SG7001 Assignment Sample – Managing Strategy, Operations and Partnerships 2022
Introduction
Modern companies and business houses require competitive advantages and effective strategies to ensure their survival, growth, development, and profitability in the long run (Sudha and Sheena, 2017). Moreover, strong competitive factors and advantages set a good image and reputation of a brand in the mindset of the target customers. The present report sheds light on the competitive factors and advantages of Atelier Chiang Mai.
The company is a well-established cloth manufacturer based in Thailand. The report is crucial to highlight the three major issues or challenges faced by the cloth manufacturer. The RACE model is applied to highlight the issues and propose effective strategic directions. Lastly, the report explains and evaluated the viability as well as the robustness of the proposed strategic directions.
Content and analysis
Competitive benefits
Atelier Chiang Mai is well-established and popular for being a high-end cloth producer in Thailand. The company majorly focuses on designing, manufacturing, and delivering premium-quality clothes (Maček et. al. 2019). Today, the organisation commits and works to provide integrated and excellent services to start-ups, established fashion designers, or reputed brands in the industry.
The cloth manufacturer faced immense challenges and issues in the past few years including competencies and recruitment of the right talent, technological advancements, internationalisation, financial management, and ineffective promotional techniques. The present report will focus on three principal issues which comprise poor promotional techniques, issues with competencies and recruitment of right talent, and financial management.
The cloth manufacturer, Atelier Chiang Mai initiated quick expansion and started offering its high-end quality products to several fashion brands as well as general customers at reasonable prices. The cloth manufacturing company in Thailand launched its official workshop to ensure that the produced clothes do not compromise with defined quality standards.
The established workshop incorporates expert tailors or stitches as well as professional pattern makers and fashion designers. The expert staff and designers of the company aim at manufacturing garments and clothes for reputed fashion brands and capsule collections (Mishra et. al. 2020). However, the company’s workshop is also dedicated to producing per-piece designs and outfits for weddings as well as for the general population as well.
Moreover, the company produces premium quality clothes and textile accessories which also comprise bags and scarves (King and Schramme, 2019). The company possesses a unique and strong competitive advantage in the international fashion industry with an established workshop incorporated with a detailed method of manufacturing. Additionally, the cloth manufacturer also provides contractual guarantees concerning integral aspects of quality control and deadline engagements. Respect of Human Rights and Environmental Issues.
The additional services offered by Atelier Chiang Mai enable it to stand tall against the existing rival firms in the industry. The integrated services comprise fabric sourcing, pattern making and sampling, fabric advice, fabric sourcing, several finishing alternatives, fashion designing, and many more.
Furthermore, the manufacturer also provides personalised and integrated services to its global clients by evaluating and analysing the required product attributes of the clothes and garments. Such a personalised approach helps the company to build and maintain healthy and strong relationships which also helps to retain the loyalty of the existing and potential customers.
Although the cloth manufacturer is well-established, it faces some challenges and problems in recent past years. The issues and problems impose serious effects on the operations and functions of the company. The major issues and challenges comprise poor promotional techniques, financial management, and issues with hiring competent staff and the right talents.
Promotional techniques and marketing activities help a company to boost the sales of products and enhance profitability aspects (Zeithaml et. al. 2018). Effective promotion and product marketing is a key aspect for delivering the firm’s message to its target customers. These techniques help the company to interact and communicate with its target customers.
Organisations use promotional techniques and strategies to speak and communicate in the language preferred by their customers. Additionally, these techniques and excellent strategies help a firm to build strong relationships with customers based on trust and loyalty. It acted as a principal issue faced by Atelier Chiang Mai.
The other issue faced by Atelier Chiang Mai is poor financial management. Financial management is the process that includes strategic planning, organising, directing, and controlling the financial sources and undertakings in a company (Makhloufi et. al. 2018). Furthermore, the process also includes implementing management principles to the financial assets possessed by the firm, while also playing a crucial role in fiscal management.
Atelier Chiang Mai faced several issues in the application of financial principles and utilising the funds at various projects and assets. Financial management is the most important determinant which drives a firm towards the path of success. Hence, the company encountered serious challenges related to financing.
The third problem faced by Atelier Chiang Mai is the recruitment of talented personnel and competent staff. For a fashion company, recruitment of competent pattern makers, designers, stitches, workers, and other staff members is a very critical task (Forrest and Nightingale, 2017). The company faced immense challenges in identifying the required talent and competent staff members who will give their best to the organisation.
Moreover, the designers and pattern makers should possess unique talent of always staying updated with the fast-changing consumer trends and preferences in the fashion industry. Hence, it acted as a complex issue to the Atelier Chiang Mai Company.
Development of Corporate strategic options
Developing strategic frameworks and courses of action is critical for an organisation, thereby, ensuring its survival and long-term profitability in the concerned industry. Corporate strategy options support a firm to build a strong and unique competitive advantage, formulate plans, and drive the company towards the path of success (Edwards, 2018).
Furthermore, effective strategies also improve the levels of effectiveness and efficiency at the workplace. In the context of Atelier Chiang Mai, the company should access and analyse the key issues and problems to develop effective and promising corporate strategy options. The RACE model is proved to be the most appropriate one to assess and analyse the corporate strategic options.
The RACE Model
The RACE Model is observed to the most effective and the best suitable to develop an effective and strong PR plan for an organisation (Chaffey, 2020). RACE is an acronym for Research, Action and Planning, Communication and relationship building, and Evaluation. The model comprises five steps that aim at determining the problem, develop a course of action or a suitable framework, and analyse the outcomes.
The model will immensely support Atelier Chiang Mai to identify, assess, and analyse the major issues and problems which is crucial to develop a promising action plan and ensure growth in the long run. Furthermore, the developed and framed action plan will eventually enable Atelier Chiang Mai to focus on eliminating the three defined issues: ineffective promotional techniques, poor financial management, and challenges with the recruitment of competent and talented personnel.
Figure 1The RACE Model
(Source: Chaffey, 2020)
The first stage of the RACE model is Research which emphasises undertaking proper researches and a careful assessment of different stakeholders’ groups concerned with the company and hence, determines and describes the issue or the opportunity (Ihlen and Fredriksson, 2018). The next step of Action and planning involves the development or framing of a suitable action plan focusing on the adoption and implementation of effective strategies and meet the fast-changing trends and demands of the customers.
This step also involves the communication and transfer of useful information and data combined with appropriate ways to reach and address the target audience. The next stage of Communication and relationship building deals with delivering the company’s message and values to its target customers through the use of powerful media platforms.
The final step of the RACE model is to evaluate the outcomes or the result. It helps an organisation to ensure whether the results are aligned with the initial objectives of the process and to evaluate the effectiveness of the chosen medial platform in delivering the firm’s message.
The design and development of effective corporate strategic options for the cloth manufacturer, Atelier Chiang Mai involves the factors of poor financial management, ineffective promotional techniques, and challenges in the recruitment of competent and talented personnel.
To mitigate and eliminate these issues, the cloth manufacturer should undertake researches focusing on identifying the key areas which need to be improved and demand attention (Moloney, 2019). It should determine the factors which are contributing to poor management of funds and finance.
The key strategies to overcome this issue and improve financial management are to monitor the current financial position of the company by assessing the acquired assets and liabilities, meet tax deadlines, and evaluate the day-to-day costs of production and administration. Moreover, the company should strive to become more efficient and control overhead costs, regularly update accounts and financial statements, evaluate the available financial sources before acquiring funds, and lastly to control stock (Sudha and Sheena, 2017).
The cloth manufacturing concern should ensure that effective financial management should not compromise with the quality of the clothes and it should maintain a satisfied workforce.
The current adopted promotional techniques of Atelier Chiang Mai are less effective and incompetent in addressing the target customers in the international fashion industry. The issue of poor promotional and marketing strategies will affect the sales and eventually the profitability aspects of the company (Maček et. al. 2019).
The strategies which should be adopted and implemented by Atelier Chiang Mai include better know and analyse the needs of the target customers and get involved with them. The company can fulfil this purpose by conducting researches and surveys including a questionnaire to analyse the needs and demands of fashion-oriented customers.
Moreover, the cloth manufacturer should take full advantage of local directories, use local media channels, gather and post testimonials, and effectively use social media to interact, communicate, and engage with the audience. These techniques will offer more personalised tough to the customers and hence contribute to boosting product sales.
A cloth manufacturing concern demands competent and powerful staff which includes fashion designers, pattern makers, fabric experts, advisers and professionals, and professional tailors or stitches (Mishra et. al. 2020). To beat the competition in the fashion industry, Atelier Chiang Mai should recruit competent and talented staff members and designers.
The strategies which should be adopted by the company include undertaking competitive research and employer branding and marketing. Moreover, the company should target and nurture the employees and designers. Also, the cloth manufacturer should provide a full job description and requirements so that it attracts potential candidates.
Other strategies include pre-screening questions, employee referral, and advocacy programs, chat bots, and video interviews. These techniques will test the skills and abilities of the potential candidates and will enable the company to recruit the best talents and competent staff members (King and Schramme, 2019). Hence, the proposed strategic directions will help Atelier Chiang Mai to mitigate or eliminate the challenges and issues, thereby, ensuring its growth and development in the long run.
Proposal
Design, development, and framing of corporate strategic options hold utmost importance for modern organisations, thereby, ensuring the achievement of defined goals and objectives (Zeithaml et. al. 2018). In the current scenario, Atelier Chiang Mai should adopt and implement the proposed effective strategies for mitigating and eliminating the challenges and problems highlighted above. The objectives of the strategic proposal include:
- To determine strong and unique strategies for assessing and mitigating the issues and problems faced by Atelier Chiang Mai.
- To determine and evaluate the issues related to financial management and different aspects related to it.
- To adopt and implement effective strategies and activities focusing on enhancing financial management and analysing the available sources of finance.
- To determine the key methods and techniques to enhance product promotion and marketing activities.
- To enable the company to create a strong competitive advantage and a brand name in the fashion industry.
- To identify and apply corporate strategies focusing on the recruitment of competent and talented personnel.
The above proposed corporate strategic options aim at helping Atelier Chiang Mai to gain strong competitive advantages in the international fashion industry. The needs and requirements of the modern corporate world require effective and unique solutions (Makhloufi et. al. 2018). In the present context, the cloth manufacturer should ensure its strength and competencies in the internal as well as the external business environment.
Furthermore, financial management plays the most important role in determining the health, status, and position of a firm in the country (Forrest and Nightingale, 2017). It also helps the firm to know and understand the areas in which funds should be allocated in the most effective way.
The proposed strategic directions will immensely help Atelier Chiang Mai to analyse and evaluate different aspects of financial management. These include meeting tax liabilities, controlling stock, cutting overhead costs and expenses, regularly updating accounts and other statements, and analysing each available source of raising funds. Hence, the proposed strategies and techniques will help the firm to strengthen its financial management and acquire a strong position in the international fashion industry.
The next proposed strategic direction includes the adoption and implementation of effective and powerful promotional techniques. It is important to deliver the message and vision of a company to its target audience and customer group in order to influence them and attract them towards the company’s products (Edwards, 2018). It eventually leads to increased sales of the products and enhanced profitability of the firm.
The proposed strategic options are viable and ensure an effective promotional mix of the produced clothes and garments. It will also deliver the message, values, and vision of Atelier Chiang Mai to its target customers who will further enable the company to gain a strong competitive advantage and capture a significant market share in the international fashion industry.
The effective use of social media platforms will enable the cloth manufacturer to communicate and interact with its existing as well as prospective customers, thereby, retaining their interest and loyalty towards the company’s clothes and garments.
The third proposed corporate strategic direction highlights the implementation of techniques concerning the recruitment of competent and talented personnel. It is vital and very crucial for Atelier Chiang Mai to ensure the recruitment of competent and right fashion designers, pattern makers, stitchers, fashion experts, and manufacturing workers.
It will enable the cloth manufacturer to ensure competitiveness and acquire great strengths in the global fashion industry (Ihlen and Fredriksson, 2018). Moreover, the selection and recruitment of the right personnel will drive the firm towards the path of success and long-term growth. It will also ensure unique advantages in terms of innovative ideas and creative techniques for undertaking different operations at the workplace.
Hence, the three proposed strategic directions are effective and offer excellent solutions to Atelier Chiang Mai focusing on mitigation and elimination of the three issues and challenges faced by the company.
Conclusion
The present report concludes that competitive advantages strengthen the position and status of an organisation in the concerned industry. The report observed the case study of Atelier Chiang Mai and assessed three major issues faced by it.
The issues included poor financial management, ineffective promotional and marketing techniques, and challenges in the recruitment of competent and talented personnel. The RACE model proposed effective strategic directions to the company. Lastly, the report evaluated the viability and robustness of the proposed strategic options and directions concerning Atelier Chiang Mai.
References
Edwards, L., (2018). Understanding public relations: Theory, culture and society. Sage.
Forrest, J.Y.L. and Nightingale, J., (2017). Successfully transition into the era of transient competitive advantages. Northeastern Association of Business, Economics and Technology, p.73.
Ihlen, Ø. and Fredriksson, M. eds., (2018). Public relations and social theory: Key figures, concepts and developments. Routledge.
King, I. and Schramme, A., (2019). Fashioning a master’s degree. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 18(2-3).
Maček, A., Kros, J. and Bobek, V., (2019). International franchising in the fashion industry from the franchisor perspective. Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development, 12(1), pp.49-66.
Makhloufi, L., Noorulsadiqin, A.Y. and Fadhilah, Y., (2018), February. Effect of it personnel capabilities on the sustainable competitive advantages. In Proceedings of the 2nd Conference on Technology & Operations Management (2ndCTOM) Universiti Utara Malaysia, Kedah, Malaysia.
Mishra, S., Jain, S. and Malhotra, G., (2020). The anatomy of circular economy transition in the fashion industry. Social Responsibility Journal.
Moloney, K., (2019). Rethinking public relations. Routledge
Sudha, M. and Sheena, K., (2017). Impact of influencers in consumer decision process: the fashion industry. SCMS Journal of Indian Management, 14(3), pp.14-30.
Zeithaml, V.A., Bitner, M.J. and Gremler, D.D., (2018). Services marketing: Integrating customer focus across the firm. McGraw-Hill Education,.
Online:
Chaffey, 2020. The RACE Model. [Online:]. [Accessed through]:<https://www.davechaffey.com/digital-marketing-glossary/race-marketing-planning-model/>
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