Boots战略计划分析报告report

这份报告将分析如何根据当前形势来制定一个合适的战略计划。新的信息系统对公司的文化和生产力有着重大影响。本报告将充分利用案例研究以及通过网站、期刊、文章等途径获取的博姿公司对公众公开的信息。公司的战略地位是由SWOT and PEST analysis 分析法并参考法律和伦理方面规定基础上确立的。通过比较博姿公司的八大数据原则，我们可以看出博姿公司在行业确实是佼佼者，但至今他的潜力还没有完全被释放出来。
 

引言
 

博姿公司成立于19世纪中叶，由约翰创立，它原本只是一个小商店,向客户提供草药。他的生意做得非常成功，因为他立志于为穷人建立一个平台为他们提供廉价的草药服务，一些穷人付不起医药费。在他死后他的儿子很快接管了生意。
 

业务的持续成功和范围的不断扩大。博姿开始提供包括专利药品和家庭必需品。杰西开始批量购买比竞争对手更加便宜的产品，并且还打出了“为健康而活”因此大量的客户愿意购买他的产品，因为价格便宜，大众都付得起。因为这巨大的号召力让他的营业额大大增加，让他的信心大增，他还聘请了他的第一个合格的药剂师专门负责分配和分发药品和监督。大量的招聘新员工使公司名声大噪。
 

The Impact On The New Information System Marketing  report
 

This report will analyze the current position of Boots to determine a suitable strategic plan for the company as well as determine the impact that the new Information System had on the company’s culture and productivity. This report utilized information given from the case study as well as information about Boots that is available to the public via their website, journals, articles, etc. Some of the information found was used to structure this report. The company’s strategic position is determined by using a SWOT and PEST analysis and legal and ethical issues is determined by comparing the practices of Boots’ new IS to the 8 Data Protection Principles. Boots is indeed at the top I its market however the system still has potential that is not currently being used by Boots.

 

INTRODUCTION--引言
 

Boots was founded in the mid-19th century by John Boot. It was originally a small store that provided herbal medicine to customers. His business was very successful upon establishment and was particular popular with the poor members of society since many of these people could not afford medical services from doctors. After his death his son soon took over the business.

 

The business continued to be a success and broadened its wings by expanding the range in the products it offered to include proprietary medicines and household necessities. Jesse began buying products in bulk and selling goods cheaper than his competitors advertising under the slogan “Health for a Shilling”. This resulted in a mass amount of customers willing to buy his products due to the affordable prices. Because of this massive response his turnover increased greatly allowing him to open more branches and he also hired his first qualified pharmacist to allocate and distribute medicine and oversee recruitment of new staff which soon gave the company a greater professional reputation. Boots quickly became known for quality, value and service.

 

Jesse soon began to seek out to make Boots into a national chain of branches so he began to acquire new land and recruit chemists. The chain began to grow rapidly and the range of the products offered expanded to stationery, silverware and even new services such as cafes and bookstores. Boots soon began to develop products under its’ own name and began researching into new pharmaceuticals and chemicals.

 

The well being of the company’s employees were important to Jesse and His mother Florence and so they provided welfare, education, sports and social facilities for their growing retail and manufacturing workforce. They held social events for their staff members such as tea parties, trips to sea sides, musical concerts, etc.

 

After the First World War, Jesse soon retired and sold the company to the United Drug Company of America. Boots continued to prosper and grow and by 1933 the 1000th branch was opened. In the same year the UDC sold its holding in Boots to a group of British financers led by John Boot, Jesse’s son who continued to carry out his parents’ legacy.  John believed that Boots should offer good customer service and introduced new initiatives such as 24 hour opening times to serve the public better.  He also continued his parents' tradition of staff welfare - improving working conditions, reducing hours and introducing pensions for all employees.

 

Boots’ greatest competitor was Alliance UniChem; however in July 2006 there was a merger between these two companies hence making Boots the largest distributor in pharmaceutical and healthcare products. Since UniChem was one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Europe, the merger resulted in Boots’ attaining continental recognition. With the merging of these two powerful companies, they soon became the largest pharmaceutical and cosmetic company in Europe.

 

This information makes it clear where the current culture and norms of Boots originated. Boots is concerned about the wellness of not only their customers but their staff as well. Boots usually carries out health assessment on their employees’ physical and mental health to ensure that their employees can perform comfortably and effectively. This has led to a great drop in the rate of absenteeism. Also, Boots also facilitates for recruiting new workers along with apprentice programs for the recruiting of staff who are enrolled a school and are studying which allows them to work for a salary while continuing with their studies. Boots also facilitates Career development practices to further enhance the performance of their employees so that they can perform well in each of the role(s) they are assigned to.

 

The company essentially still provides the same categories of products that were sold when the range of products sold were expanded by Jesse; however Boots has expanded in some areas of the products they sell but the main products offered still fit within the category of medicines and household necessities. These products are: -Health and beauty,Personal care

,Cosmetics and toiletries,Baby care,Bathroom toiletries,Dental care,Hair care,Men's toiletries,OTC medicines,Prescription medicines,Pharmacy services,Paper products,Perfumes,Skincare.

 

STRATEGIC ANALYSIS0--战略研究
 

SWOT ANALYSIS
 

STRENGTHS
 

Since UniChem was one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Europe, the merger resulted in Boots’ attaining continental recognition. With the merging of these two powerful companies, Boots was soon recognized as the largest pharmaceutical and cosmetic company in Europe.

 

Boots spends time on training and developing their workers hence allowing them to perform better jobs and services as compared to other companies who do not spend time to train their employees.

 

The Customer Data Analysis System (CDAS) that is used for analyzing data such as customer behavior by using the advantage card system to obtain this data. Boots can analyze customer behavior, buying patterns, etc so that they can know exactly how to go about with promotions and influence specific groups of customers to shop more often. This also allows the company to quickly be able to identify changes in buying behavior and respond to them before any other company can.

 

The company is able to identify its’ most valuable customers and hence will know which customers they should focus on to bring in more revenue into the company and can also see if these customers are becoming less valuable and take measures to prevent this.

 

The company can also identify the type and mix of messages to send to a particular customer based on their life stage (e.g. sending messages advertising vitamins people over 35 who are beginning to be concerned about their health) to keep them purchasing from the company.

 

Customers are able to shop online via the Boots website and the customer can order prescription drugs online and have it delivered to them. This proves convenient for customers, particularly the old or disabled ones who may find it difficult to go to a pharmacy.

 

Boots’ campaign management system allows them to carry out effective marketing and advertising strategies as well as targeting specific groups of customers with each strategy. This gives the company having an upper hand in advertising and marketing strategies as compared to other companies.

 

Boots focus on the delivery of quality products and service to its customers is a great asset in terms of customer satisfaction.

 

The Advantage card point scheme encourages customers to carry out more purchases at the store and may also give the customer some form of satisfaction when they receive a reward item.

 

Boots’ No 7 and Soltan brands as well as products that are produced by the company itself is an asset in that the company does not have to depend on many outside suppliers for products to re-sell to customers which allows them to obtain greater profits since they can determine the price the products developed can be sold.

 

There is a wide range of products for customers to choose from while purchasing items which customers see as a convenience.

 

WEAKNESSES--缺点
 

Even though the company is greatly recognized in the UK, it has not yet attained global recognition which puts it at a disadvantage to competitors who have international recognition with branches over the world. E.g., although its brand is in the USA, the company acts only as a distributor that selling its products to pharmacies and department stores and does not have an actual store.

 

Boots does not facilitate international shopping via its website, hence customers from other countries may just purchase online from another supplier who may also be a competitor (since in terms of the age of e-business your competitor can now be just one ‘click’ away).

 

Because the company has no global recognition and does not facilitate international shopping, they are losing out on profit that can be achieved.

 

Although the CDAS analyses general customer behavior and buying patterns, it does not take into account the behavior of customers upon external influences. Simply meaning, the CDAS will analyze the buying patterns of customers, but does not analyze the data while considering things such as changes in the economical position (e.g. a period of recession) or the inflation of prices. Hence the system is lacking in proper analysis since that it may be targeting customers who had a particular buying pattern but the pattern has changed due to external factors and is not able to analyze the change in customer behavior before and after these changes.

 

The customer base is composed mostly of women and lacking in men.

 

The company is mostly known as a pharmaceutical and personal beauty and healthcare company which can make it difficult to be recognized for catering for other range of products as well.

 

OPPORTUNITIES--机会
 

Room for further expansion of the CDAS. Boots can expand the capabilities of the CDAS to facilitate and accommodate analysis of data based on external factors and influences (e.g. change in the economy, inflation, etc). By doing this they will be able to analyze changes customer behavior upon external changes allowing them to quickly identify the changes in trends and adapt to and deal with them. This can give them a great competitive advantage since they will know how to retain their customers upon change

 

America is one of the greatest prescription drug users in the world. If boots can merge with an American company and open actual outlets of their store they should be able to achieve great amounts of profit. This could be done not only in America but in other countries as well.

 

The website can expand its range to facilitate international shopping and delivery so customers can purchase products from the company instead of other suppliers who may be competitors.

 

The advantage card point scheme can be enhanced to allow customers to treat themselves to a product of their choice.

 

THREATS--威胁

 

If there is an economic recession or inflation in prices the performance of Boots can experience a drop if they do not deal with these matters quickly.

 

Because Boots is one of the top in its market, it will be the target for many competitors who will drop the prices of their products as a form of competition. E.g. Superdrug does not have a wide range of products as Boots, but some of the products are cheaper. In the case as above that there is a recession, it is very likely that people may go to Superdrug instead of Boots to purchase, however the real threat lies within the question of whether the customers will return to Boots after the recession or stick to Superdrug.

 

Because of the use of technology by Boots, any increase or improvements on technology can affect them greatly in that they will have to continually be updating the technology that they have and will also have to be very careful if a competitor begins to use new technology as well since this can drastically affect Boots’ technological advantage.

 

Supermarkets are beginning participate in the medicine and beauty sector as well. If customers find it easier to purchase medicine while they are doing their basic shopping, Boots will experience a great drop in sales if appropriate counter-action in not taken.

 

Competitors increasing the amount of branches they have can result in customers preferring to go to their store if the location is more convenient.

 

PEST ANALYSIS
 

Political--政策
 

Changes in legislations that affect medicine and prices can affect the performance of Boots. Laws that removed the retail price maintenance on over the counter drugs basically resulted in manufactures not being able to determine the price(s) that resellers can sell these drugs. Plans to remove restrictions on how many pharmacies can serve a single area were also introduced by the government. This is a great opportunity for Boots however since they can have more room for expansion.

 

Economical--经济
 

The economical state of a country can greatly affect the company’s performance. Countries can be hit with recessions before even getting time to prepare. Such sudden changes can affect Boots badly if they cannot cope with these changes quickly.

 

Another aspect is inflation rates. The ONS shows that as of June 2012, Consumer Prices Index (CPI) annual inflation stood at 2.4% and Retail Prices Index (RPI) annual inflation stood at 2.8%. In July 2011 however CPI annual inflation stood at 4.4% and Retail Prices Index (RPI) annual inflation stood at 5.0%. The rapid change in these rates can greatly affect the total sales for Boots

 

Social--社会
 

It is more common for elderly people to need medicine as compared to younger ones. As people grow older they will have need for more medicines to treat their bodies against sicknesses any other ailments that pose a threat to their health. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that over the years, the total population of people over 50 will greatly increase as the years go by as compared to now. This will result in more elderly people who may have the need for medication for their health which can result in the overall sales of boots increasing.

 

Another area is norms and practices of society. Nowadays smoking and alcohol consumptions have greatly increased and the younger generation is more careless in the way the carry about and take care of themselves but are still more concerned about their appearance. The age group that is most popular with boots ranges from 25-34 years old. This shows the beauty sector of Boots attracts a younger generation. The effects of alcohol and smoking can pose health risks in the future which can result in the need for more medicinal treatments. The ONS projects that the age for the UK population within the 25-34 age groups to dramatically increase over the years.

 

The other aspect is with Boots’ participation in its own research and development of new products. However groups are campaigning against the use of animals for testing. If the use of animals for testing is banned, this can slow down production and research for boots until new alternatives are found.

 

Technological--科技
 

Nowadays technology is the key to success to any business. It is clear that Boots is no stranger to technology since this is what gives them a strong competitive advantage over its rivals. It is evident that they are utilizing the available aspects of technology as compared to the competitors which can be shown with the CDAS and the online website to allow online shopping. While the use of these technologies can still be improved, Boots is performing rather well as they are and one can only imagine what will occur if they were to utilize the full potential of these technologies.