Brief Overview
Irving’s is a state college retailing bakery and cafe. It is a diversified and well-coordinated company focused on improving its customer’s lives by upholding high standards for the quality of food and services they provide. The company was started by Jack and David and although their store location has changed a number of times, they have maintained the idea of offering great food and great service to their customers.
The company has about 75 employees and a sale turnover of about 2.1 million dollars (Rijamampianina and Abratt 362). The company offers a wide variety of food including bagels, bagel spreads, bakery, smoothies, shakes espresso, beverages, salads, soups, and sandwiches among others.
The company has a healthier rapport with the neighborhood since it recognizes that the community provides for it the needed services and hence it offers them the uppermost quality products and gives back to the community with contributions to diverse aid organizations and proceedings every week.
The company is located in Irving’s 110E, College Avenue, State College, PA 16801 United States. The participation of the company in community development projects shows that the company has the interest of the whole community in heart and this promotes a better existence between the company and the community.
Analysis of the Sales
Irving’s state college mainly sells its products to the Irving community. It can reach the market through a well-planned advertisement program. It has a huge customer base ranging from the sales turn over. Diversification of the products it offers ranging from bakery to beverages has contributed to this great achievement. The wide range of products enable it to serve a bigger market.
This has greatly contributed to their huge sales amounting to 2.1 million dollars. The company offers about eight products among them bagels, bagel spreads, bakery, sandwiches, smoothies, salads and soup, and beverages. This wide range of products has enabled the company to stand out among its competitors.I t also offers catering services where people can order the products they want.
The company has about 75 employees who all work as a team to deliver high-quality food and services to customers. The participation in various activities helps the company promote its products hence increasing sales. The company reaches its market through advertising of their products, the after-sale services they offer to their customers such as delivering to customer products they have bought also promotes their business by increasing customer loyalty.
The company offers gifts to their customers as a way of showing appreciation to them. This encourages customers to continue buying from the company. The company is a profit making organization ensures that the prices of their product are fair to their customer (Lau 126). For example, bagel with butter and jell costs $1.35, and a bagel with peanut butter costs $2.25. The prices are fair considering the standard of services and quality of food is very high.
Critical Statistics
Although the company faces stiff competition from other firms in the same industry such as cheap prices for similar products the company offers, it has managed to stand out by offering high-quality products. Most of the products by their competitors are of poor quality and hence can’t match what Irving’s offer. The company relates well with its customers than its competitors and hence it knows what the customers expect from them.
It knows what drives the customers to buy from them and hence how to make that product more appealing than their competitors. Poor advertising and marketing by its competitors have also helped the company withstand the pressure of losing to its competitors. The company itself heavily invest in advertising and product promotion which has greatly contributed to its success.
Use of internet where the company has a website has enabled it to conquer more customers since one can order food online and deliveries can be made to their destination. The analyzed data shows that the organization is headed for a bright future in terms of competition because it has been quick to employ technology. Studies show that technology plays an important role in determining the performance of the organization.
Competitive Advantage-SWOT Analysis
Irving’s should consider carrying out SWOT analysis.This would help the company review its external threats the major one being competition.C onducting a SWOT analysis would help the company identify their competitors and this would be helping them to be ahead of the game and therefore able to prepare properly for the competition.
A swot analysis will provide policy makers in the company with an overview of the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and hence take all this information into consideration when formulating new strategies to help make the company more profitable. Through conducting a SWOT analysis, the company will be able to forecast about the future and hence present itself as a major decision maker in the industry.
For example, other firms may use the price set by the company to set theirs around this price. In this way, the company will have formed a strategy that will help it to overcome competition. The company has a defined way of branding its products.
Existence of the company’s logo makes it unique from its competitors. Since there exists a conducive relationship between the company and its customers, is has been able to ensure that its identity is maintained. The company can ensure that its identity and image portrayed to the customers is consistent.
This is made efficient by the existence of marketing officers that help to create a good reputation of the company to its customers and the public in general.
Communicating to its market about a new product and giving critical information about has seen this company be ahead of its competitors. Customer’s loyalty has grown greatly because customers are readily provided with any information concerning any product they would like to know about (Powell 877).
Rhetorical Identity
Every company willing to prosper must ensure that there exists a good relationship between itself and its customers and that is what has made Irving bakery succeed. The organization respects the views of customers, as it listens to their complaints. For instance, it takes stern actions against any employee who is reported to have contravened the rules and regulations by offending the client.
The products offered in the market are of very high quality, something that has attracted many clients, as well as shareholders who are always willing to commit their funds towards organizational development. With this policy, the company is in a position to outmuscle competitors, which is an important factor that contributes to growth and development.
Works Cited
Lau, Ronald. “Competitive factors and their relative importance in the US electronics and computer industries”. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 22.1 (2002): 125–135. Print.
Powell, Thomas. “Competitive advantage: logical and philosophical considerations”. Strategic Management Journal, 22.9 (2001): 875–888. Print.
Rijamampianina, Rasoava, and Abratt, Russell. (2003). “A framework for concentric diversification through sustainable competitive advantage”. Management Decision, 41.4 (2003): 362-371. Print.