Watches of Switzerland: Strategic Response to Global Macro-Environment

This briefing note examines the macro-environmental challenges faced by Watches of Switzerland due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Key issues include difficulties in obtaining information, communication breakdowns, and workforce motivation. The note suggests establishing a crisis team, improving data management, developing business continuity plans, implementing digital transformation strategies, and adopting participative leadership with flexible working arrangements. These macro-environmental changes aim to enhance communication, workforce motivation, and overall organizational resilience in the face of ongoing global challenges.

BRIEFING NOTE FOR
INFORMATION

Table of Contents
Background......................................................................................................................................1
Key issues........................................................................................................................................1
Global Macro-Environmental Factors Critical Discussion Point....................................................1
Resources & Evidence Used in the Completion of the Briefing Note.............................................2

General information to the briefing note
Background
The current global pandemic of Covid-19 has created many issues and challenges for the business
organisation all over the world in form of sudden lockdown and other social distancing norms and
regulations (Nandi and Platt, 2020). Further, covod-19 has created many unique challenges to the
Watches of the Switzerland company which leads to reduction in the overall productivity and success
level. Therefore, current briefing note is focused on the main macro environmental changes that the
global economy is required and expect to face in next 12-24 moths that need to factor and inline into the
long term planning.
Key issues
• Difficult in obtaining information from management and non-management resources
• Break of communication with suppliers and customers
• Lack of motivation in workforce
Global Macro-Environmental Factors Critical Discussion Point
To overcome these key issues and challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic some major global
macro environmental changes are required within the organisation. First of all, a crisis team needs to
established by the organisation to ensure the business continuity and act in as fast as possible manner to
lessen and reduce the negative impact along with preparing for future development (Klomek, 2020).
Along with this, the crises team should also need to be responsible for effectively reviewing the crisis and
coming up with effective business continuity plans together with developing different scenarios and
putting them to the test in order to prepare for unknown variables surrounding the outbreak.
Along with this, developing a more effective data and information management systematic is also needed
and required by the business organisation to ensure better and more effective sharing and transmission
of management information that is required to take effective decision to supports higher growth and
success level (Benzeval and et. al., 2020). A continual plan for undertaking critical roles is also needed to
determine the skill and information gaps and place all the suitable strategy to fill the information gap.
Further, adopting and implication of the digital transformation strategy has been also required as major
macro environmental change that supports better communication and regular interaction with both
suppliers and customers (Inter-Agency Standing Committee, 2020). Along with this, making use of digital
marketing and online channels such as social media has been also required to mitigate and elite the issue
of lack of effective communication with customers and suppliers as it also tend to attract and cater larger
number of customers which would also ensure the higher productivity and success level for the firms
(Goldstone and Zhang, 2021).
Finally, a macro environmental change in the leadership styles of the organisation has been also
excepted within the organisation in the global economy which tends to eliminate the issue of lack of
motivation in employees (Crossley and et. al., 2020). It has been suggested and brief out that implication
of the participative leadership style is being required in the macro environment of business organisation
which supports improve participation of all key stakeholders and employees within the decision making
and strategy formulation to have improved workforce motivation. Along with this, adoption of the flexible
working arrangements has been also required as a major macro environmental change to supports higher
safety of employees that would also support improved satisfaction level through meeting their flexible
working needs (Allsop and et. al., 2020).

Resources & Evidence Used in the Completion of the Briefing Note
Allsop, M. and et. al., 2020. Palliative Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic Briefing Note: The role
of telemedicine: Remote access to patients, caregivers and health workers.
Benzeval, M. and et. al., 2020. Briefing note COVID-19 survey: health and caring (No. 2020-
11). Understanding Society at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
Crossley, T.F. and et. al., 2020. Briefing note COVID-19 Survey: the economic effects (No. 2020-
10). Understanding Society at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
Goldstone, R. and Zhang, J., 2021. Postgraduate research students’ experiences of the COVID-
19 pandemic and student-led policy solutions. Educational Review, pp.1-22.
Inter-Agency Standing Committee, 2020. Briefing Note on Addressing Mental Health and
Psychosocial Aspects of COVID-19 Outbreak-Version 11.
Klomek, A.B., 2020. Suicide prevention during the COVID-19 outbreak. The lancet
psychiatry, 7(5), p.390.
Nandi, A. and Platt, L., 2020. Briefing note COVID-19 survey: ethnic differences in effects of
COVID-19: household and local context (No. 2020-14). Understanding Society at the
Institute for Social and Economic Research.
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