- In this final assignment, you will be adding your recommendations for improving the information system’s infrastructure that you researched and completed in the Workshop Two summary of your organization’s mission, goals, and strategies and the Workshop Four organizational SWOT analysis.
- This last phase of the final project will be your recommendations based upon the SWOT analysis you conducted in Workshop Four.
- You should identify at least four improvements and provide a thorough explanation for each of your recommendations.
- Your final paper should include the following sections:
Introduction
Summary of the organization’s mission, goals, and strategies from the Workshop Two paper
SWOT analysis from the Workshop Four paper
Recommendations as noted for this section above
Conclusion
References - The total length of the paper should be 10–15 pages. You may use graphics or other features within your paper; however, these do not count toward the 10–15 page total.
- Make sure your paper is double-spaced and uses APA format. The paper should have a minimum of five references.
2
SWOT analysis
Introduction
In analyzing an organization, it is essential to look at both the external and internal factors that affect the performance of an organization and its operations. SWOT analysis is an analysis that looks at both the internal factors and the external factors. It is a framework that can be used to evaluate the competitive strategy and the competitiveness of an organization. The SWOT analysis includes its strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats related to an organization.
SWOT analysis
Strengths
There are various strengths that the organization has, and one of them is high financial performance. The company’s financial performance is indicated by the ROI, net profit, and gross margins and hence a high performance means that the business is making enough revenues. High financial performance is suitable for an organization because it will enable the company to have enough funds for expansion and even meet operational expenses and short-term obligations in the business (Benzaghta et al., 2021). The affordability of the products the organization sells can be considered a strength, and this is because the affordability of products will help attract and retain customers in the organization.
The organization has a variety of products, which attracts more customers because they have a lot of products from which they can select. The business has a positive brand image, which means that the customers and the public have a positive idea of the business, which is a good thing. The positive brand image is because of the affordability of the products sold by the business and the organization’s focus towards ensuring that the well-being of its employees and customers is protected (Teoli et al., 2019). The business’s customer service is excellent, which means that customers who buy from the organization have a positive customer experience. This is good because it helps encourage repeat purchases.
Weaknesses
Despite the excellent performance of the organization, it has various weaknesses that it needs to work on so that it can achieve a good performance. One, the organization has lousy management, which means that the people in charge oversee the activities and the operations within the organization (Teoli et al., 2019). Bad management is a serious problem because without structures and policies in place to ensure that the activities within the entity run smoothly. Without a proper management framework, the organization faces challenges because it cannot push staff and employees towards attaining long-term goals and objectives.
Another weakness of the organization is that the employees are inefficient. The employees are not efficient and lack the motivation to put in efforts towards the organization’s vision and goals. Inefficiency means that employees do not maximumly use their skills and the available resources to help achieve the business’s purposes. Another weakness is that the supply chain is not adequate. There are disruptions in the flow of goods from the distributors to the company; the organization has to wait for a long time before they get the products they order from the suppliers.
Opportunities
The organization has various opportunities that it can take advantage of to help it grow. One of them is to identify new markets in new locations where the products sold can fetch market. E-commerce is becoming a trend, and the organization can effectively increase its revenues if it can sell the products online because it will reach a broader market (Teoli et al., 2019). Additionally, the organization can improve its performance by forming mergers with other organizations and through acquisitions.
Threats
One of the threats that the organization is facing is competition. Since the industry is open with limited trade barriers, it is easy for new companies to get into the industry and become a threat to the organization. Another threat is economic uncertainties that could lead to increased prices for materials and goods, lowering the profits (Vlados, 2019). The organization shares its information online, exposing it to cybercrime, hackers, and crackers who want to use the data for malicious reasons.
Conclusion
To help recommend ways to improve a business, it is first imperative to assess the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. From the analysis, the organization is doing well because it has enormous profits, various products, and very affordable prices. Recommendations should be geared towards improving the weaknesses of the organization.
References
Benzaghta, M. A., Elwalda, A., Mousa, M. M., Erkan, I., & Rahman, M. (2021). SWOT
analysis applications: An integrative literature review. Journal of Global Business Insights, 6(1), 55-73.
Teoli, D., Sanvictores, T., & An, J. (2019). SWOT analysis.
Vlados, C. (2019). On a correlative and evolutionary SWOT analysis. Journal of Strategy
and Management.
SWOT analysis
Strengths
1. High financial performance.
2. Affordability of products.
3. Availability of variety of products.
4. Positive brand image.
5. Good customer service
Weaknesses
1. Bad management
2. Inefficient employees
3. Bad supply chain
Opportunities
1. Expand into new markets
2. E commerce business
3. Forming mergers and acquiscitions to reach a bigger market.
Threats
1. Competition from new entrants
2. Disruptions of the economy causing an increase in prices of products.
3.Cyber security issues
2
Walmart Inc.
1. Introduction – Walmart Inc.
Walmart Inc. is an American international retail organization that operates a chain of supermarkets and hypermarkets. The business has its headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, and has opened branches over the United States and in other countries. The company has its shelves stocked with various items such as hardware, automotive products, household items, foodstuffs, houseware, clothing, and shoes, among many other products. This is the selected organization to use in the assignment, where the focus will be how technology is being utilized in the company to help improve its services.
2. The mission of Walmart Inc.
The company’s mission statement is “to save people so that they can live better.” This reflects the company’s ideals when starting the company, where the business aimed at saving people’s money. The company focuses its strategies on pricing; they offer competitive and friendly prices. The company focuses on attracting customers by offering lower prices compared to the prices shown by other retailers in the industry (Pandey et al., 2021). The company offers affordable prices to increase the overall sales of the organization, and this is because the business more customers prefer friendly prices.
The retail industry has many competitors, and the company aims at staying ahead of the competition by becoming the preferred option because of the prices offered by its stores. The company has geared its operations and strategies towards reducing the costs of production. This is because having low production costs enables the company to sell at low prices and still earn more profits. Costs in the company are reduced by taking advantage of economies of scale.
3. Goals of Walmart Inc.
Walmart Inc. offers a wide range of retail products and pursues various goals. One of the company’s goals is to dominate the retail industry in the countries where the business operates. The company is available in multiple countries, and it works towards being among the top retail stores by ensuring that it has a presence and offers a variety of products. The business aims at having positive reviews from customers all over and being dominant by providing competitive prices that customers cannot find elsewhere.
Another goal of the company is growth and expansion. The company started in the United States and currently has branches all over the country and other parts of the world. The company aims to expand locally; in the United States by identifying market segments where it has the potential to do well. The company invests so much in marketing research, where the business identifies new markets and the strategies that they can use in the market segments to succeed (Burbach, 2021). Identifying the right location for its branches plays a massive role in attracting customers to the products and services it offers.
Walmart Inc. has a goal of developing positive brand recognition. The company wants its customers and other stakeholders to associate the business with friendly and affordable prices. The company makes this possible through the use of advertisements and public relations. Promotions are used to inform the customers and potential customers on available branches, offerings, and the benefits of buying from the business. Walmart structures its advertisements based on pricing, and this is because of how it has positioned itself (Burbach, 2021). Public relations manage media and how the company is represented. Walmart ensures that the positive brand image is reflected in customer reviews, the number of repeat purchases the overall sales made by the business.
4. Technology systems and strategy
The company has leveraged technology using automation to make its operations more efficient. The company has automated its process of offloading trucks and sorting inventory, which has helped minimize the time used in manual functions. Walmart Inc. has used technology to get into e-commerce, where the business can offer its products and services to customers (Simms, 2020)). In e-commerce, the business uses fast delivery to ensure that customers get their orders as fast as possible.
Walmart leverages digital innovation, and this is because the company competes with high-tech companies. To make sure that Walmart is a match for companies such as Amazon Inc., which is its direct competitor, the business has formed partnerships with high tech companies such as Adobe and Ford to ensure that technology is used to benefit the organization (Kelly et al., 2021). The company uses information systems such as Management Information System (MIS) to help store and organize important information in the company. The use of information systems in the company makes communication easy to access and retrieve.
5. Conclusion
Walmart Inc. is one of the best retail stores in the United States and beyond, and this is because of the company’s ability to offer competitive prices and brand recognition. The company has a mission of providing low prices, and the goals of the business support this. Walmart works towards building a positive brand image, which is made possible through its cost leadership strategy. Walmart has taken advantage of technology advancements to improve services and stay ahead in the retail industry.
References
Burbach, C. (2021). Walmart Strategic Analysis.
Kelly, B., Papanikolaou, D., Seru, A., & Taddy, M. (2021). Measuring technological
innovation over the long run. American Economic Review: Insights, 3(3), 303-20.
https://corporate.walmart.com/
Pandey, R., Dillip, D., Jayant, J., Vashishth, K., Nikhil, N., Qi, T. J., … & Qhi, L. Y. (2021).
Factors Influencing Organization Success: A Case Study of Walmart. International Journal of Tourism and hospitality in the Asia Pacific (IJTHAP), 4(2), 112-123.
Simms, G. (2020). Walmart Global Technology. Women of Color Magazine, 20(2), 74-79.