E-business Strategies - PDF

E-business Strategies
S l i c e s : w h a t i s n e x t ?
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Executive summary
The competition in the market is increasing day by day due to which the responsibility and role
of the strategic direction in the corporations are growing. Strategic direction formation consist
vision, mission, strategies and different tactics that assist the corporation in accomplishing the
objective. The assessment talks about the new e-business strategies that the company should
implement in their business that is social media marketing. The new strategy is formed
considering the need for the promotion to the company. Overall, the report will discuss the way
company is making use of the social media strategy to promote the products that will help them
in expanding business in UAE and its implementation in the business.

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Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Assessment of current strategies......................................................................................................4
Assessment of Strategies.............................................................................................................4
PESTLE Analysis....................................................................................................................4
Porter’s Five Forces.................................................................................................................5
Core competencies...................................................................................................................6
New Strategies for Slices.................................................................................................................6
Roadmap for e-Business strategy implementation......................................................................7
Recommendations..........................................................................................................................15
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................16
References......................................................................................................................................17

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Introduction
The purpose of the report is to define the suggestions for the new e-business strategies
modifications that company would benefit from. The assignment is created on the part 1 which
was based on a case study that is "Slices: what is next?”. The initial part of the report consist
evaluation of strategies that the company is implementing in their business. This report will
include the implementation process of the social media marketing strategy of the company. In
the end, there some of the recommendations are given to the company to improve the social
media marketing.

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Assessment of current strategies
The overview of the company is talk over in the assessment first with the support of the PESTLE
framework and Porter’s Five Forces analysis (Lee and Carter, 2011). Moreover, the previous
assessment includes the core capabilities of the Slices. PESTLE analysis is the framework that is
used by the company to analyze the external factors that can influence the functioning of Slices.
Moreover, another tool that has been used by the company is Porter’s five forces that help the
company to analyze the competitiveness in the market (Kotler, 2015). Below given is the
assessment of the current strategies that are discussed: -
Assessment of Strategies
PESTLE Analysis
The PESTLE analysis defines the current strategy of the company that helps the company to
conduct the business operations in the market of UAE. Slices major priority is healthy and
organic food due to which they maintain the standards in food considering the changes in the
needs of customers. Moreover, the company is putting efforts to maintain a good relationship
with foreign markets and regulations. On the other hand, the economic crises of UAE create an
impact on the prices of the food (Jelassi, Enders, and Martínez-López, FJ, 2014). The economic
crises reduce the prices and lead to the competition. Along with this, the implementation of the
minimum wage has reduced the purchasing power. This reflects that the economy of UAE
affects the profit of the company.
This is the fact that there is a change in preference and culture of countries across the world.
Every company tries to meet up the demands of the customers in the operating countries.

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Similarly, Slices strategy is to fulfill the demand and preference of the younger to elder
generation in UAE. In UAE, technology development matters a lot for customer engagement and
promotion. Therefore, Slices Company needs to update their technology as the company is
lacking behind in technological development. The company knows its legal obligations towards
the people and society (Jelassi, Enders, and Martínez-López, FJ, 2014). This is the reason
company donate their unsold food to the charity. This is the effective way to which the company
is contributing to enhance the reputation of the company. Slices purchase the organic products
from the local suppliers but the changes in the season might affect the company’s strategies.
Global warming might affect strategies of the company.
Porter’s Five Forces
The company has distinctive capabilities in the whole market of UAE for the healthy products as
this is the backbone of slices. Slices offer a healthy product which makes the company unique in
the market and because of this the company doesn't have competitors in the market. The
company has knowledge of the UAE market which helps them in understanding and fulfilling the
needs of customers. The effective understanding of the UAE market helps the company in
understanding the changes in the needs of the customers. The major strategy of the company in
the market of UAE is to form the strong relationship with the suppliers (Jelassi, Enders, and
Martínez-López, 2014). Though, some of the suppliers might face the high cost of moving to the
alternative suppliers. The company has the unique quality of goods and services which makes the
company free from the worries related to the substitutes in the market. Moreover, the company
has distinctive initiative community program like School food program which upraises their
position in the market. The Threats of the new entrants in the market is increasing for Slice
because they are aware of the fact that the needs of the customers are fluctuation with time.

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Moreover, the government of UAE welcomes other companies to expand their business as this is
the effective way through which they can welcome foreign investment.
Core competencies
Tangible resources are becoming one the way through which the company can improve its
position in the market. Slices tangible resources include capital and funds like expansion,
supplies, technology, and location of the business. The company can make use of these
capabilities in the upcoming branches and franchisee. Apart from these tangible resources, there
are intangible resources which include non-physical assets of Slices like loyalty of brand,
knowledge about the product and suppliers and some other social responsibilities (Jelassi,
Enders, and Martínez-López, FJ, 2014). The capabilities of the company are strategies that the
company make use of their business. Abilities help slice to develop a reason behind picking up
and maintaining better position in the market. Moreover, the major strategy of the company is to
lead better marketing in the work culture.
The overall analysis reflects the overview of the current strategies that Slices company
implement in their business because this helps the company in operating business in UAE.
New Strategies for Slices
This section of the report reflect the new e-business strategies that Slices should implement in
their business in the market of UAE as this is the effective way through which the company can
boost their operations in the market. The development and advancement of the technology are
essential for the company as the application of the e-business strategy is not possible without
technology (Tuten and Solomon, 2017). Therefore, the company needs to update technology
with the help of which they can implement the new strategies in their business. The new e-

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business strategy that the company should follow is social media strategy (McFarlin, 2018). This
is one of the effective strategies through which the company can promote its products and
service in the market of UAE. This is the fact that Slices business is on growth stage due to
which it is essential for the firm to promote the products. The application of the e-business
strategy needs the roadmap that defines the actions that the company will take to implement the
strategy.
Roadmap for e-Business strategy implementation
Every business in the competitive world needs a framework for managing the mobilization of
association around its strategic plan (Reynolds, 2010). The application of e-business strategy
includes some of the business actions and decisions that the company take to achieve the
objective of the company and also to implement the e-business strategy.
The implementation of social media marketing is given below which is one of the effective e-
business strategies.

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(Source: By Author, 2018)
This roadmap of the helps the Slices in determining the actions that the company need to follow
to achieve the objective of social media marketing.
Vision
Strategy Alignment
Revenue and Cost model
Organisational Model
External Partners
Privacy, ethical, and legal issues
Target Segment(s)
Value Creation
Objectives
Vision

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Slices vision is to achieve the highly recognized position in the domestic and international
market and to become the leading company who offer healthy products through their restaurants.
Objective
The objective of the company is to generate the awareness for the healthy products that company
offers to its customers in a national and international market. This is one of the effective ways
through which the company can create a recognized position in the market.
Value creation
The notion of the value creations and value capturing is an essential of e-business strategy
because it is generating superior value to competitors and the capability through which they can
capture parts of this value in the method of revenue that is prerequisite for making a competitive
advantage (Bocken, Rana, and Short, 2015). The below given is the six path framework of value
creation. The framework reflects the six different paths that help the company to reconstruct the
market boundaries (Kim and Mauborgne, 2014). Considering the previous analyses, it has been
analyzed that the company is not having competitors in the current market UAE which reflects
that they have implemented the Blue oceans strategy.

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The above diagram reflects the explanation of the six path framework of the value creation
(Dahl, 2018). All the six paths are explained from the point of view of Slices and their operation
in the market of UAE. This is the way through which the company can create the effective value
creation of the e-business strategy.
Target segment
The company targets all the customers with the different age group. The major target segment of
the firm is a Demographic segmentation which takes account of age, income, education, and
many other factors that creates the segregation of market. The e-business strategy of the
company is to generate the awareness among the target customers so that they can consume the
maximum products offered by the company to its targeted customers (Solomon, et.al, 2014). The
major target customers of the company are youth because in today’s era most of the people with
Fast Food
restaurants
A consumer
who is health
conscious
healthy
products
In-house catering
services for
students, the
healthy lifestyle
of students,
Healthy diet
Lifestyle,
convenience
The high cost of
purchasing
organic
products
purchase
Promotion and
expansion of
products and
services

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age group 18-25 are health conscious and they know the importance of healthy diet in their
lifestyle. The people targeted by the company falls under the category of middle and high-
income group people. The value proposition that company offers to youth include fresh and
highest quality products, facility of products in high vicinity areas and ensure that raw material
which they are using is fresh.
Another target of the company is children’s with all the age groups but the company mainly
emphasis on the children under 5 years because they are anemic. It is essential for the company
to develop the healthy habits in the children’s of UAE as this is the only way through which the
future of UAE will get bright. The value proposition that the company offer to their customers is
a healthy diet and healthy eating habits that help them in making their future bright in the market
of UAE. This is the fact that slices perform many promotion activities in which they donate the
healthy food services to the children’s. Along with this, through their social media marketing,
they want to make the awareness among most of the children’s for healthy food.
Privacy, ethical and legal issues
While implementing the social media marketing with the use of different channels the company
should ensure some of the privacy, ethical and legal issues that will help slices in the future
operations of the business.
Privacy issues
 Security breaches are increasing across the world due to which it is recommended to the
company to ensure that they maintain their social media account effectively.

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 Slices employees should be aware that they should not allow the unwanted access to
private information because this is considered as a crime (Chen, Ruikar, and Carrillo,
2017).
Legal issues
 There should not be any disclosure of the confidential information on social media
channels like Facebook, Twitter, and many others.
 The company should wisely use trademarks.
Ethical issues
 Slices should provide the ethical content on the social media channels
 The company should always maintain the privacy on the channels
 While posting the content, the company should ensure that they are not hurting anyone’s
sentiment (Lipschultz, 2014).
External partners
Slices should definitely involve the external partners in the strategy of social media marketing.
The effective social media marketing will be possible when the company will involve its external
partners include business partners, supplier, customers and many others.
This e-business strategy is incomplete without the involvement of external partners as the
existing customers will contribute in bringing new customers (Felix, Rauschnabel and Hinsch,
2017). The existing customers will share the feedback related to the promotion campaign of the
company which will help slices in increasing the sales and revenue. Moreover, the involvement

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of partners is essential because this is the only way through which they can get approval and
creative ideas which will help in generating awareness widely.
Organisational model
Every company has an organizational structure that they follow. Slices Company follows the
functional organizational structure (Rothaermel, 2015). Considering the e-business strategy, the
company follows the independent business. The company slices are formed by the 4 friends
together.
Revenue and cost model
The revenue model that is followed by the company is production model. In this model, the
business creates the products or service and sells it to the customer at some certain value. The
company generates the revenue by selling the products to their customers (DaSilva and Trkman,
2014). The healthy food that remains unsold by the end of the day is donated by the company to
the children's. The e-business strategy of the company contributes in upraising the revenue of the
company.
The cost model that is used by the company is Absorption costing. This technique of costing is to
absorb the fixed and variable costs to production (Drury, 2013). The company makes use of the
strategy and because of this strategy slices is able to offer the products at low cost.
Strategy alignment
The strategy alignment reflects the arrangement of the strategy of the firm with e-business
strategy (Smith, 2016). The company offers healthy products through restaurants that help the
corporation in accomplishing the goals and the social media marketing strategy helps the

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company in increasing their sales and contributes to accomplishing the company’s objective.
This reflects both strategies of the company work with the common motive that is to achieve the
objective of the company.

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Recommendations
The implementation of the new e-business strategies is tough for the slices company in the
market of UAE. A company might face some of the issues in the time frame of next 6-12
months. It is suggested to the company to bring the technological advancement in the company
which will enhance the social media marketing.
The company should provide the discount coupons on the products as this is the effective way
through which company can grab the attention of their customers. The company should promote
their discount offers on Social media which helps the company in making the customer aware of
the benefits that the company is offering.
Further, it is suggested to a company to customize the menu of food because this is the fact that
the needs of the customers are changing with the growing education of people towards the
healthy products.

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Conclusion
The e-business strategies are becoming essential for the companies as these strategies contribute
to the growth and expansion of the business. Slices current strategies are effective and helping
the company to operate the business in the market of UAE. Considering the need of the business,
Slices need to follow the e-business strategy in the market of UAE. The effective e-business
strategy for the company is social media marketing which will benefit the firm in increasing the
sales and achieving the objective of the firm. The implementation of the e-business strategy has
been presented along with the recommendations to the company.

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References
Bocken, N.M.P., Rana, P. and Short, S.W. (2015) Value mapping for sustainable business
thinking. Journal of Industrial and Production Engineering, 32(1), pp.67-81.
Chen, Y., Ruikar, K. and Carrillo, P. (2017) 13 e-Business infrastructure and strategic
frameworks. Advances in Construction ICT and E-Business, p.296.
Dahl, S. (2018) Social media marketing: Theories and applications. California: Sage.
DaSilva, C.M. and Trkman, P. (2014) Business model: What it is and what it is not. Long range
planning, 47(6), pp.379-389.
Drury, C.M. (2013) Management, and cost accounting. US: Springer.
Felix, R., Rauschnabel, P.A. and Hinsch, C. (2017) Elements of strategic social media
marketing: A holistic framework. Journal of Business Research, 70, pp.118-126.
Jelassi, T. Enders, A., and Martínez-López, FJ. (2014) Strategies for e-business: creating value
through electronic and mobile commerce : concept and cases. UK: Harlow Pearson
Kim, W.C. and Mauborgne, R.A., 2014. Blue ocean strategy, expanded edition: How to create
uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant. Harvard business review Press.
Kotler, P. (2015) Framework for marketing management. India: Pearson Education.
Lee, K. and Carter, S. (2011) Global marketing management. Strategic Direction, 27(1).
Lipschultz, J.H. (2014) Social media communication: Concepts, practices, data, law and ethics.
New York: Routledge.

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McFarlin, K. (2018) Examples of an E-Business Strategy [Online]. Available from:
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-ebusiness-strategy-11453.html [Accessed from 7th May
2018]
Reynolds, J. (2010) E-business: a management perspective. UK: Oxford University Press, Inc..
Rothaermel, F.T. (2015) Strategic management. India: McGraw-Hill Education.
Smith, T.J. (2016) Business Strategy Alignment. Pricing Done Right: The Pricing Framework
Proven Successful by the World's Most Profitable Companies, pp.35-54.
Solomon, M.R., Dahl, D.W., White, K., Zaichkowsky, J.L. and Polegato, R. (2014) Consumer
behavior: Buying, having, and being. India: Pearson.
Tuten, T.L. and Solomon, M.R. (2017) Social media marketing. California: Sage.