Which of the following would be listed under a company’s threats in a SWOT analysis?
A. Revenues have declined for three consecutive quarters.
B. A new entry in the market is priced very competitively.
C. Staff reductions have created anxiety about job security among employees.
D. The new management team is still unfamiliar with some aspects of the business.
E. The company’s access to capital to fund growth is uncertain.
Refer to the scenario below to answer the following questions.
Suzanne and Shandra, longtime friends, share a love of animals. For months, they
talked about starting their own pet services business, listing ideas for services they
might provide and how they might market those services. They were most interested in
providing dog and cat grooming and dog walking services.
Suzanne and Shandra looked for information on established pet service businesses in
their suburban area, using information from the local chamber of commerce and online
research. They discovered that none of the local pet services companies provided
on-site pet grooming. Suzanne and Shandra saw this as a great opportunity to
distinguish their business from potential competitors.
The two women wrote a basic business plan and applied for and received a business
loan to start up On-the-Go Groomers. They proposed to purchase an RV motorhome
and outfit it with two comfortable dog and cat grooming stations. On-the-Go Groomers
would come to clients’ homes to provide pet services instead of requiring pet owners to
come to them!
Six months after launching the business, Suzanne and Shandra are pleased with their
success, but both feel that they are not reaching enough potential customers. So far, they
have relied on local newspaper advertisements and positive word-of-mouth to generate
business. Suzanne said, “We have come so far and really have a great little business
going. But I think we could become much bigger with the right plans in place.”
As a part of the company’s marketing plan, Suzanne wrote, “On-the-Go Grooming