STO306: British Ceramic Tiles (BCT)

BRITISH CERAMIC TILES By Course Name Professor’s Name University City, State Date of Submission Executive Summary British Ceramic Tiles (BCT) has been in the tile manufacturing business since the 1850’s. Its recent expansion also made it the largest tile manufacturer in the UK. However the company has faced recent non-market issues, especially from NGO’s and the government, mainly because of environmental concerns and poor quality of the tiles. Three concepts can be used to analyze the issue management strategy of the company. They include; scanning the environment using the strategy radar model, stakeholder engagement, and issue selection and strategy implementation. Based on these concepts, BCT has failed to effectively engage its stakeholders and analyze its environment to develop strategies that can help solve its non-market issues. From the concepts, BCT should begin by scanning its environment to identify the issues that make it less attractive to customers. It should also engage with stakeholders to collect information about its products and its environment. The issue management life cycle will then help the company to identify effective strategies to resolve the issues. Contents  TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc8127706" Executive Summary  PAGEREF _Toc8127706 \h
2  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc8127707" Introduction  PAGEREF _Toc8127707 \h
3  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc8127708" Business Issue Theoretical Review  PAGEREF _Toc8127708 \h
3  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc8127709" Scanning the Business Environment (Strategic Radar Model)  PAGEREF _Toc8127709 \h
3  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc8127710" Analyzing Stakeholders (Stakeholder Mapping)  PAGEREF _Toc8127710 \h
5  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc8127711" Selection (Issue Life Cycle)  PAGEREF _Toc8127711 \h
6  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc8127712" Evaluation of The Organization’s Business Issue Practices.  PAGEREF _Toc8127712 \h
6  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc8127713" Conclusion and Recommendations  PAGEREF _Toc8127713 \h
8  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc8127714" References  PAGEREF _Toc8127714 \h
9  Introduction The market environment of an organization involves the interactions between the organization and other interested parties which occur through agreements. The non-market environment comprises of the legal, political and social arrangements which structure relations outside, but in conjunction with private and market agreements. Non-market issues can include corporate responsibility, technology policies, health and safety, environmental protection and international trade policies (Hugill, 2015 p. 22). Although a majority of non-market issues are addressed in the context of public politics, some of the issues can be triggered by self-interests and other wider concerns. The private politics non-market issues can result from interest groups or non-government organizations. Private politics, therefore influence the issues, interests, institutions, and information that make up the non-market environment (Lawton and Rajwani 2015, p. 67). Being the largest manufacturer of tiles in the UK, British Ceramic Tiles has aroused great interest from the public. Private politics has become a major concern for the company as pressure from interest groups continue to affect the operations of the organization. Nonetheless, private politics nonmarket issues can be solved through various means. This essay seeks to evaluate how British Ceramic Tiles can manage its business issue practices using three concepts. The first would be to scan the business environment, analyze stakeholder reactions to make accurate predictions and finally make a selection which should also involve stakeholders. Business Issue Theoretical Review Scanning the Business Environment (Strategic Radar Model) An important aspect in business is to develop a well-planned and clearly laid out strategy. However, an effective strategy does not guarantee success unless its effectiveness is associated with the changes experienced in the external environment (Bach 2010, p. 2). For this reason, environmental scanning is essential for a company to be able to collect, analyze and share data for strategic purposes. Through scanning, the company’s management can identify issues that not only influence the company, but also its competitors, and the political landscape. An effective model for scanning the business environment is the strategic radar model by Karl Albrecht (Rreidenbach and Goeke 2006, p. 15). As suggested by the name, the radar model involves continuous scanning of the business environment to detect possible signs of change, so as to present the organization with an effective means of strategy formulation. The model comprises of eight screens which include; the customer, competitor, economy, technology, social, political, legal, and geophysical environment (Albrecht 2012, p. 6). Using this model, a company can eliminate any strategies that are either unlawful or contradict the company’s policy. The success of the model is evidenced by the Pepsi Company, which is considered the second largest manufacturer of food and beverages. Through proper environmental scanning, Pepsi realized that a large number of consumers are more concerned with health and wellness. For this reason, the company invested more n products that are nutritious such as drinks and snacks made from grains. As a result, half of Pepsi’s revenues are generated from the sale of healthier snacks and drinks (Creswell 2018). Pepsi demonstrates that scanning is an effective means of identifying issues and developing strategies to solve the problems. As in the case of Pepsi, scanning can help businesses to identify opportunities and take advantage of them ahead of their competitors. Analyzing Stakeholders (Stakeholder Mapping) Stakeholders play a crucial role in any organization. Their interests, therefore, cannot be ignored, and for this reason, it is necessary to identify the potential actors in the issue and identify their interests as well. Some of the non-market issues can be brought about by vocal opposition from stakeholders who have no direct influence on the company’s affairs. For instance, activist groups can seek to push for certain environmental policies which can directly affect company operations. For this reason, companies should be able to identify the motivational factor that leads the interested parties to push for certain issues. This can be achieved through interest-based analysis and mapping (Learning for Sustainability 2019). This method is effective in pointing out the motivations of the various actors as well as their possible influence on the company’s operations. Open comm...