Term Paper on "Communication Plan"

Term Paper 12 pages (3413 words) Sources: 0

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Communication Plan

Communication Objectives

The company has serious competitive issues arising from foreign market manufacturers that have much lower overhead than the company. Formerly, the company was the number one manufacturer of children's clothing but recently has lost that ranking. Effective communications will be of utmost importance to facilitate a company transition. To achieve effective communications the following objectives have been identified:

Communicate the created transition plan that will detail the steps that will need to be taken in order for the company to regain its international leadership role to all shareholders, management and salaried, as well as hourly employees

Address all shareholder and employee concerns about the transition plan

Communicate the timeframe for each of the plants to switch production to the new product line

Maintain current customer base (retail and wholesale)

Build (new and old) relationships and educate retailers, employees and customers regarding new product line

Generate publicity for the new product line

Communicate and promote company's new name

Maintain service and inventory levels

Situation Analysis

Company Strengths

The company strengths are numerous, and, in order to succeed, those strengths will have to be taken advantage of. Those strengths include a strong management and management style, factory employees who are willing to work hard and are loyal to the company (to a degree) and who are also second and third generation employees, a mutually respectful relationship with the unions that govern the employees, and a slow and steady approach to marketing that has succeeded since the Industrial Revolution era.

The company also has opened and maintained relationships with wholesalers and retailers that led to a number one manufacturing position. This is an especially important strength, since cultivating these relationships will be crucial to acceptance of the new product and company name. Since these relationships have served the company so well over the decades they must have been serviced well, using these relationships is crucial and of equal importance is the solicitation and establishment of relationships with new and additional retailers and wholesalers as well. Other strengths of the company include already established plants that can easily be converted for production of new styled clothing. The company also has distribution channels that have been in use for many years and make delivering the new product a fairly simple process. Therefore, the personnel, production facilities, distribution chain and established relationships can all be considered as advantageous for the company.

Company Weaknesses

In comparison to the strengths of the company, the weaknesses are just as glaring. The company, for years, has been run as a military style factory, which could lead to resentment from the workers. Troubled employees can lead to production losses and disruptions. Key employees will need to have their concerns addressed and should be kept happy. Especially important will be the employees who will be on the 'front line', those are the employees who will be responsible for soliciting, establishing and maintaining old and new relationships with retailers and wholesalers.

Although employee morale seemingly has not been a major problem, care will need to be taken in order to facilitate an orderly transition from a New England type atmosphere of conservatism to a more trendy and upscale outlook, while still maintaining the diligence and hard work environment the company has fostered for generations.

Another major weakness is the incremental cost of living raises negotiated by the union. These wage raises are pricing the company out of the marketplace, allowing foreign firms with much lower pay scales to price their products in a much less expensive way. Either the price or the company's product must be competitive or the product itself must be demonstratively superior. A blend of the two would probably be preferable, which could lead to problems in production.

In this event, the union would have to be approached and a team concept negotiated and implemented that could possibly allow for higher wages tied to the profit margin of the product. This scenario is very risky and difficult to sustain.

Another approach might be a freeze in wages until the product has been rolled out in order to discern whether the product will provide a long-term viable situation.

This radical makeover is fraught with peril and could lead to much lower sales and profitability for the company. A positive outlook in all communications should be strictly adhered to and all management and employees should buy into the scenario before launching the product.

Opportunities

Since the company was founded on basic principles of producing a good product for a fair price there are many opportunities in this scenario that would lead to extended profitability for the company. The opportunity is there for the company to regain its number one rating in the world as a clothing manufacturer. Another opportunity that also presents itself is a way to secure the company's future (which effects the company's employees as well) and the opportunity to become a more diverse company. Establishing the company as a provider of upscale, trendy clothing could lead to vastly higher profits which would ensure that the company will remain viable for years to come.

By becoming more diverse, the company can offer different product lines to complement our current offerings as well as the trendy lines for the 18- to 21-year-old market that is being proposed.

An advantage to offering trendy, upscale clothing products is that what may be 'in' today, could be 'out' tomorrow, opening up more opportunities for additional sales of the new 'in' product, rather than relying on clothing purchases to replace product that has become worn or faded. In order to take advantage of this type of sale, observers of the upscale market will need to keep the company informed, and with that information, the company will need to be prepared to respond in a quick and efficient manner to take advantage of those opportunities as they are presented.

Some experts predict that revenue from the type of market which the company is considering will be generating over 10 billion dollars in sales per year within the next 5 years. The opportunity for the company is to capture at least 10% of those sales in just a short matter of time. If the company does so, the revenue generated by such sales will be nearly double what the company currently generates. At some point in the very near future, the opportunity will be there for the company to totally abandon the children's and baby clothing lines and concentrate wholly on dominating the proposed trendy line.

Threats

The threats to the company are numerous. The company is not the only clothing manufacturer considering such a move, and other companies are already in the process of transition. Many of the company's competitors have well-established clothing lines that already cater to those exact demographics which the company will also be targeting.

While the market the company is targeting is quite an attractive market, it is also a finicky one, to say the least. 18- to 21-year-old men and women are notoriously picky about what they wear. According to some reports, this age group is second to only young teenage girls as to how picky, or trendy their clothes must be. This factor, plus other factors such as price and product quality can create a 'difficult operating environment' for the company.

This 'difficult operating environment' will need to be watched and adapted to on a consistent and regular basis. If the company fails to create a sufficient demand for the product the entire financial health of the company can be effected.

Another threat to the company will be the accessibility of the material needed to produce such a product. Buyers will need to keep an eagle eye on the marketplace in order to purchase cotton and silk at wholesale prices that will allow for the greatest profitability while still maintaining the quality aspect of the clothing for which the company has earned a very high reputation.

Ensuring that the base material is purchased at a price that will induce high profit margins is essential, but it is also a concern that such material be delivered in a timely manner to the company in condition conducive to creating a high quality product.

Audiences

With such a huge undertaking by the company, a coherent and organized message must be presented to all those that will be affected. Communicating that message to those audiences will include a coherent mission and integrated strategic goals.

Those audiences to which the message will be sent include; the employees, management, the media and of course the buying public, especially those 18-21 years of age.

Concerning the employees, each individual will have different 'me' issues depending on where, when and who they work with or for. The 'me' issues will also depend on their job title and functions. Therefore, a message will have to be drafted for each department depending on those variables. Since employees from every department will be affected by this drastic change in company objectives, each department will be sent a… READ MORE

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