Consultancy Report on the Cranvilles Department Store. External Influences, Business and Internal Capacities

Essay from the year 2015 in the subject Business economics - General, grade: 1,0, Anglia Ruskin University, language: English, abstract: The Consultancy Report on the Cranvilles Department Store will firstly analyse the business and its internal capacities and external influences, will then list aims and objectives suitable to the current situation and will showcase a solution to implement these. The internal analysis will be conducted with help of a SWOT analysis, highlighting amongst others the strength of Cranvilles quality customer service and the weakness of their missing online presence. External factors will be illustrated though a SLEPT analysis, resulting in the definition of aims and objectives, through the SMART approach. As the current situation of Cranvilles consists of the company only administering one shop in central New York, without an online shop nor an online presence, the need to keep up with the competition, to keep the business successful has emerged. The internet is becoming more and more important for businesses, as new technologies are introduced permanently and customers are getting used to rather buying online, than in store. Therefore the objectives of Cranvilles include the development of an e-business strategy, in form of the website Cranvilles.com and an app, and the modernisation of internal processes by setting up an intranet further described in the solution part. Benefits and costs will grant justification, followed by the project plan in form of a Gantt chart including distinct steps for the implementation. Lastly possible risks will be evaluated, giving sufficient information on the implementation before the final conclusion is drafted. The development of the website, app and intranet will be conducted within the next 11 months, promoting the brand and strength of quality customer service by expansion to different channels. A wider customer base in different segments will be gained and increase sales by 30% and profits by 15% within the first 6 months of performance. Further efficiency of operational processes will be enhanced by a better communication system in form of an intranet.