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Essay on W. L. Gore Case Analysis

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W. L. Gore Case Analysis Although the name W. L. Gore & Associates may not seem familiar to the ear, in all actuality, its products are some of the most well-known in existence. W. L. Gore is famous for its pioneering work with the polytetrafluoroethylene polymer, which lies as the backbone for many of Gore’s products, including its most famous, Gore-Tex. Founded on January 1, 1958, by the husband and wife team of Bill and Vieve Gore in the basement of their home, W. L. Gore & Associates has expanded internationally to a workforce of over 6,000 associates in 45 locations, with sales volume of over $1.84 billion last fiscal year. For thirty-five straight years the company has enjoyed profitability and constant positive return on …show more content…

In order to hold their place as the dominant seller in their favored industries, W. L. Gore & Associates must choose between advancing as a technological pioneer or cutting costs and becoming the lowest priced provider available. If they were to pursue the first route, it may be to their advantage to expand their research and development departments, as well as reorganize the way they market their products. On the other hand, if W. L. Gore & Associates felt that the more prudent course of action would be to become the most competitively priced provider, the company would need to seek out and reduce superfluous costs more efficiently. Throughout the history of the company, W. L. Gore & Associates has always worked as a single living and constantly adapting unit. With its unique organizational structure, the company functions more like a tight-knit family than its corporate counterparts. In many ways this has proven itself quite effective; for example, Bill Gore claimed that patent applications and innovative products outputted by his company was triple that of Du Pont, exemplifying the effects of the heightened levels of freedom and creativity in the Gore workplace. In this system, employees are encouraged to perform their best, as every employee shares the same general title, and are compensated based purely on their performance. This also enables the most competent and eager employees to

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