W.W. Grainger, Inc. is a business-to-business distributor of products used to maintain, repair, and operate facilities across the globe. Institutions worldwide rely on Grainger for products such as safety equipment, janitorial supplies, valves, and various electrical components, along with services such as technical support and inventory management. These customers consist of industries including hospitality, manufacturing, healthcare, and government. (Grainger Company Snapshot, 2015)
In 1927, William W. (Bill) Grainger started a wholesale electric motor sales and distribution business in Chicago which provided customers a convenient and efficient way to access a consistent supply of electric motors. A year later, the business was privately
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To operate with the highest moral, ethical, and legal standards. To be committed to superior service and satisfaction for each customer; mutually fair, responsible, and beneficial arrangements with each of their suppliers; fairness, dignity, respect, and equal opportunity for all employees regardless of sex, age, race, or national origin; and professionalism in all aspects of business operations. To operate for quality long-term growth while sustaining sound and conservative financial policies and achieving an attractive rate of return for our shareholders through continued improvements in economic earnings. To foster a working environment that promotes high integrity, high standards, initiative, and creativity; respect and concern for others as individuals, loyalty, continuous learning, and business process improvement. Lastly, to be a good corporate citizen in the communities in which we operate. (www.grainger.com, accessed December 4, 2016). It is evident that the company has accomplished most of its goals and objectives by receiving recognition from organizations such as Barron’s, Fortune 500, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center, and Human Resource Executive Magazine to name a few. It has received awards for sustainability, most admired company, one of the …show more content…
Grainger, Inc has been very successful in its market shares and profit earnings. In 2015, with sales of over 10 billion dollars and net income of over 700 million dollars, the company reported earnings per share of $11.58, an increase of 1 percent from 2014. $1.7 billion in cash was also returned to shareholders through their expanded share buyback program. Grainger also paid out $306 million in dividends, reflecting an 8 percent increase in the quarterly dividend over the prior year; 2015 was the 44th consecutive year of increased dividends for Grainger. (Grainger Annual Report, 2016). Product development strategy has always been dynamic and Grainger evolves based on customer’s needs. Grainger has fulfilled customer needs of all sizes, realigning based on 3 groups. Small customers that prefer comfort with and preference for online buying, medium customers that focus on product categories relevant to their operations, and large customers that have complex needs and are relationship driven. (Grainger Fact book, 2016).
SWOT Analysis
A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of W.W. Grainger, Inc. is provided below. The SWOT analysis evaluates the company’s internal and external factors that are favorable or unfavorable and can be used as a planning method to achieve the company’s objectives. Strengths and weaknesses are often internal and can be measured or resolved within the company. Opportunities and threats are seldom external and requires careful
SWOT Analysis: A tool for examining a company and its environment. Defines the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
SWOT is a contraction for the internal strengths and weaknesses of a firm and the environmental opportunities and threats facing the firm. SWOT analysis is a widely used technique through which managers create a quick overview of a company’s strategic situation. WestJet Airline as a competitive, unique, and international company in the airline industry, they are facing strengths and weakness from internal, and opportunity and threats from external.
Kroger was first established in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1881; 133 years ago. The founder of Kroger was Bernard ‘Barney’ Kroger. Barney Kroger was born in Cincinnati, Ohio Kroger family owns a dry goods store; a store that sells goods such as dried beans, whole grains, flours, etc. He was forced to work at the age of thirteen to help support his family. He began working as a door to door salesman. Kroger had given a lot to open parks, zoos, and medical research. Bernard Kroger died on July 21, 1938 at the age of 78 by a heart attack.
Although Grainger has been the leader in the maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) supply business; the company decided to close 55 branches due to two factors: slow business environment conditions and increasing competition (Gordon, 2016)
Kudler has a multi-stage process where multiple groups of activities are linked through flows. Kudler uses a make-to-stock process where standard products are available in inventory incurring costs until they are sold. Additionally, the company uses a make-to-order process for prepared gourmet foods and special orders. For its produce, Kudler informs its customers, “If you don’t see it, let us know and we will special order the item for you!” (Apollo Group, Inc. 2006). Changing suppliers has some opportunities for Kudler. Customers may be
SWOT Analysis: The internal strengths and weaknesses of the company, and the external opportunities and threats from the viewpoint of the company
Swot analysis refers to the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and the threats that a business faces. Every company has its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that it faces.
The products Newell manufactures have proven to be of good quality and performance. The differentiation of these products attribute to the driving of value. Through mergers and acquisitions, Newell has been able to enter new markets with different product categories. With each product it manufactures, it offers “good”, “better”, and “best” products in attempt to increase market share with mass merchandisers. Its focus on these high-volume mass merchandisers has led to an increased need for superior customer service. These mass merchandisers, especially Wal-Mart (the clear-cut leader in the discount retailer market), had the upper hand over its suppliers and was able to dictate the kind and quantity of merchandise shipped to its stores. It was able to leverage price and scheduling, pressuring suppliers to increase efficiencies in their warehouses and distribution systems. This led Newell to invest heavily into an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), which allowed divisions to schedule their own production and deliveries, while allowing retailers to maintain minimal stock levels in line with actual sales. Newell focused its energy to reducing inventories and maintaining a standard of 100% line-fill and 100% on-time delivery to customers. This led to Newell having a solid reputation within the industry for its
A SWOT analysis is an evaluation a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (Armstrong, 2010, p.77). A SWOT analysis is a useful tool in comparing a business, or in this case a character’s, traits to the situation and to other characters.
Due to the acquisition of WeaverTech formally known as Johnson-Ware an apparel company by CVX Partners, a private equity firm, there arose a need for the company to change its line of business to high-end segment of the apparel industry (Beer & Swier, 2015). Before the acquisition of the company by the new owners, WeaverTech was a closely owned family entity that had been formed in 1905. Before the proposal to change the company customer base, the company exclusively relied on the military (70%) and security (30%) as the only customers for the company products.
A SWOT analysis is a tool used to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organization. A SWOT model measures what an organization can or cannot do as well as the possible opportunities and threats. This is done by taking data from the organization’s environment, analyzing the information and separating it into the internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external (opportunities and threats). When this is completed the analysis can create a plan for the organization to achieve its goals, and identify what difficulties must be overcome to attain
SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (Ferrell and Hartline, 2014, p. 39). A SWOT analysis evaluates both the internal factors (strengths and weaknesses) and external factors (opportunities and threats) that create advantages and disadvantages to a company when serving its customers (p. 39). A SWOT analysis is extremely beneficial in helping a company determine areas of improvement (p. 39). Internal factors examine the actual company being analyzed while external factors examine the external market (customers and competition) (p. 85).
According to Nicole Fallon of the Business News Daily, a SWOT analysis is an analytical framework that can help any company face its greatest challenges and find its most promising new markets, by identifying the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (2017). It allows for an extensive evaluation of the company’s internal and external resources as well as current and future threats that the company may face. This process can be a great asset in determining and exploring new initiatives, as it helps to identify areas of improvement within the organization while helping with the facilitation and implementation of new business policies. This process is crucial in refreshing the strategies and tactics of any
The process of SWOT analysis is a universal method widely approached in corporations to scan the internal and external environment so that companies can deploy relevant countermeasures to make improvements. It contains four elements, they are strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (Helms & Nixon, 2010).
SWOT analysis is a useful tool for understanding and decision-making for all sorts of situations in business and organization. SWOT analysis can be classified into internal and external factors affecting a company. The Strengths and Weaknesses of the SWOT analysis represent the internal factors that influence the viability of the company. While the Opportunities and Threats, on the other hand, are the external factors that may affect the company's performances. A SWOT analysis provides more understanding of the organization in relation to its internal and external environment so that manager can formulate better strategy in pursuit of its mission.