Business Strategy Medicine Hat Meat Traders Assignment 2022

Running head: BUSINESS STRATEGY
Business Strategy
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
1. PESTEL Analysis of Medicine Hat Meat Traders...................................................................2
2. SWOT Analysis........................................................................................................................4
3. Value Chain Analysis of Medicine Hat Meat Traders.............................................................5
4. Financial Performance of Medicine Hat Meat Traders............................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6

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Introduction
Medicine Hat Meat Traders is a family owned enterprise operating in the city of Alberta
in Canada. The company has acquired name and fame in the recent past upon its sale of a
product known as Beef Jerky, which is primarily a snack food, and which has served as a stiff
source of competition for other snack foods in the market including nuts, chips, popcorn as well
as nutrition and energy bars. The launch of this product in the market in Alberta led to a massive
rise in revenue for the company, since it gave customers the option to snack on something
nutritious, healthy and sumptuous at the same given time (based on case study). This assignment
engages in a detailed situational analysis of Medicine Hat Meat Traders, by conducting a
PESTEL and SWOT analysis of the company, in order to determine whether the business ought
to continue running in its present state or whether operations ought to be streamlined with some
minor adjustments here and there in order to realize a few additional profits.
1. PESTEL Analysis of Medicine Hat Meat Traders
Political Factors – Canada is a commonwealth nation that is characterized by a liberal political
framework. The country is a democracy and it is governed by a parliamentary system, even
though it is Queen Elizabeth II who is the head of state, in the technical sense of the term. The
political stability that prevails in a democratic nation allows a business like Medicine Hat Meat
Traders to conduct its operations in this part of the world, in a smooth and hassle free manner
without worrying about any interference from the state.

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Economic Factors – The economy of Canada is essentially a service oriented economy and a
developed mixed economy. Canada is the tenth largest economic power in the world, and the
high GDP growth and low rates of inflation that are prevalent in Canada, allow businesses such
as Medicine Hat Meat Traders to conduct local and regional trade in a profitable manner (Lloyd,
2016).
Social Factors – Society in the country of Canada is multi-ethnic in character with people
belonging to various religions, cultures, and ethnicities residing here. Some of the dominant
ethnic groups in Canada are the native Indians, Sikh’s from India, and Chinese people. Canadian
society has a surplus of skilled workers. A business such as Medicine Hat Meat Traders can thus
draw upon a plentiful of qualified laborers to run its enterprise at a high rate of profit (Lloyd,
2016).
Technological Factors – Canada is one of the most developed countries of the world
technologically, with the internet being used here quite extensively for large scale and small
scale business transactions. Medicine Hat Meat Traders is an enterprise that takes recourse to the
internet, via its company website, and also through the use of e-commerce platforms to sell its
meat products to an interested target audience, while also conducting retail operations to some
degree, via the medium of the internet for the sake of efficiency (Lloyd, 2016).
Environmental Factors – Canada is a country where a concern for the natural environment is
quite predominant and it is expected that businesses here will conduct their operations in a way
that is not harmful for the natural environment. The production of a wide array of meats for
domestic consumption is something that a business enterprise like Medicine Hat Meat Traders is
seen to do in a way that is not detrimental for the environment. The use of plastic is avoided for

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the most part and the production of meat for sale and distribution is undertaken in a hygienic way
(Sterne & Van Duren, 2019).
Legal Factors – The rights of employees in the country of Canada are protected by many laws,
and the Canadian Human Rights Act is the chief legal instruments that looks into the
preservation of rights, dignity and the prohibition of discrimination for people belonging to
different cultures and backgrounds in Canada. The employees of a company like Medicine Hat
Meat Traders are thus well protected by the prevailing laws in Canada, and are provided with the
security in they need in order to offer long term and continuous services to this organization in
the city of Alberta, in Canada (Lloyd, 2016).
2. SWOT Analysis
Strengths – One of the key strengths of Medicine Hat Meat Traders is that it specializes in the
production of high quality meat for human consumption. It has also innovated with the
production of meat in the recent past, such as through its manufacture of Beef Jerky, a beef snack
that has been extremely well-received by the target audience of the company and which has
boosted the revenue and the sales of the company considerably (based on given scenario).
Weaknesses – While there are no outright weaknesses associated with Medicine Hat Meat
Traders, the company has had to make heavy investment to come up with new varieties of beef
in order to meet the changing needs and preferences of customers when it comes to the
consumption of meat (Ibid)
Opportunities – The love and the demand for meat in a country like Canada and in the city of
Alberta is still quite high, even though many people here are developing a taste for vegan foods.

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The widespread demand for high quality and innovative varieties of meat that continue to prevail
in Alberta and in Canada implies that there is a lot of scope for a company like Medicine Hat
Meat Traders to grow its operations and to expand outside of Alberta (Ibid).
Threats – There are rival meat companies in Alberta that can offer innovative beefy snacks in
much the same way that Medicine Hat Meat Traders does. The company has to keep its beef
products quite uniquely positioned, so as to fight the threat of competition that exists in the area
of meat sale and production in Alberta, and in Canada as a whole (Ibid).
3. Value Chain Analysis of Medicine Hat Meat Traders
Inbound Operations – When it comes to inbound operations at the Medicine Hat Meat Traders,
one important point that needs to be born in mind is the fact that there are no stocking fees that
have to be paid by the company to the grocery stores. This is because the products that the
company deals in are considered to be local (Holloway & Wu, 2019).
Outbound Operations – Farmers markets account for almost cent percent of the revenue that
has been earned by Medicine Hat Meat Traders in the recent past. The farmers markets are seen
to account for as much as twenty five percent of the cash sales of the company, and the company
is also able to distribute and sell its products quite effectively through all of the major grocery
and retail chains and through independent retailers that are in operation in the city of Alberta
(Lloyd, 2016).
Marketing Sales – Medicine Hat Meat Traders is a company that has been using social media
quite a lot in order to push its products for sale in the market. The company has an account on
Twitter as well as Facebook page and it is also serviced by its very own website through which it

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engages in the sale of its meat products quite effectively. By engaging in word of mouth sales
and by being a regular fixture at the farmer’s markets, the business owners have managed to
ensure successful sales for the meat products of the company (Hang et al., 2017).
Service – As mentioned before, Medicine Hat Meat Traders is primarily a family owned
enterprise. It is owned and managed by the Pahl family in Alberta, with all the family members
holding job positions in the company and running the affairs of the company in the manner
desired (Sterne & Van Duren, 2019).
4. Financial Performance of Medicine Hat Meat Traders
Financially, Medicine Hat Meat Traders has done quite well. It offers its meat products at
competitive prices, with the sale price of beef jerky ranging from seven dollars in a particular
location to ten dollars in another location (based on given scenario).
Conclusion
The situational analysis that has been carried out for Medicine Hat Meat Traders goes to
show that it can continue running its operations at the current state, and that revenue operations
do not necessarily have to be streamlined for additional profits. The company is doing an already
successful job of dealing with its competition, and is making its presence felt in the market in
Alberta in a variety of ways, from being a constant fixture at farmers markets to selling and
distributing its products via independent retail outlets and grocery chains.

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References
Caffeinated, M., Hang, S., Jameson, C., Siddiqui, A., Walters, K. and Zakerhaghighi, S., 2018.
A&W’s Beyond Meat Burger Campaign.
Holloway, J.W. and Wu, J., 2019. Integrated Global Red Meat. In Red Meat Science and
Production (pp. 167-172). Springer, Singapore
Lloyd, R.A., 2016. CHS Country Operations’ international business strategy. Journal of the
North American Management Society, 10(1), pp.66-84.
Sterne, R. H., & van Duren, E. (2019). Supply management and the business activities of Ontario
meat processors. Canadian Food Studies/La Revue canadienne des études sur
l'alimentation, 6(2), 26-50.