***I KNOW THERE ARE COPIES ONLINE BUT THIS CANT BE FLAGGED FOR PLAGIARISM/AI USEAGE. IT HAS TO BE ORIGINAL WORK **** Quenchbliss Case Study: Write a SWOT Analysis SCENARIO: Quenchbliss is a craft soda company based in El Paso, Texas. Craft sodas are more expensive, gourmet sodas, usually from small companies—the soft drink equivalent of “microbrews.” Quenchbliss's primary business is their sodas, with smaller revenue streams from merchandise. They have an owners group of thirty shareholders but are not yet publicly traded. They have a staff of about 80, most of whom work in the warehouse, distribution, and at a store attached to the warehouse. All operations are at the same location, from research and development, to promotions and sales, to bottling and distribution. Because it began as a small operation and grew quickly, their organizational structure is flat and organic. “Everybody does a little bit of everything,” their founder and CEO says. Indeed, the CEO herself sometimes takes the register at the store or oversees warehouse operations. Quenchbliss’s claim to fame is unusual flavors, like “Bacon and Eggs,” and seasonal offerings like “Thanksgiving Turkey.” They have to constantly release new flavors since their target market is focused on these new and unique flavors. In fact, one of the company’s biggest sellers is their subscription box, which comes out four times a year and contains a four-pack of their newest flavors and seasonal favorites. The unusual and constantly changing flavors are also what bring people into the store. Quenchbliss does produce traditional flavors like cola and lemon-lime, which they distribute through restaurants and grocery stores. These bring in reliable revenue, even if they don’t get the attention on social media of their nontraditional flavors. Several months ago, Quenchbliss went international by opening a distribution center in Juarez, Mexico. This market has little competition for craft soda, so their products have become popular. They’ve done so well, in fact, Quenchbliss is considering expanding into other international markets such as Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and Kingston, Jamaica. However, since they have spent time, money, and energy on expansion, Quenchbliss has lost a contract with a local restaurant chain and has also seen a decrease in subscriptions. Because of these setbacks, Quenchbliss has put expansion on hold and gone back to finding exciting new flavors by growing their product development team, a combination of food scientists and creative professionals who brainstorm how to create and market new flavors. This move has caused some internal friction, as many were excited about the continued growth of the brand. Another source of internal friction is that salaries are not keeping pace with the market, so Quenchbliss has a hard time recruiting people for lower-level jobs of production and distribution. These jobs also have high turnover. ASSIGNMENT: For all of the Touchstones in this class, you will take on the role of an Organizational Behavior Consultant to help Quenchbliss understand and address their challenges. For this assignment, you will perform a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). In addition to providing initial analysis of the organization, you will make recommendations based on the tutorials you have read so far. For more information on SWOT analyses, see the tutorial on Internal Organizations and External Environments. You should also review the content throughout Unit 1 on internal and external environments, organizational change, and diversity in the workforce. A. Directions Step 1. Perform Research: In order to effectively perform a SWOT analysis, you must do research on the company, the industry, the region, and the economy. You have the Quenchbliss scenario to tell you about the company’s strengths and weaknesses, but should find at least three outside sources of information to understand the threats and opportunities facing Quenchbliss. Examples of specific places to research would be: An inventory of grocery stores in the southwestern United States to see which brands of craft soda they sell. This will tell you about the competition. Job sites like Indeed and LinkedIn to understand the job market in El Paso, TX, and Juarez, the border city in Chihuahua, Mexico. This will tell you about the market in this area. National and global information on the craft soda industry and trends for these companies. National and global information on the economy and the job market in general. The economy in downtown El Paso, particularly for “entertainment shopping,” and recreational activities that might bring foot traffic to their store. Step 2: Develop your SWOT Analysis on Quenchbliss: After you’ve synthesized the information, record the SWOT analysis in the template provided, answering these key points: What Quenchbliss does well internally. What weaknesses the company has internally. What external opportunities exist as they relate to changing demographics, new markets, or international markets. What external challenges they face, such as competition, consumer tastes shifts, or local economic issues. Hint: Each bullet point should state an observation or fact, provide a source for the fact if it is not in the scenario, and a few words about why you consider it a strength, weakness, opportunity, or fact. See below for examples. Step 3: Consider the Impact: Select at least two items identified in your SWOT Analysis that are likely to have an effect on aspects of the internal organization, such as structure, culture, stability, and complexity. Write 2-4 paragraphs that explain why this is important and what effect it will have on the organization. Apply concepts for the course tutorials in Unit 1. See the example below for further clarification. The prompts below may help you in writing this analysis. What are the most significant potential impacts on Quenchbliss? How can Quenchbliss leverage identified strengths and opportunities to mitigate weaknesses and threats? What strategic recommendations would you make to address these impacts, and what are the considerations for implementing these recommendations? How can the company plan for and mitigate potential future threats? Step 4: Develop strategic recommendations: Include suggestions for Quenchbliss to leverage strengths, address weaknesses, seize opportunities, and mitigate threats. Write 2-4 paragraphs incorporating at least 2 recommendations for Quenchbliss. Each recommendation should include a brief risk analysis to anticipate potential pitfalls and propose measures to address these risks. How can strengths be transformed into opportunities to drive growth? What changes should Quenchbliss consider to turn weaknesses into strengths or opportunities? Identify and evaluate the potential risks associated with your recommendations. Propose actionable steps to mitigate identified risks. Step 5: References:? Finally, add the references to the articles you cited in the paper. You should include at least 5 references, 2 of which can be from the Sophia Learning course tutorials. Be sure to use APA format, usually in the format shown below. Make sure any URLs are correct and do not contain any unnecessary code. Columbo, F. & Fletcher, J. (2020, March 5). The perils of dishonesty in business. Levinson Institute of Economics.?http://levinsoninst.org/perils-of-dishonesty.html *****SECOND PART OF THE ASSIGNMENT***** Quenchbliss Case Study: Present Recommendations Scenario: In Touchstone 1, you developed a SWOT analysis to fully understand the position of the Quenchbliss soda company in the current market. You should use that analysis to help inform your decisions on this Touchstone. You will continue your role as an Organizational Behavior Consultant to help Quenchbliss leaders grow their organization. For this Touchstone, we will make the following assumptions: Quenchbliss needs to restructure the organization. As noted in the scenario, the company has grown fast and organically. Based on the SWOT analysis performed in the Unit 1 Touchstone, Quenchbliss wants to expand into two more countries, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, in the next 5 years. Because they have high turnover, Quenchbliss needs to work on their motivation strategies to keep their people happy and engaged. Consider the following as you develop your organizational structure: Quenchbliss has historically been an organic organization but needs to make mechanistic changes as it expands. Review the content on organizational structures and organizational design. Quenchbliss does not have a clear path to promotion, which can be one motivational factor. According to the expectancy theory, showing employees that desirable behavior leads to positive outcomes, like promotions, is important as part of the organizational structure design. Consider the following questions as you develop your motivational plans: How can a manager motivate employees extrinsically but also ensure they are intrinsically motivated? Which motivational theory do you think is the most valid and applicable to Quenchbliss’s organization? Assignment: Develop a slide deck for a presentation for the leadership at Quenchbliss. As an OB expert, your presentation will address how the company can change the organizational structure, provide a graphic on a proposed structure, and also address motivational strategies that are tied to motivational theories. Note: This Touchstone should be completed as a slide deck using software such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, or another similar program. A. Directions Step 1: Determine an Organizational Structure and Change Process Review the tutorials on Organizational Structure and Design and Organizational Change. The tutorials on Managing Change and Mechanistic Change Models will also be helpful. All of these are in Unit 1, Challenge 3: Organizational Structure and Change. Based on the fact that Quenchbliss is changing from organic to mechanistic, consider what formalized organizational structure might work best, and what the process would look like for Quenchbliss. Step 2: Decide on a Motivational Plan Review Fundamentals of Motivation. You will then want to review all of the motivational theories and strategies covered in Unit 2, Challenge 4, Attributions: Interpreting the Causes of Behavior, and Unit 2, Challenge 5, Attitudes and Behavior. As you review, consider which ones might apply best to Quenchbliss. Consider the theories and which best fits the organizational circumstances as you described in the first Touchstone. Step 3: Prepare a Presentation for the Quenchbliss Leadership Team Prepare a slide deck (PowerPoint presentation or equivalent) for a presentation to the Board of Directors and the Leadership Team at Quenchbliss. The presentation should have 10 slides: A title slide; this should also include your name and the date. An introduction slide that addresses what you’ll be covering in the presentation and why it is important. This will include elements of your SWOT analysis; in particular, “weaknesses” and “opportunities” will explain the need for structural change and a plan to address motivational issues. Three slides that describe the recommended organizational structure and why it is appropriate. One of these three slides should graphically present the proposed organizational structure.
READ MORE >>
