Introduction
Mr Pott your uncle has beenrunning your business now for over 30 years continually making a steady profit. However since you became general manager/owner and made significant structural staffing changes along with several other changes your business is now running at a loss, which in turn jeopardises the future of Pott Plants.
Let us start by identifying some of the current problems. If we can identify these problems we can hopefully start looking at finding solutions for these. We shall start to do this by creating a SWOT analysis chart. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
The current delivery company is cheaper than before but less careful with your plants, in the short term your make a saving on delivery costs, however in the long term your external stakeholders will think twice about ordering from you again, which can be more costly.
Recommendations
Your delivery company needs to be replaced with a haulage firm that will promote and take pride in your business.
Look at using one of the Greenhouses for specialised plants and re-establish a unique clientele again, the personal service approach.
Can you persuade Tom to return to the company? Think about trying to get him back on board and bringing back his clientele.
Work with the unions to improve staff moral and pay conditions.
Communicate with the local councillors let them know you can still provide them with Specialised plants.
Introduce a staffing structure ‘provides a framework for the allocation of roles and responsibilities’ (Preston 2006).
With the benefit of these greenhouses can we supply to supermarkets as well as having a specialised department.
References
Preston D. Et al (2006) B120 An introduction to Business Studies, book 1, what is a business? Milton Keynes, Open University, [p. 32, 35 Formal and informal structures].
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