Oak Cash and Carry: Business Growth Plan, Opportunities, and Funding

This report examines the growth strategies for Oak Cash and Carry, a small grocery wholesaler. It begins by analyzing key considerations for evaluating growth opportunities, including competitive advantages through Porter's generic strategies and PESTEL analysis. The report then evaluates growth opportunities using Ansoff's growth vector matrix, exploring market penetration, development, product development, and diversification. It also details various sources of funding available to small businesses. Furthermore, the report presents a business plan for the organization's growth, along with exit and succession options. The analysis considers product life cycle stages, portfolio strategies (BCG Model), and the importance of innovation for sustainable business expansion. The report provides a comprehensive overview of strategic planning for business development and success.

PLANNING FOR GROWTH

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1 Analyse key consideration for evaluating growth opportunities...........................................1
P2 Evaluate the opportunities for growth by applying Ansoff's growth vector matrix..............5
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................7
P3 Sources of funding available for companies with its advantages and disadvantages............7
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................9
P4 Business plan for growth of organisation..............................................................................9
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................11
P5 Exit and succession option for small business.....................................................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Planning is a most important concept which is used to manage organisational activities
and approaches properly in order to attain business growth and success. This process help to
determine several strategies which are used in future to manage operational and functional
activities of firm in effective manner. Main objective of this procedure is to plan impactful
approaches in order to accomplish organisational goals and targets properly (Barbour, and
Deakin, 2012). For a small scale firm, planning helps to provide direction to workforce through
which quality of working is improved that results in accomplishment of desired expansion
objectives. This report is based on Oak cash and carry which is a small grocery wholesaler firm.
The project is determine analysis of key consideration for evaluating growth opportunities,
evaluation of different opportunities for desired growth and sources of funding that are available
for small scale firm. At last it represent business plan for growth of organisation and exit or
succession option for small business firm.
TASK 1
P1 Analyse key consideration for evaluating growth opportunities
In a economy, each and every organisations is established with a specific strategy to
getting desired growth and success in effective manner. For a small scale organisation, it is hard
to create their own image and goodwill in competitive market easily. Therefore, management of
Oak cash and carry needs to create plan and strategy that assist in getting desirable growth
easily. It is not an easy procedure because it require creation of proper framework that consider
planning, creating, monitoring, controlling and implementing to managing all business
approaches easily (Brinckmann and Grichnik, 2010). The main aim of organisation is to provide
new product in existing market. Through this, Oak cash and carry can easily grab several
opportunities from target market. There are several key consideration for evaluating growth
possibility are determine below as -
Competitive advantages
For a small scale organisation, it is hard to get higher competitive advantages from target
market in which number of competitions are already exists. Oak cash and carry is a small scale
firm which is wants to boost their organisational activities in order to getting higher growth and
success easily. For this, management of firm needs to make impactful strategy to accomplish
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their objectives on the basis of organisational requirement and need. To attain higher growth,
Oak cash and carry needs to implement such competitive strategy in their business procedure as -
Porters generic strategies:
Oak cash and carry is a small scale business firm and for them it is hard to get maximum
opportunities from target market easily. For this, firm needs to create a strategic plan that assist
to manage business approaches for desired growth. Porter's generic model aid to make impactful
strategy for firm to getting higher opportunities easily as -
 Cost leadership:According to this process, management of a business firm needs to
analyse customer's requirement and capacity to pay for it (Burton, 2010)). They are are
required to charge least price for their products to attain competitive advantage. Through
this they needs to make positive changes in their business approaches to getting
competitive advantages. Cost leadership is a specific tool that helps a small scale
organisation as oak cash and carry to capture customer's eyes toward their products and
its cost in order to getting maximum opportunities.
 Differentiation leadership: For a small scale organisation, it is required to create unique
image of their firm in competitive market. Hence, they can choose a most specific
method by differentiate their services from others by implementing strategic ideas in their
products as well as services.
 Cost focus: For Oak cash and carry, it is required to target a niche market by offering
degraded cost services with impactful strategies. This is a most specific approach that
uses to create a positive and competitive image in target market.
 Differentiation focus: According to this strategy, management of Oak cash and carry
needs to analyse target market in order to represent their unique feature services easily.
Main objective of this process is to create a different image in competitive market for
getting higher advantages easily (Chapin, 2012).
One of the best which helps the organisation to attain competitive advantage and grab the
trust of customers is cost leadership. Providence of quality products at low price helps to cater
their needs and requirements.
PESTEL Analysis:
 Political: These factors are all based on governmental policies and approaches. For Oak
cash and carry, it is required to analyse effectiveness and influence of these factors in
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order to manage their business approaches easily (Christofakis and Papadaskalopoulos,
2011). For a small scale organisation, it is required to implement all rules and policy in
their business firm to create a positive position in a target economy.
 Economic: This is a most specific factors that influence in business development and
growth procedure. For Oak cash and carry, it is required to maximise opportunity for
economy development in order to getting higher competitive advantages in target
country.
 Social: Oak cash and carry is small scale wholesaler that provide several products to their
customer's at a specific place. For them it is required to identify customer's desire and
need to cater quality services to them easily. Through this they can create their own
image in target market positively.
 Technology: Now a days, technological factors has vast impact on individual's life as
well on business procedure. These activities assist in maximise productivity and others
production approaches in effective manner (Eddleston And et. al., 2013). By
implementing advance technology in firm, Oak cash and carry can build direct
connection with target customers.
 Environmental: In a country, government bodies create strict rules and regulations for
different business firms for environmental safety. For this, Oak cash and carry needs to
follow them and produce eco-friendly product for environment's healthy and safety.
Through this, they can capture customer's attention toward their service and business
approaches.
 Legal: For a small scale organisation, it is required to implement all rule and regulation
of their market country. These are more beneficial approaches that assist in expanding
business in that country easily. So through this, Oak cash and carry can implement legal
terms to getting higher competitive advantages easily.
New products and services
Oak cash and carry is small scale organisation that requires to get maximum growth and
opportunities from target market. For this, they needs to introduce new products and services in
target market in order to create a unique image easily (Grover and Bokalo, 2014). Main objective
of this procedure is to identify customer's requirement and need properly in order to cater higher
satisfaction to them on the basis of organisational products and services.
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Innovation
For a small business organisation, it is required to implement creative ideas and thoughts
on the basis of innovation and advancement of technology. This is a key consideration that assist
to evaluating growth opportunities easily. These are the most strategic approach that helps to
make changes and modification in products as well as services on the basis of customer's
demand.
Portfolio strategies – BCG Model
 Star – This element of model is determine high growth products of a business firm that
assist to share a positive market position. For Oak cash and carry, it will be a better
option that uses to create their own image in target market on the basis of their quality
products and services.
 Cash cow – This is a most specific market condition in which product of firm does not a
specific growth but organisation share a effective market share (Hough and et. al., 2010).
These approaches are based on firm's goodwill and image that assist to share effective
market easily. For Oak cash and carry, it can be a strategical condition that assist to build
a impactful image.
 Question mark – This is a surviving condition of an organisation in which they get a
effective products growth but get a low market share. For this Oak cash carry needs to
analyse market condition and trend in order to create their own image positively.
 Dogs – This is a negative term for an organisation in which they has low products growth
as well as market share that directly affects on their its profitability and revenue. For this
term, firm needs to implement strategic tools and techniques in order to getting maximum
growth easily.
Product life cycle:
 Introduction stage – This is a most basic step of product life cycle. In this management
of firm introduce their new products and services in target market. At this stage, sales of
goods takes a proper time because it is hard to create a effective image in customer's
mind for a new product.
 Growth stage – This is the second stage of product life cycle in which products get
higher growth by creating their positive image in target market (Tkeough, 2015). Hence,
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maximum organisations earn higher amount of profit at this stage on the basis of their
products and services.
 Maturity stage – This is third stage of product life cycle in which a business firm faces
maximum competition from new as well as existing organisations. At this level, position
of an organisations seems to be fall down. As its result, firm faces low growth of
products, sale and organisation's revenue.
 Decline stage – This is the last stage of product life cycle approach in which sales of
organisational products and service are fall down rapidly. At this stage, management of
firm needs to create strategic plan for their product development procedure.
P2 Evaluate the opportunities for growth by applying Ansoff's growth vector matrix
For a small scale business organisation, it is required to create a impactful strategic
framework that assist to create a positive image in target market. Therefore Oak cash and carry
needs to implement different strategic model in their business firm to getting maximum
opportunities and growth. Ansoff matrix is a most impactful strategical tool that uses to getting
higher growth by proper planning (Li and Mobin, 2016). These activities provide desirable
outcomes to a business firm by different strategic plans and procedure. It can be a most
impactful business approach that provide effective direction to a Oak cash and carry as -
 Market penetration – This is a most specific condition in which management of firm
uses different strategies in order to represent their existing product positively in existing
market. For a small scale organisation as Oak cash carry, it is required to make some
modification in their existing products to capture customer's attention easily towards
them.
 Market development – This is a strategic procedure in which management of firm create
a impactful plan in order to represent their existing products and services in new market.
For this, Oak cash and carry needs to create a effective plan to analyse maximum
requirement of their products to render their services in exact location or market.
 Product development – For a business organisation, it is required to introduce new
products in existing market on timely basis. Through this, they can easily create a
positive image in customer's mind for their services (Bokalo, 2014). For Oak cash and
carry it will be a beneficial move to attain maximum opportunities from target market.
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 Diversification – This is a strategic procedure, in which management of firm needs to
make impactful plan in order to analyse customer's requirement and need for specific
product. Through this Oak cash and carry can introduce their new products in new market
effectively.
Collaborations:
Merger
This is a most effective tool for small scale organisation in which they build collaboration
with large scale organisation to getting desirable growth easily. This process take a place while a
business firm merge in a another organisation with mutual understanding. Main objective of this
process is to get maximum profits and advantage with effective collaboration.
 Advantages of merger – Through this, both organisation can easily maximise their
resources to getting higher benefits in competitive market (MacLeod, 2013).
Combination of two or more organisation provide synergy impact for long term growth
and benefits. This is a beneficial approach for both business firm to enhance business
structure on higher level easily.
 Disadvantage of merger – This approach basically harm productivity and employees
loyalty toward organisation. Through this, employees of both business firm feeling
uncomforted to working with others. It can be a major disadvantage of merger procedure
in order to getting desirable outcomes easily.
Acquisition
This is a strategic decision in which most stable and higher growth organisations acquire
small and medium scale firm by their own understanding. Through this, major organisation
acquire their resources, assets and liabilities too in order to manage its positive image in market.
This is a most specific approach that helps to maximise business structure of an organisation by
acquiring others.
 Advantages of Acquisition – This is a most effective as well as beneficial approach for a
business firm in which they can easily minimise level of competition from target market
by acquire new rivalries (Mitchelmore and Rowley, 2013). These are the most specific
and strategic planning that assist to provide higher growth to a business firm.
 Disadvantage of Acquisition – This process can be risky for those organisation who
acquire others because it is hard to acquire liberalities of such business firms. In this
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procedure, organisation needs to manage their funds in maximum level so that they can
hire risk properly from such activities.
Joint venture
This a most common business process that uses to maximise business level by strategic
planning. In this process, two or more individuals conduct a legal framework to build a new
venture by their own understanding and desire. In this process each party classify risk, profit and
liabilities on the basis of their capital amount.
 Advantages of Joint venture – This process basically uses to create a new venture on
the basis of individuals mutual understanding. Major advantages of this process is that
each and everyone get similar benefits and loss on the basis of their level of capital
(Moseley, 2013). It assist to reduce onus of funds and resources from an individual.
 Disadvantage of Joint venture – In some conditions, partners of joint venture faces
correspondent behaviour while organisation earn maximum level of profits and growth.
These business organisations create conflicts and barriers between individuals in terms of
communications and thoughts.
Strategic alliance
This is a most specific business approach in which two or more organisations mutual
collaboration with other organisation in order to accomplish a specific objective. These alliances
are basically conducted to getting desirable growth and benefits to accomplish their wants as
well as objective easily.
 Advantages of Strategic alliance – These type of procedure are basically conducted to
accomplish a specific task or objective after this both organisations and individuals are
work for their own (Pallagst, 2010). This process required a most specific plan that
determine their future needs and goals to attain them easily.
 Disadvantage of Strategic alliance – Major disadvantage of this procedure is that
organisation can not build long term relation with each others while if they getting
maximum benefits or not. This process require a high number of funds as well as human
capital to get higher business advantages easily.
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TASK 2
P3 Sources of funding available for companies with its advantages and disadvantages
For a small scale organisation it is hard to create their own image and goodwill in target
market easily. This is a large process that require a proper framework to develop a business firm
in target market. Therefore, main element of this procedure are funds, strategies and resources.
Finance and funding play a vital role in a business organisation that required to manage in
effective and efficient manner. For a small scale organisation, it is hard to manage capital for
organisational funding easily. The number of organisational activities and approaches are based
on this term, so for this management requires to run for such activities smoothly. Oak cash and
carry is small scale organisation that provide wholesale facilities in target market. For them, it is
hard to manage large number of funds from different sources easily because some of the
financial institutions analyse organisation's source of income to repay their amount at exact time.
Hence, these procedure are take a long term of period for processing (Todes, 2012). In this,
management of firm needs to manage their internal as well as external sources of funds to getting
higher advantages easily. The external sources of funds can be -
Bank loan – Now a days, government authorities provide facilities to business
organisations as well as individual on the basis of their required need. Through this small scale
organisation can grab maximum opportunities by getting desired funds for their business
development process. Major advantage of this source is that they provide a specific amount of
loan on the basis of individuals and organisation's repay capability. The process of bank loan is
not so hard that helps each and every one to manage their capital requirement easily. Major
disadvantage of this process is that bank provide a proper amount of loan on the basis of past
records of individual or business firm. These activities required a clean and standard record in
terms of repayment as well as legality. In the repayment method, banks charge a proper amount
of interest that requires to pay at a specific time of period.
Crowd Funding – In this term, organisations and business entities take financials helps
from customer's, shareholders, families and friends in order to manage their organisational
approaches effectively. In this process organisations pay extra amount to brokers and joint
venture. This is not a simple and easy process because amount of funds are very limited and
interest rate are very high to pay exact amount easily (Valler and Phelps, 2012). This is a fast and
specific process that uses to generate capital for future and long term period. In this procedure,
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investor should be liable toward organisation to manage their sources for a proper duration.
Crowd funding is basically a terms of manage funds and financial approaches in order to provide
maximum opportunities through capital and funds facilities.
Venture capitalists – These type of financial bodies provide equity funds to different
business organisation. Main objective of these institutions is to cater maximum facilities for
small and large scale firms. They elaborate opportunities for new start-ups to make them scalable
in a business economy. Venture capitalists assist to generating desirable growth and profitability
for these business organisations.
TASK 3
P4 Business plan for growth of organisation
In a economy, each and every business organisation is established to accomplish their
target goals and get maximum growth easily (Wu, 2015). These activities required proper
planning and strategies to attain desired objectives. There is business plan of Oak cash and carry
is determine below as -
Mission of OAK Cash and Carry: The main mission of organisation is to become
leader in grocery industry.
Vision: The vision of cited organisation is to provide quality services at low cost.
Objective of OAK Cash and Carry - Oak cash and carry is a small grocery wholesaler
firm which offers wide range of products in bulk to retailers, offices, families and other local
business. Main objective of firm is to provide quality products and services to each customers on
the basis of their requirement and need.
Swot Analysis of OAK Cash and Carry
Strength:
 OAK Cash and Carry is known for providing quality and service of product, to the
customer.
 Staff with versatile knowledge and experience is their strength due to which they are able
to provide customer guidance in choosing the product according to the needs and wants.
 The OAK Cash and Carry providing the product at low prices as compare to their
competitor which provide enterprise competitive edge over rival due to this large number
of clients get attracted (Ziari And et. al., 2012).
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Weakness:
 The company is not rich in the technology which they need to adopt for the long run
success of the organisation.
 Concerned organisation is not getting the benefit which they should actually get because
of the over dependence on the retailer and customers (Barbour, and Deakin, 2012).
 OAK Cash and Carry company has very poor infrastructure at their business place which
make stores overcrowded and create problem for the customer to get the right product.
 They are not involved heavily in the advertising activity due to which the enterprise not
able to be in eyes of the customer and retailer.
Opportunities:
 Company is existed in only limited area,they have the scope to enter into untapped
market. The market can be of another country or different geographical location.
 They would invest their money in new technology so that business can increase
productivity. Technology is the thing which make work easier and efficient. It reduces
burden on the employees functioning.
 They should located their stores at the place where the customer or retailer can reach
easily (Moseley, 2013). They can also use online marketing method to reach globally
which cost very small amount.
 OAK Cash and Carry company can increase their business size from small to medium
size enterprise through merger and acquisition. Concerned company can merge with
another small enterprise who is doing same trade in which they are involved.
Threats:
 The company is having fear of existing competitive firm that they does not take their
share of the market.
 Firms also have the fright from big players of market who have the capacity to enter in
any new market. The big players aim is to only expand for which they enter into the trade
who have the great possibility of generating revenue.
 OAK Cash and Carry company have the threat of new emerging enterprise as they are
providing product at very low rate which was not possible for respective company as they
already offering good at very affordable or discount rate.
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