Elizabeth Shaw
The following essays will overview the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the chocolate producers Elizabeth Shaw. Aid from business journals, text books and other secondary resources I will support and assess issues such as the advantages and disadvantages of distributing products through intermediaries. Additionally, I will evaluate the effect of business ethics and social responsibility on society. For example the morals of publicly promoting chocolate whilst statistics show more than 50% of children aged between 2 and 19 are overweight. Finally, I will be exploring the tolerability of the statement ‘all is fair in war and businesses’ within society and companies.
The success of Elizabeth Shaw chocolates can be determined by making a final decision to which distribution strategy should be used. Currently chocolates such as Milk mint crisp and Café Liqueur are sold in large supermarkets like Tesco, Sainsbury’s and CO-OP. Therefore the chocolate producers are working alongside marketing intermediaries also known as middlemen to move their products to buyers through retailers. This channel of distribution is a longer method as it consists of three main factors, the producer, the retailer and the consumer. This means Elizabeth Shaw may experience a lack of control and could affect the company’s reputation, for example the decision to increase the price of the Vodka shots chocolate by Sainsbury’s could lead to youngsters not affording it therefore loosing customers. Additionally, the producers ‘become increasingly distant from sellers and buyers as the number of intermediaries multiplies’ (Bovee and Thill, 2005, p.313). Another drawback from selling through more than one supermarket is the risk of channel conflict due to disagreements between the producer and intermediaries. ‘Channel conflicts may arise when suppliers provide in adequate product support’ also retailers are ‘competing for the same customers’ (Boveee and...
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