Detailed Business Report: Analysis of Woolworths in Australia

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Woolworths, an Australian retail organization operating in Australia and New Zealand. It begins with an introduction and a summary of Woolworths, highlighting its position in the retail sector. The methodology used for the research is qualitative, employing secondary research and data collection methods like interviews and e-surveys. A detailed SWOT analysis is presented, including the author's personal SWOT and its relationship to Woolworths' factors. The report explores diversity within the organization and discusses organizational fit, concluding with the author's career aspirations. The report examines Woolworths' strengths (customer orientation, market share), weaknesses (international presence, dependence on specific markets), opportunities (expansion, team efficiency), and threats (discounting wars, slow market growth). The analysis considers the impact of these factors on the author's career prospects within the company. The report also discusses the importance of diversity, its benefits, and its relevance to the author's experience. Finally, it summarizes the author's decision to pursue career opportunities within Woolworths due to market growth and brand value.

Running head: ANALYSIS OF WOOLWORTHS
ANALYSIS OF WOOLWORTHS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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ANALYSIS OF WOOLWORTHS
Table of Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................2
Summary of the organization.........................................................................................2
Methodology..................................................................................................................2
SWOT Analysis.............................................................................................................3
Personal SWOT..............................................................................................................3
Relationship of SWOT factors with my personal SWOT factors..............................3
Diversity.........................................................................................................................6
Organizational fit...........................................................................................................7
Conclusion......................................................................................................................7
References......................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
I am a student in the university who has analysed an Australian organization named
Woolworths. The organization has its operations in Australia and New Zealand and is a part
of the retail sector of the country. The main purpose of this assignment is to analyse the
operating environment of the organization and the various challenges that it has faced during
the course of its operations in the retail sector of Australia.
Summary of the organization
Woolworths is an Australian organization which operates in the retail sector of the
country and has its operations in New Zealand as well. The company has acquired the second
position in the retail marketing sector with the help of the revenues that it earns from the
Australian operations. The first store if Woolworths was opened in Australia in the year 1924.
The company had started expanding in the retail market of Australia quite fast and was able
to maintain many stores all across the country (Woolworths.com.au., 2018). The stores of the
company are quite innovative in nature and this has helped in increasing the revenues of
Woolworths further. The positive factors that will help in determining the direction of this
discussion include, the strengths of the company and the opportunities that is provided by the
expanding market. On the other hand, the negative factors of the organization that will help in
the analysis in the report are the weaknesses that are related to the operations of Woolworths
and the various threats that it faces in the market (Woolworths.com.au., 2018).
Methodology
The method that has been used for the research of Woolworths is based on the
qualitative research that is considered to be a type of exploratory technique of research. The
methodology that is used provides an understanding of the reasons behind the research
questions. The challenges that are faced by the organization in the industry have been

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analysed with the help of the secondary research based on the background of the company in
the market. The data is collected with the help of various methods which are related to the
collection of relevant information based on the operations of the organization in the industry.
The data collection methods thereby include, interviews, e-surveys, domain analysis,
observations, brainstorming sessions and the group discussions. The sample size that is used
for the data analysis is small and the sets of data are gathered with the help of structured
methods, unstructured methods or semi-structured methods (Durand, Grant & Madsen, 2017).
SWOT Analysis
Personal SWOT
Strengths
 I have a creative mind.
 I am able to plan activities in an
effective manner.
 I am good at listening effectively.
Weaknesses
 I have an introvert personality.
 I have a shy nature which acts as an
adverse factor for me to connect
with people.
Opportunities
 I am good at working in teams.
 I am able to manage groups and
teams in an effective manner.
Threats
 I feel a lot of stress in pressure
situations.
 I sometimes face high lack of
interest in the work process.
Relationship of SWOT factors with my personal SWOT factors
Strengths – Woolworths has a huge reputation in the retail sector of Australia and
New Zealand which is a major reason behind my choice of joining the organization in the
future. The organization is totally customer oriented in nature and my abilities to
communicate successfully and deal with people of different types makes me fit for joining
Woolworths. The organization has a huge share in the market which helps in building the
successful careers of the employees or the members who are a part of Woolworths. The

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growth of the company assists in the faster growth of the careers of its members. The value
that is held by the brand in the market will provide a boost to my career and my creative mind
will help in the formation of new and innovative ideas. I will be able to start my journey with
a huge organization which will provide a huge opportunity for my growth in the market. The
online and offline operations of Woolworths will help to reach a wider range of people with
the help of the resources that are provided by the company (Hill, Jones & Schilling, 2014).
The commitment that has been shown by Woolworths towards the sustainable operations and
protection of the environment will help me in creating a different position in the retail sector.
I will be able to establish my career with the help of the positive image that has been created
by Woolworths in the retail sector.
Weaknesses – Woolworths has a low presence in the international markets. The
company is totally dependent on New Zealand and Australia for the revenues that it wishes to
earn. This is a threat to my career as the changes that can occur in the external environment
can further affect the operations of Woolworths. My introvert nature will act as a hindrance to
my development in the company. The organization is dependent on a single for the profits
that it wishes to earn in the industry. The economic issues, the labour related issues that can
occur in that area will affect the revenues of the organization. The growth of the company
will also be affected by the issues occurring in the external environment. Woolworths has
been losing the competitive advantage over the organizations in the retail sector of Australia
(Meyer et al., 2017). This has affected the revenues of the company as it has to face huge
competition from the other big players in the retail market. My career in the retail sector will
be affected by the lack of revenues that can be faced by Woolworths due to its weaknesses in
the market. The organization has entered the retail market quite late and this has affected its
growth in this booming area. This issue will affect my growth in the retail sector.

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Opportunities –Woolworths can also take the opportunity and further expand its
operations all over Australia. The expansion plans that have been formulated by Woolworths
will have positive effects on my career growth. My ability to work in the teams in an
effective manner will help me in increasing the efficiency of the teams of which I am a major
part. I will be able to increase my own growth related opportunities in this sector. The
promotional activities of the organization can be increased to reach more and more customers
which can help in the improvement of the operations. This improvement will provide
opportunities for my growth in this sector. The growth of the organization of which I am a
major part will assist me in my growth related activities. The company can also plan to
increase its social media based activities so that it is able to create contacts with the
customers and increase their loyalty by understanding their needs and demands (Michael,
Storey & Thomas, 2017). The increase of customer reach will help me to interact with
different kinds of people and further increase my knowledge in the process. This knowledge
will be helpful for me to increase my opportunities in the future. The vast retail market in the
emerging economies and the developing countries is a big opportunity for the growth and
expansion of Woolworths.
Threats – The discounting related wars that are being faced by Woolworths in the
retail market are a threat to the revenues and the profitability of the company. The loss of the
customers faced by Woolworths in the financial year 2014 has also caused huge pressure on
the revenues. The aggressive growth of Aldi and Coles has caused issues in the revenues and
profitability of Woolworths in the Australian retail market (Morschett, Schramm-Klein &
Zentes, 2015). The lack of the revenues of the organization in which I am working has caused
an increase in the stress and pressure that I face. The slow speed of growth that has been
detected in the retail market of Australia is major threat to the operations of the company.
This threat will also affect my future plans related to my career. The slow growth of the

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Australian market can be a major threat to the sustainable operations of Woolworths in the
country. This will affect my career growth in the retail sector of Australia as the organization
will not be able to grow fast.
Diversity
Diversity is related to the view which brings potential benefits which can outweigh
organizational drawbacks and the costs that are incurred. Diversity further leads to deeper
levels of innovation in the organizations. The creativity levels of the organization and the
employees can also be increased with the help of diversity. The diverse workplaces have the
ability to make fast decisions and gain access to the top levels of talent that is available in the
industry. The organizations however need to adhere to the diversity related laws so that the
workforce can be managed in an effective manner (Trigeorgis & Reuer, 2017). The various
arguments that are made based on diversity in the organizations include, availability of the
talent, enhancement of interpersonal innovation, appealing to the global base of customers
and avoiding risk. The business case related to diversity is based on the view that diversity
related activities of an organization brings many benefits. The major advantages that can be
gained by an organization with the help of diversity include, improved methods of problem-
solving, greater levels of innovation and creativity which further lead to the enhancement of
the product development process (Wheelen et al., 2017).
Diversity in an organization can be seen as a strength as the diverse teams can provide
vast pool of talent for solving the various issues with the help of creative ideas. The different
opinions can provide various options to the management of the organization regarding the
process related to effective problem-solving. The diverse type of workforce is able to
understand the various demographics that are related to the global marketplace of consumers.
The emerging markets of the developing countries are also benefitted by the diversity in the

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different organizations. The diverse organizations are also able to adapt to the technological
and the cultural environment of the various countries in which they have their global
operations (Trigeorgis & Reuer, 2017).
The focus on diversity of the organizations can be considered as an opportunity for
the proper management of the various operations. Diversity is able to provide huge
opportunities to the organizations to operate in an effective manner in the global business
environment.
My personal experience in my university is also related to a diverse area where
different types of students are present from diverse backgrounds and different countries. This
has helped me to interact in an effective manner with the people belonging to diverse
backgrounds.
The better understanding of diversity can help the management in making proper use
of the different opinions and ideas that are provided to the organization. This can help them
in operating in a profitable manner in the global operations where they have to deal with
customers belonging to diverse areas.
Organizational fit
From the analysis of Woolworths in the Assessment One I can say that see my future
career opportunities in the organization. The huge opportunities that are related to the growth
of the retail market and the expansion of Woolworths are the major reasons for my decision
to join the company in the future. My future plans with Woolworths will help me in starting
my career in an effective manner. The brand value that has been gained by Woolworths will
be helpful in my future career related decisions.

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Conclusion
The discussion can be concluded by stating that Woolworths can prove to be a good
choice for starting my career as the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that are
related to the operations of the company are linked with my personal SWOT analysis. The
diversity related activities can also be helpful for me to improve my career related
opportunities. The positive effects of diversity have been discussed in the analysis and it has
proved that the organizations can implement diversity for the purpose of increasing its
collaboration in the global environment. I have thereby found myself fit for the organization
so that I am able to increase my future opportunities and develop my future career goals.

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References
Durand, R., Grant, R. M., & Madsen, T. L. (2017). The expanding domain of strategic
management research and the quest for integration. Strategic Management
Journal, 38(1), 4-16.
Frynas, J. G., & Mellahi, K. (2015). Global strategic management. Oxford University Press,
USA.
Gamble, J., & Thompson, A. A. (2014). Essentials of strategic management. Irwin Mcgraw-
Hill.
Hill, C. W., Jones, G. R., & Schilling, M. A. (2014). Strategic management: theory: an
integrated approach. Cengage Learning.
Meyer, G. D., Neck, H. M., & Meeks, M. D. (2017). The entrepreneurship‐strategic
management interface. Strategic entrepreneurship: Creating a new mindset, 17-44.
Michael, S., Storey, D., & Thomas, H. (2017). Discovery and coordination in strategic
management and entrepreneurship. Strategic entrepreneurship: Creating a new
mindset, 45-65.
Morschett, D., Schramm-Klein, H., & Zentes, J. (2015). Strategic international
management (pp. 978-3658078836). Springer.
Trigeorgis, L., & Reuer, J. J. (2017). Real options theory in strategic management. Strategic
Management Journal, 38(1), 42-63.
Wheelen, T. L., Hunger, J. D., Hoffman, A. N., & Bamford, C. E. (2017). Strategic
management and business policy. pearson.
Woolworths.com.au. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.woolworths.com.au/