Introduction
The British company Imaginary Cloud was chosen for analysis of its business strategies and make further recommendations. The company focuses on software development and computer interface design. Among the products produced by the Imaginary Cloud developers are Internet resources, mobile applications, programs for calculating and processing big data, and artificial intelligence. The company is relatively small, with only two hundred employees in all of its four offices, but it is stated that they are able to fulfill the given orders at the same level of quality as the larger players in the market. The revenue of the company is estimated at $5.000.000 per year. The company maintains revenue status in a situation where the mobile software market is only expanding and it is expected that it will only progress in the future. Among the company’s big rivals are mobile developers ITechArt, a company of equal size as Studio Graphene, also based in Britain.
SWOT Analysis of Business
Table 1: SWOT analysis of Imaginary Cloud
The obvious advantage of this company over rivals, its strength, is the ability to offer for less money and a smaller team of employees a result that is able to compete with larger development companies. The company’s approach to design and graphical interface is characterized by customers as exceptional, deserving the most positive assessment. A possible weakness of the company may lie in the existence of companies of a similarly modest scale, also based in Britain, capable of competing with the Imaginary Cloud. Studio Graphene, for example, covers the same areas as the company reviewed in this essay, but unlike the Imaginary Cloud, they also use highly relevant blockchain technologies. The very possibility of other companies working in the field of innovative web technologies, such as the transfer of decentralized cryptocurrencies, indicates the relative weakness of the Imaginary Cloud in this aspect.
From this set of strengths and weaknesses, it is logical to derive opportunities and threats. Considering that the company’s strength is application design, they could improve further in this direction but also cover more relevant software markets, such as Internet anonymity and blockchain transfers. Seizing this opportunity would allow the company to apply its unique intuitive design skills to new industries and expand its reach in the UK and global developer market.
It also makes sense to note that the attention of researchers has recently attracted the prospect of developing applications for distance education. Mobile learning at the moment does not have a clearly defined set of settings and requirements and requires the attention of professionals in the field of both education and software technologies. Imaginary Cloud’s customer-centric and human-centric nature makes it the ideal company to confidently enter this new and underdeveloped niche in the mobile app market. The threat for the Imaginary Cloud in this case, is the decreasing number of orders if the company does not adapt to the modern requirements of the software market. The company risks losing its niche and being forced out by either larger or more adaptive development companies.
Use of Corporate Social Responsibility by the Business
The concept of corporate social responsibility within the framework of this company requires consideration, as it manifests itself in any conditions of today’s corporate reality. The researchers point out that by tracing the history of the concept of corporate responsibility, it is easy to see its connection with historical contexts and their change over time (Agudelo et al., 2019). Social and political events and upheavals form the corporate agenda, which should express the objectively correct attitude of the company to what is happening, noticeable through domestic and foreign policy and attitude in general.
The social task of this company follows its mission and purpose. These parameters traditionally describe how the company invests in changing the world for the better and how they see this better world. The company’s goal is to build a human-centric world where people are valued first. This streamlined statement actually has weighty underpinnings. Attention to people allows the Imaginary Cloud to create an interface that adapts to the work of human intelligence. Their connection with the modern agenda is expressed in design, which, as researchers claim, is directly related to the cultural and intellectual consciousness of a person, which is formed under the influence of a changing world around them (He and Harris, 2020, p. 176). The company expresses its social responsibility through the quality of the prepared products but also through the level of interaction with its employees. The Portuguese subsidiary of this UK-based company was awarded one of the 100 best places to work in the country. This certainly proves to what extent human resource is valued within the company, emphasizing the social responsibility of the company as the need to value people as the basis of ideology.
Innovation and Creativity in Business
It is indicated that the company’s employees strive to develop in accordance with the evolution of the computer technology market. Imaginary Cloud seeks to satisfy the new demands and requirements of the technology industry (Imaginary Cloud, 2022). This deep knowledge of the industry allows the company to realize meaningful creativity, that is, to overcome the imaginary limitations exposed by the real situation, perceiving them as challenges that need to be creatively accepted. Among the projects developed under the leadership of the company are learning hubs, but first of all, this educational platform is dedicated to teaching technical skills and business solutions. In today’s realities, where decentralized education, work, and even the movement of finances are increasingly relevant, companies should adapt to these new technological conditions (Sarrab et al., 2018, p. 635). By offering innovations in the design of educational platforms and financial exchanges, the company could strengthen its position in the developer market in the UK and in the whole world.
The creativity and innovative approach of the corporation is also expressed in its willingness to discuss the project immediately after the receipt of the order. It should be noted that the company provides an expert assessment of the project before undertaking it and offers creative insights on how to improve it. The innovation of the company lies in a special approach to the work of the employees themselves. The company is essentially decentralized, with employees providing their services remotely. Such decentralization is especially logical in a world where Internet connections allow a large amount of development to be done remotely (Kazan et al., 2018, p. 185). Therefore, the flexibility of the proposed schedule and work format is essentially an innovation that allows to the achievement of maximum efficiency, taking into account the comfort of each employee.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Thus, despite the prospects of the company, its correct vision and tasks, the Imaginary Cloud needs additional stimulation in the field of technological innovation and spheres of influence. Their humanistic approach, which ensures the quality and flexibility of the software, should be highly appreciated. The decentralized approach to regular work is also showing benefits, bringing together professionals from different countries through remote work. A likely recommendation would be to adapt to new requirements in the field of software, taking into account the changed socio-cultural paradigm. The company could contribute to the production of applications for the distribution of cryptocurrency and also participate in the creation of platforms for mobile education. Using the most promising projects as a summary, the Imaginary Cloud can significantly expand the client base.
Reference List
Agudelo, M., Johannsdottir, L., and Davidsdottir, B. (2019) A literature review of the history and evolution of corporate social responsibility. International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, 4(1). Web.
He, H., and Harris, L. (2020) The impact of Covid-19 pandemic on corporate social responsibility and marketing philosophy. Journal of Business Research, 116, 176-182. Web.
Imaginary Cloud (2022) Speed your product development with Staff Augmentation. Web.
Kazan, E., et al. (2018) Disentangling digital platform competition: The case of UK mobile payment platforms. Journal of Management Information Systems, 35(1), pp. 180-219. Web.
Sarrab, M., et al. (2018) Toward educational requirements model for mobile learning development and adoption in higher education. TechTrends 62, pp. 635-546. Web.