Market Leadership Report Final Project

Market Leadership Report

Final Project Report

Company Background and History

Staples Inc. is a medium sized business entity engaging in the distribution and stocking of office and school stationery supplies. The retail outlet has been in operation since 1985 resulting from collaborative efforts of three individual business rivals. The three individual joined to gain control of the industry and position themselves in a strategic competitive position. Over the years, Staples has managed to gain market confidence emerging as a reliable primary public outlet for office and school stationery needs (Sargent, 2005).

In its years of operation, Staples has gained positive image in it service delivery, corporate responsibilities, customer care and employee confidence in the company. These measures have lifted up the potential of the company to continue dominating the market as a market leader. The company has managed to increase its reach to the market widen its revenue base and experience growth in its capital through assets growth. Towards an appreciation of the business, it support philanthropic ventures such as; charity contributions, community outreach and school stationery donations. This sought of ventures help to improve the company's image as well as contributes to marketing efforts (Baye, 2010). The company has been in a position to place itself as a business oriented venture and also as a member to the community it undertakes operations (Sargent, 2005).

The company has managed to enlist as a public company an aspect that has widened its capital base through stockholders. This has capacitated the company to exercise its earned financial freedom to invest opening up stores and outlets in a number of regions. This has substantially improved it economies of scales in operations. The company is in a position make bulk purchases of office and school stationery at a discounted rate. Subsequently, Staples is in a position to offer competitive prices to its customers. The growth the company to a public corporation has also facilitated employee growing confidence in the company and thus their motivation (Sargent, 2005).

The Industry and firm

In the stationery industry, there has been a marked 3.5% annual growth in sales of stationery items. This growth trend is expected to expand and reach 200 million dollars in the year 2015 owing to the expansion and growth of businesses and their needs (Sargent, 2005). The leading segment in office supply is paper-based supply accounting for 45% of the total market value of stationary transactions (Sargent, 2005). The industry's demand for stationery in the office and schools has since evolved from dependence on standardized commodities to custom made items. This growth is facilitated by the technological advancement making it possible for stationary manufacturing and distributing companies to incorporate individual company needs.

The industry players in stationery supplies include office Depot and OfficeMax ranked second and third respectively in the market. The industry market structure is to a large extent oligopolistic with key players distributing similar products with little or no differentiation. The competitors undertake non-price strategies to outdo each other in market dominance since in such a market price competition is likely not to be effective. Baye (2010) observes that in an oligopolistic market players are less likely to take up price competition since a decrease in price is likely to be matched by the other players.

Staples Inc. is currently the leading player in the industry controlling up to 55% of the market demand for office and school stationery. In an effort to stay in the front line of its competitors, it has capitalized in widening its distribution channels placing the company's services proximately close to the market. The company also undertakes community affiliation activities that publicizes the company in the market and improves its desirability in the market. In a bid, to ensure product availability the company has entered into an agreement with stationery manufacturing companies to provide credit services on unplanned purchases. Further the company has developed a constant order delivery system that allows a customer to receive products without necessarily having to place orders. Staples Inc. considers this as a measure to reduce the delay caused by order placing and delivery. The convenience this system offers counts as a non-price strategy that effectively influence consumer satisfaction and improve potential of customer retention. Staples Inc. manages customer account through online printed order requisition forms, delivery and invoices. This system has been combined by online payment system that also cuts transaction costs for both the supplier and customer. The innovations the company has put in place make it admirable to the customer and customer preference is guaranteed (Sean, 2012).

Methodology of research analysis

The study undertakes to evaluate potential risks it faces subsequent to the new developments of merging of two of its principal competitors. In order to come up with a strategy to deal with the risk of potential market loss given the new development, the company will assess the current market and industry structure. This will be done by looking at the industry sales volumes and the existing demand from school and companies in the regions of operations. The values will be divided into categories considering the frequency and volume of purchase. Further the customers in the market will be segmented in accordance to their type and sizes. This information will help in ranking the customers in accordance to their product needs and volume of purchase. This information according to (Carney, 2009) gives a detailed understanding of the market structure and can easily direct a company strategy in dealing with risks associated with the loss of market. Using the information, Staples will be capacitated to come up with need-based measures targeting customer needs an aspect that is paramount in oligopolistic market structure.

The need for innovation and customer-based service delivery will be attended by conducting a survey in the respective market on customer needs. The survey will target obtaining information on customers' business structure, their stationery needs and the aspiration in growth of their business. The survey information will be used to develop custom stationery product as well as customizing the supply and distribution channels suitable to customer needs.

The information on market demand will be tabulated to give a projection of potential growth in demand for products. These projections will be used to evaluate the company's ability to meet future demand and measure of aligning capital resources. The company will also use the information to plan strategically on measures of economic of scale in operation (Supply acquisitions and delivery). Planning based on projected growth helps an organization to prepare in market developments placing it performance in competitively advantageous position.

Organization and Management Structure

The organization practices decentralized management structures in their company branches guided by the company policies entailing; marketing, customer care, product and corporate social responsibility. Decentralized management of branches allows for flexibility in decision making and reduces bottle necks in the provision of services (Fleisher and Bensoussan, 2007). The decentralized management structure allows branch managers to adapt their service delivery in accordance to the market needs reflecting the customs in business of the host regions. This measure helps reduce likely conflict in culture and perpetuate a company to become one with the community. Standards adaptation in business culture as in the host regions' facilitates integrative business running perpetuating company's potential growth and sustainability in the market (Rosenbaum, 1998). Regional managers and employees are recruited locally in a bid to ensure that the community around embraces the services and products as one of their own. The international human relation practice describes this as a standard measure to guarantee a corporation's ability to remain sustainable and observed the practices in the community. The recruited personnel are trained according to the standards of the company's policies and objective in order to assure company values in operations.

The top management who are the principal directors comprise of the three founders of the company who oversee the articulation of the company's polices and values. The principle directors have divided up the overall responsibilities in three functions comprising; Leader of corporate business, financial director, and the leader customer service. The directors are charged with the overall duty of overlooking the performance of the company branches and providing direction where needed in relation to company policy and values. The principle directors have the authority to appoint their juniors both at the corporate level and regional branches. The principle directors supervise the roles and duties of their junior staff giving direction without compromising their discretion to make decisions related to the status in their region. This perspective ensures that the company policy is adhered to and deregulates flow of information and business. To facilitate key decisions regarding company policy, the principle directors collects reports from regional managers and presents their departmental report. This is done in the regular management meetings held to assess and make decisions on company performance. The regular management meetings serve as a consultative forum that guides and redirect the company's performance and evaluates pertinent measures to improve business.

Competitors and Market analysis

The competitors in the stationary distribution market control up to 45% with the two principal competitors controlling over 35% of this market. Office Depot started its operation five years after Staples. The company has aligned its business strategy to target increasing its market share through business policies similar to those undertaken by Staples Inc. The company is locally owned and faces difficulties in capital expansion to be able to roll more distribution outlets similar to Staples. This has incapacitated the company in acquiring economic of scale in operation. The company currently controls 27% of the total market shares in regions where Staples operates. Office Max is a foreign company that has been in operation for the last 8 years. The company traces its roots in Australia where it controls the largest proportion of office paper supply. In the region, the company has captured 8% of the market share in distributing paper products majorly. The company targets to acquire the market for paper distribution this being where the larger proportion of stationary demand comes from.

The strategic merging of two companies targets to resolve their challenges and come up with a formidable force to challenge Staples dominance in the market. The two competitions will gain capital advantage and market aspect familiarity. The combination of these two aspects will place the new company inches closer to capture a sizable market in the industry. The market is dominated by one supplier. However, the measures used to capture the market and retain existing customer base by Staples can be replicated. The market is influenced by a company's commitment to their well-being and that of their surrounding community. These factors have placed Staples in a good position to control the larger size of the market.

Product and Services Pricing Strategies

Product prices in the market have not to a large extent influenced company performance in capturing the market. However significant price reduction may influence the demand of small upcoming companies. The products dealt in are homogenous with remarkably little differentiation being exhibited as a result of the suppliers own initiatives. The suppliers depend on local and foreign manufacturers to produce the products they distribute. This means that product differentiations are out of reach for the stationery suppliers. The service delivery in the industry has concentrated in trying to alleviate the hustle in sourcing for office supplies by potential and existing buyers. The companies have developed elaborate web sites and communication channels that facilitate order placing by their customers. The aspect of service and product delivery improves in customer preferences as well as the affiliations the company has with the community at large (Born, 2009). Staples has to a large extent entrenched in their service delivery the need to ensure customer satisfaction by engaging customers to show them their desires. Owing to the known knowledge on the market demand as less price elastic other non-price measures must be considered to retain exiting and obtain new customers.

The costs outlay for Staples Inc. include cost of distribution, labor costs, cost of renting and maintaining stores and the cost of advertising. The company plans to reduce its unit fixed costs out lay by distributing it across a large volume of product distributed. The target in this case is to reduce the number of stores in the globe and concentrate on building a strong online marketing base. This measure will reduce for the company the direct and indirect cost of opening and operating branches globally. The higher opportunity cost of opening branches in many regions will significantly reduce allowing for lower product price that result from lower cost of operations. The company has made significant efforts to facilitate online marketing that requires a more elaborate delivery mechanism. Where it is considered economically expensive to make delivery, outsourcing is done to conveniently serve customer needs. Outsourcing for delivery service is considered where the company has not set up a distribution channel. In this case, the cost of running outlet for the company will reduce from 2,436 million dollars to 1,245 million (Sargent, 2005). This will also release funds to facilitate the company's development of a delivery channel for the market.

Regulation or Deregulation

The regulation on mergers in the region may stand as a barrier to the looming competition. This is the case to the extent that merging companies will fail to meet the minimum set standards or registering a merger. The regulation of mergers in this case requires a proportion of the merging company be local based and the merger should not lead to likely creation of a monopolistic competition. In the current state of affairs, there are a number of players and the merging companies do not control a sizable proportion of the market such that they will bring about unhealthy competition. The regulation requirement of proper licensing of the business interested to merge and their presentation of books of account are not a probable barrier to their merger. In this industry, the degree of regulation is minimal also since the products traded in are regulated in the industry level of output.

Risk Management

Risk management entails a detailed assessment of the potential risks associated with the looming development considering the appropriate course of action (Kenny, 2009). In the case if Staples its proportion of the market is likely to be lost with the two companies merger and acquisition of advantages they previously did not have. The capital and the local familiarity Staples Inc. enjoyed is likely to be reduced with the successful creation of the merger. The company should use the survey on customer preferences to assess those needs and preferences likely not to be replicated exceptionally fast. The assessment of the customer preferences is likely to reflect a customer need for customized service that is reflective of the technological advancement (Prince, 2002).