MGT4009 The InternalEnvironment of Tesco

Tesco Plc have been recording continuous improvement in their physical assets. The company invest in huge capital expenditure to improve their business operationality. Tesco have initiated an investment of huge initial capital outflow in a quest to refurbish UK stores, development of new  products, and repositioning, as well as delivering of better customer service (Prange, 2016).

1.1.4 Intangible Resources

Tesco has a graduate scheme which attracts fresh graduates for young graduate executives for positive contributions to the management of the company(Sekhar, 2009). Moreover, Tesco has achieved tremendous improvement due to continuous training on new employees before being deployed in the organization. The aim of training programmes is geared toward improving the customer service of the employees which is the core business of many organizations.

According to Williamson et al. (2013), the company has invested in innovation strategy through creativity in the retailing industry by being the first online retail company in the united kingdom. The company furthermore, continues to invest in new technologies to reach customers and improve the shopping experience. Customers through innovation can scan their products as they shop and bill them.

2.0 Organizational Capabilities

The resource-based view model aims at the company’s assets which as either tangible or intangible (Harvey and Jones, 2013). Therefore, the company core competencies that are employed into the transformation of inputs to outputs is referred to as organizational capabilities. Tesco entire management and its skills in the in the task job creates an innovative approach on the services an products delivery. Moreover, employees training ensures effective branding of products and adoption of technology in the transformation of inputs to output. The adoption of a quality improvements program has also seen a considerable utilization of the available company resources (Morden, 2012).

2.1 Tesco PLC Assessment Tools Analysis

2.1.1 The McKinsey 7-S Framework

To ensure the efficiency of the organizational processes and activities, this model is applicable. It assists the company to analyze the extent to which the objectives and goals of the organization have been achieved. This Assessment tool is one of the best to analyze the position of the company in the market. The elementary model of this assessment tool have seven internal factors that a company needs to align to enhance its business strategy (Egner, 2009). The alignment is required to:

• Improve the performance of the company
• Examine the effect of internal factors to the management of the company
• Enhance implementation of proposed strategies

Strategy- Tesco uses marketing communication to pursues cost leadership business strategy. It assists in the organization of the processes of the supermarket chain. The use of strategy improves the use of excessive exploitation  to augment economies scale. Furthermore, it enhance bargaining power to deal with suppliers in securing low purchasing costs.

Structure- Tesco has a hierarchical structure in place which includes many management levels from the stores sales persons to the top management and the CEO. The company has a work ethic where there is no ‘one leader’ as work is done through the different hierarchy levels to achieve successful strategies.

Systems-Tesco supply chain depend on wide and spread a variety of systems in meeting the daily demands. In the determination of its strategies, the company uses a navigation wheel smartly applied to command a better future.

Style- The working style of the company emphasizes the employee performance, customers, operations, and customers.

Skill- Tesco manages comprehensive wealth of skills that enable the employees of the company to discharge their duties effectively and efficiently. The skills has enabled the employees and the management to meet the set code of standards in the of Tesco Company.

Other strategies are the shared values across the organization and the employed staff that works for Tesco Plc.

1.2.3 Tesco Plc Balance Scorecard Analysis

This is a tool for performance measurement utilized in key administration to enhance distinctive inner elements of the organization and their subsequent outside outcomes (Kaplan and Norton, 1995). The core function of the balanced scorecard is to attempt measure and afterward give criticism on various internal capacities to the organization to aid the execution of procedures and goals. Balance scorecard measures the following:

Customer Perspective

Tesco uses steering wheel that helps appeal to all the targeted segments of the market rather than focusing on a particular market segment. The company has more staff which helps in improving service delivery. The company also create many jobs and careers that encourage excellent customer services (Williamson et al., 2013).

Internal Business Process Perspective

Tesco plc measures the success of the organization based on the metrics of the internal business perspective. This perspective emphasis on the internal processes that the company desires to attain its customer objectives and financial strategies. There are many processes used to identify the strategies that takes place in this strategy. The internal processes include innovation processes, operation processes and after services processes (Prange, 2016).

Operations Management Processes

Tesco relies on managing its retail processes through local businesses. The connection of the company to the locals through jobs creation and services allows build relationship with customers. Tesco company works closely with the local farmer in improving the standards of the farm produces in terms of ethics before being made available to the entire retail stores chains.

Learning and Growth Perspective

Tesco plc is a learning company as it comes to customer services and convenience. Tesco believes in innovation by initiating a technology to curb the concept of shop liffting that it follows to provide amenities to its customers. Learning and growth propels the company to makes sure that every worker of the firm is conscious of their role in providing customer services (Pham-Gia, 2009).

3.0 Industry Analysis: Porter’s Five Forces
The threat of New Entrants
Few competitors majorly dominate the United Kingdom retail food industry as major brands including Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Safeway. The following companies command around 70% market share while other firms command the other percentage.

The entrance of new investors in this market is quite difficult due to the high initial investment in the market. Furthermore, investment in large chains integrated with advanced technology such as investments done by Tesco is quite expensive (E. Dobbs, 2014).

Bargaining Power of Suppliers
The purchasing power of supplier for Tesco Plc is low due to a huge number of suppliers across the UK who are ready to sell their products in the supermarket. Due to high number of suppliers in the market interested in supplying Tesco Plc, the company has a high bargaining power of the suppliers (Takeda, 2016).

Bargaining Power of Customers
According to Porter, customers bargaining influences the pricing of products and services. Therefore to reduce the bargainning power of the customers, products ought to be standardized  to reduce the probability of switching cost which increases the purchasing power of buyers. Tesco’s strategy in meeting their customer needs, customizing service, low pricing, innovative varieties of brands and continual flow of in-store promotions have enabled the company to build a strong customer base. The significant demands of food products by consumers in the supermarkets have changed the retailing business in the UK. Moreover, Tesco have diversified into banking, new markets and pharmacies etc. Therefore, consumers being aware of the business environment about fair trades and infuences of consumers expectation in the western world it raises expectations of customers (Sekhar, 2009).

Threat of Substitutes
The threat of substitution can reduce the demand for products from the customers. Customers will either change the products preference or look for substitute products. Tesco grocery industry has witnessed a range of various products that can be substituted by consumers is prices and quality of the products fails. Tesco uses the strategy of acquisition of existing small-scale retailers and operators to curb the problem of substitute products (Wiedemann, 2013).

Bargaining Power of Competitors
The market of operation of Tesco Plc has witnessed significant growth in the size and market dominance of groceries vendors. This has led to an increase in players and greater retail concentration which leads to high level of competition in the industry. Moreover, the purchasing power of the food-retailing sector is focused on a  moderately insignificant number of retail buyers. These operators carry-out their business in a developed, flat market where growth is robust, and consumers are progressively demanding and sophisticated. This makes large food-chains industries as Tesco to survey consumer information which is useful in communicating consumer needs to the products developments(Morden, 2012).

3.1 Ansoff matrix 

Ansoff Matrix is a method of performance evaluation which changes the nature of the business plan and strategy to achieve the set objectives (Fortin, 2017). According to this, strategy, the company will able to evaluate the sales and marketing development of existing products as well as decide to diversify the communication and entertainment products into another category. This matrix gives the knowledge to the target customer needs. Ansoff matrix applies the analysis of the customer feedback and market survey reports to devise strategies of marketing.

4.0 Strategic Planning

Tesco Plc growth strategies identified above are key to enhancing a  market competitive positioning of the company. The firm utilize all the available organizational resources to gain a large market share. Considering the competitive market in the UK supermarket industry, Tesco adopt a hybrid strategy to compete favaourable with the giant supermarkets such as sainsbury’s. Initially Sainsbury’s was a dominant supermarket with differentiated supermarket retailers, however, Tesco used a price market penetration strategy to register its presence in the market. Tesco’s strategy changed significantly after adopting increased size and number of stores and still selling cheap as compared with other competitors. Consequently, Tesco breakthrough is due to its high-quality products but still perceived as cheaply priced as compared to the other competitors. This is the hybrid strategy that has significantly assisted the company gain dominance in the market (Johnson et al., 2009).

Using the generic porter’s strategy, Tesco have much more negotiating power of its suppliers. This high bargaining power is a major source of pressure for the company to obtain high quality products with fair prices from its suppliers.

Using the Pestel analysis, it is evident that the success of Tesco Plc is not the external environment components but rather a large percentage on its internal environment. The internal strategic capabilities have enabled the company to achieve a superior performance in comparison with its competitors. Tesco’s retail sites, the management and their experience enable the company to achieve competitive advantage. This is so because these capabilities cannot be replicated by its rivals. The concept of internal organization capabilities assists in producing products at lower cost and generating a superior product or service at reduced costs in comparison with companies with inferior capabilities (Kim and Mauborgne, 2015).

The strategic change in the vison of the company aided in the success of its penetration in the market. Tesco adjusted its strategies from Food to No-food products, then Tesco retailers in a variety of products and services. This led to differentiation which increased the competitiveness of the company in the market.

5.0 Conclusions

Tesco is one of the leading grocery retail company in the current global market. The company has employed many strategies to keep afloat in the competitive industry in which it thrives. Tesco plc has applied strategies such as generic porter strategies, balance scorecard, Pestel analysis, Ansoff model, McKinsey 7-S, etc. This assignment conducted the various analysis to know the exact position of the company. By applying the balanced scorecard, McKinsey 7-S and Porters 5 forces, it is evident that the company business strategies are crucial to market positioning.

The company is successively efficiently but it is having its significant market share in the UK, and with the declining economic condition of the UK economy it is necessary for the company to look for some other options to central its progress, profit, and leadership in the market. Tesco financial strategy is robust with various investment projects and strategies which is forecasted to provide high returns in future.

References 

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Fortin, F. 2017. Ansoff Matrix Essntials, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.

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Kim, W. C. & Mauborgne, R. 2015. Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How To Create Uncontested Market Space And Make The Competition Irrelevant, Harvard Business Review Press.

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