GRANSDEN CATALOGUE COMPANY

Gransden Catalogue Company



Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION3

Strengths3

Weaknesses5

Opportunities6

Threats7

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS7

FINDING9

Decision-making processes in Gransden Catalogue Company9

The impact of management styles on employee relations in Gransden Catalogue Company11

Pay bargaining12

Interpersonal relationships at the workplace13

RECOMMENDATION14

CONCLUSION16

REFERENCES17

Gransden Catalogue Company

Introduction

We examine the Gransden Catalogue Company in its present state. A SWOT analysis is used to identify areas in which one can exploit strengths, minimise weaknesses, capitalise on opportunities, and minimise threats. This SWOT assessment offers a snapshot picture of the Gransden Catalogue Company's strategic position at the present time (Hackbarth and Kettinger, 2000).

Making a general analysis of “the Gransden Catalogue Company” gives us too little indication of where e-business can affect the organisation. It is useful to carry out four individual SWOT assessments to ensure that all relevant aspects are covered; each assessment focuses on a specific area. Both the organisation itself and the product have to be investigated. Karjalainen (1999) divides the value structure of a firm's offering into three value adding components: product, transaction and service. Taking these three components and adding the organisational aspect leads us to four aspects.

The four SWOT analyses together provide an overview of both the firm itself and its offering regarding aspects relevant to e-business. The example below will illustrate the specific e-business aspects for each of these analyses.

Strengths

A name that is already recognized in the market.

There exists many different ways of searching a product

In the clearance section, there are some products you can only buy on the web.

Web only discounts may make it favorable to visit the website instead of the physical location.

Rebate section bundles all mail-in rebate offers onto one page.

The "learn MORE" section gives the shopper an alternative to attaining product knowledge from a salesperson.

There is a section in more information that explains what all the buttons in the site mean.

Future shop guarantees lowest price on all their merchandise. If the price is lower somewhere else, Future shop will refund 110% of the difference of the price.

The use of cookies to allow the retailer to make the site more interactive and to give you, our valued customers, a better shopping experience.

The customer is able to track purchases.

You can create your own account, and that encourages repeat visits and repeat purchases.

Clearly detailed and well-outlined privacy policy with explanation of cookies and their purpose.

Free shipping on many products.

You can compare the specifications of up to 8 products at a time on one page.

Seem more listing of a particular brand or type of product with one click.

Customer reviews for most products.

Complete solution including product delivery and installation, as well as supplementary product service plans offered through the site.

Measurements of all products are included in specifications.

Future Shop is a member of the Verisign network and uses the SSL protocol in 128 bit encryption.

Future Shop has an online newsletter.

Weaknesses

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