DescriptionAs mentioned last week the planning process begins with an environmental scan of the business and its relationship to vision and mission statements. Using the expanded case study of LLB below and the SWOT tool complete a business environmental scan.
Mohammed Abul and his family own the Long-lasting Boot (LLB) store. LLB is a specialty boot store located in the downtown area in a medium sized Scottsdale, Arizona and sells a broad line of boots to all members of the family including a novelty pet line. The store sells boots for work and recreation as well as a line of expensive cowboy boots for the tourist trade. The business is twenty-five years old. It has a reputation for being the best place to get boots in the community because of the selection, quality, and customer service. They will even work with custom designed boots for people with unusually sized feet or medical problems. The boots in some instances, work boots in particular, are considered expensive by middle class buyers but the construction quality is so long-lasting that it makes the higher prices seem worthwhile. Abul, who is 32 years old and just out of the military after 10 years of service, has returned to find the business at a crossroad.
The store is successful but sales are very slow growing at the moment. The family is looking to boost sales by developing a competitive edge for the future. The business has up till now been successful because of its ability to anticipate changing boot styles. In the past three years sales have remained constant but growth has waned. Despite sales, loyalty reward cards and staying open late revenue has not grown. Yet total sales in the Central City metropolitan area including the suburbs have grown substantially. Volume stores like Wal-Mart and large shoe chain stores like Payless have boot sales that pull in three times the sales of LLB.
Abul and the family are planning for the next three years and want to find ways to increase sales. They have come to you for advice. As their consultant you want to cover the following ideas in your reply:
What is meant by long-term planning?
The tools and information needed to evaluate the future goals.
The conclusions you have drawn from evaluating the information and analysis of the facts of this case.
The recommendations that you would make
