Wace Burgess

Introduction

According to Kotler (2003: p420), a successful brand name 'is essentially a marketer's promise to deliver a specific set of features, benefits and services consistently to the buyers'.

Wace Burgess is a member of the Wace Group, a company that has a massive global presence and is very recognizable in the pre-press and print technology market. Having excellent reputation for quality and responsiveness, the largest part of the production of Wace Burgess is the production of cards. Until now, their main customers were specialist publishers but after the entrance of the big retailers and supermarkets in the marketplace, they started to be interested on them and try to be ranked first in the market. Marks and Spencer is one of them, a big retailer chain with many department stores whose products ensure quality and customer satisfaction. Wace Burgess considers that if they will attain to supply Marks and Spencer effectively, this will be a big chance for them, for further development and a chance to get at the leading edge of the market. However, they have to consider, if they are able to respond to the huge volumes and the different requirements that Marks & Spencer's order had, and finally to decide if they will accept the order or not.

This report begins with the situation analysis of the company in order to better estimate the company's position. The audit that follows about the strategic capabilities determination of the company is a framework to provide knowledge about the risks and rewards that they will occur, by getting the new order. Finally, recommendations about appropriate actions are provided in order for Wage Burgess to handle the order from Marks & Spencer.

Situation analysis

Wace Burgess is a company with excellent reputation for quality and responsiveness and considerable sales efforts. It is a business with personnel of 250 people and operates in the colour printing of greeting cards, gift wrap, posters, calendars, book jackets and folders. The largest part of the Wace Burgess business is the production of three types of greeting cards: Christmas cards, everyday cards and special day's cards. The company has adequate equipment, expert staff and all the departments of the production are well organized. Although their usual orders are quit small they have a widely range of card's designs. Their customers are mainly specialist publishers who operate on all kind of retail outlets such as newsagents, gift shops and card shops.

However, the card market was proved very profitable and that made big retailers and supermarkets to take a higher interest on them. So, at the beginning of 1990, the situation started to change by giving more opportunities for further development. This new situation was a very tempting challenge for Wace Burgess, to increase their market shares and their profits.

The real chance for the company, for further expansion, came in the autumn of 1994 by supplying a big retailer, Marks and Spencer. The order form M&S, which concerns Christmas cards, had different specifications to past orders according to the size and the design of the cards. The volume of the order was big enough and the delivery requirements for this single order were also unusual. The order should be received before the beginning of October for delivery by mid November. Wace Burgess is confident that they will do not have problem with the design and the production of the cards, but as Christmas is approaching they are stressed if they can attain the quality and delivery requirements with these huge volumes. Time is getting tight and comprises a constitutional factor for the company's decisions.

Mission and SWOT Analysis

Mission

According to Jobber, (1998: p30), mission is a broadly defined, enduring statement of purpose that distinguishes a business from others of its type.

Wace Burgess had always been a company that wanted to be at the top of the print market and pint technology developments. After the changes in the marketplace, they are targeting in the supplying of the larger retailers and supermarkets that appear and try to be ranked first in the market, sustaining their excellent reputation for quality and responsiveness.

SWOT Analysis

The commonest mechanism for structuring audit information in order to provide a critical analysis for the company's situation is the SWOT analysis" (Brassington and Pettitt, 2003: p908).

Strengths

 Strong brand name: Wace Burgess is a member of the Wace Group, a company with a massive global presence and a powerful brand name.

 Quality: The company's name had always been a warrantee for good quality.

 Good reputation for reliability and responsiveness to their customers.

 Well organized production: All the departments of the production corporate effectively.

 High variety of products: Wace Burgess produces Christmas cards, everyday and special day's cards with many different designs.

 Specialist personnel: The staff is among the best in the industry with excellent technical-design skills and are expert in the use of the latest computer imaging technologies

Weaknesses

 Small orders: The normal orders are typically quite small.

 Limited experience in the manipulation of big orders

 Limited staff only for the labor intensive jobs, as they hire extra people when required, on a short term basis

 Limited equipment on some parts of the production only on high quality products. Cards with unusually difficult specifications are sent out to other companies.

 Full order program for the next two months

Opportunities

 Markets' change: The market is changing as big retailers and supermarkets will play a larger part in the future of selling cards.

 Profitable