of the external environment facing a business.
It can enable the business to identify external factors that will impact positively or negatively.
Political
- competition policy, industry regulatoins, government spendint and tax policiese
Economic
- interest rates, consumer spending and income, exchange rates, GDP
Social
- demographic change, consumers tastes and fashion, chanigng lifestyle