Consultancy in Practice: Iceland Foods - Strategies and Solutions

This report details a consultancy project undertaken by three students for Iceland Foods Ltd. It examines practical business data, sources of information, and the challenges Iceland Foods faces, such as increasing market competition and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report highlights the importance of talented employees, market trend analysis, and digital marketing strategies. It emphasizes the value of collaborative teamwork in providing effective consultancy services. Innovative solutions are proposed to address issues like declining sales and employee retention. The report recommends that Iceland Foods' management implement these solutions and offers suggestions for measuring and evaluating their effectiveness. The consultants used secondary data collection methods to gather information and demonstrated effective business communication skills throughout the project.

CONSULTING IN
PRACTICE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Practical business data, and sources of information....................................................................3
Performing effectively as a collaborative member of a working group......................................5
Delivering innovative solutions to the client’s problems together with recommendations.........6
Demonstration of effective business communication skills........................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Proper consultancy always plays an effective role to a business for improving its
performance and productivity in market place. Currently many consultancy firms simply
available in market place, in which a business or a company can contact to the most appropriate
consultants of the market, so these consultants can inform busines about various productive
business strategies, techniques and tactics which can contribute in achieving an excellent result
in the market (Geissdoerfer, Bocken and Hultink, 2016). This report discusses how three students
can came together for conducting the consultancy in practice. Basically, there are three students
come together to play the role of consultants to a business named; Iceland foods ltd. Some
innovative solutions also have given by these students or consultants for solving different
problems of Iceland foods. At the end, there are skills of effective business communication also
has been demonstrated in this report.
MAIN BODY
Practical business data, and sources of information
In this dynamic and modern world, top-level management within each business wants to
generate excellent profit margins in market place, in which they have to use some productive
strategies and techniques to do this. Currently Iceland foods is a very reputed retail organisation
within the United Kingdom, but the competition in this industry is increasing day to day, so this
is the biggest threat to Iceland foods right now. In this situation, all students who are now
consultants for Iceland need to suggest some appropriate ways that can support company for
systematically dealing with existing higher market competition. Consultants has required to
suggest company’s upper management that, it should be focused on hiring very talented and
skilled employees in own workplace (Rosenbaum and et.al., 2017). Basically, company will be
able to simply improve its performance and productivity in market place after having different
talented and skilled employees within workplace.
Iceland food ltd. is working in the retail industry of the United Kingdom, and now
running its business operations in many other countries as well, like; Ireland, France,
Netherlands, Iceland, Norway etc. Upper management of this company still focusing on more

expanding its business operations internationally, because this very necessary to company for
gaining very large market share in global retail industry. Currently many factors are trending in
the market place, in which this is basic suggestion from all three consultants to company’s upper
management that, should always follow different existing market trends. For example; healthy
food and dieting factors are highly in international food and beverage sector, so these trends will
be able to Iceland for gaining very positive outcome from these trends, because this food retail
company has already provided excellent quality products and services in different segments of
market. Due to offer quality products and services within market place, there are many people or
customer really like to consume products and services from this retail business (Phillips, 2020).
On the basis of all three students, existing management of this company should never
compromise with the quality of its various products and services. This is necessary to Iceland
foods for the sustainable development in market place.
According to all three members of consultancy group, the company should always be
focus on adopting and using some modern business strategies. However, upper management of
this business completely aware about the impact of modern strategies, and this is the main reason
that currently this retail organisation is highly using digital marketing strategies within its
workplace. The company currently runs its most marketing campaigns only digitally, and this
strategy provides very appropriate results to business in market place. On the other side,
company have to adopt other business strategies also within its workplace, like; marketing mix
and STP model. These strategies will also can play an effective role to Iceland foods ltd. in
international retail market place. Currently, upper management of this venture has highly used
the strategy of diversification, and this step of company is very appropriate according to all three
existing consultants of Iceland foods (Bititci, 2016). Basically, the strategy of diversification
helps to a company for entering in the new market place with newly developed products and
services.
Consultants has used different sources to collect all information about the Iceland foods.
Basically, all three students or consultants has used secondary data collection methods for
collecting different information and data about the Iceland foods. According to the researchers, a
person can collect data and information about any company by using many resources, like; books
and journals, magazines, newspaper articles, blogs, internet videos etc. In this modern world,

there are lots of traditional and digital sources simply available in market place, and these all
resources has played an excellent role to all students or consultants for innovating different new
ideas in order to improve the performance of the business.
Performing effectively as a collaborative member of a working group
Recently all members get the task to improve the performance and productivity of a
business, named; Iceland foods by using their innovative ideas (Volchek and et.al., 2020). In this
situation, currently these members of the group are performing very well in order to contribute in
overall development of the business. The best thing of this group work is that, existing members
of these group knows actual value of collaborative work, in which they are helping each other in
order to a perfect collaboration, because after properly collaborating with each other, they will be
able to give excellent consultancy services to Iceland foods. Many times, many groupworks of
students within the academic sessions not gains appropriate outcomes in market place because of
lack of collaboration. According to different business experts, value of collaboration always
helps to a group for achieving final objectives, and this is the main reason that, existing members
of group working with each other in full collaborative way.
Currently the main objectives of all members are to improve the performance of Iceland
foods, in which they have to make some innovative strategies and techniques which can help to
this retail business for performing very well in the market place. Basically, these all three
members of group are very creative, and they are capable to develop such ideas which can give
great contribution in the overall development of Iceland foods in the market place. According to
the current market situation they need to continue for working in collaboration for providing very
excellent outcomes in market place (Younis, Sundarakani and Vel, 2016). Suppose, one member
can be focused on the implementation of different market analysis tools on the Iceland foods,
like Pestle and Swot, one member can coordinate with strategy makers and upper management of
company for knowing company’s existing business strategies, at the end, one last member can
take steps towards making the business plan for Iceland foods ltd. in order to achieve very
excellent outcomes in market place.
When members of group will be completed their all tasks which has been mentioned in
above paragraph, then their work will become collaborative work, and this factor of members
will help company for gaining better outcomes in market place. Basically, proper collaboration

always enables to a business for improving its performance and productivity within the selected
market segments. When an existing member of this group will implement the market analysis
tools on company, then it can simply identify such factors of Iceland foods’ external and internal
business environment which can affect to this retail business in both ways, positively and
negatively (Schaltegger and Wagner, 2017). In situation, this work of member will motivate to
upper management of company for making some specific plans to systematically deal with these
all internal and external business environment factors. Then, one more member of this
consultancy group who will coordinate with upper management and strategy makers of company
can support to this company for how and where to use different business strategies in market
place. Basically, many times businesses have very excellent strategies and techniques, but still
they cannot achieve appropriate outcomes in market place, so existing members of consultancy
group will help to Iceland foods ltd. about how and where use an effective business strategy in
workplace. At the end, the company will require to follow that business plan also in its daily
operations which is creating by one of members of the group with collaborating with its other
members.
After performing effectively as a collaborative member of a working group, all students
will become very appropriate consultants for Iceland foods, and finally, this business can simply
improve its performance in its selected market segment after taking proper consultancy services
from all these three members.
Delivering innovative solutions to the client’s problems together with recommendations
A business faces many problems, difficulties and challenges in its workplace while
working in the market place, in which Iceland foods also faces many challenges and problems in
its workplace. However, now company no need to worry about these all problems, because
existing members of consultancy group has different innovative solutions which can help upper
management of Iceland foods for solving its different problems in market place (Zeng and
Taylor, 2017). But before delivering various innovative solution to company, there are members
has to be aware about those all factors which are the main reason behind different problems of
the business. For example; currently sales ratio Iceland foods has decreased just because of its
corona virus pandemic. There are no people in market place for buying or consuming different
products and services of Iceland foods, so this slowdown become very big problem to the

business. In this situation, existing consultants of Iceland foods can motivate to upper
management for never giving in this situation of pandemic, because currently each business has
been badly affected by corona virus pandemic in market place. After knowing this factor,
existing management of Iceland foods can focus on improving its productivity in market place
for improving own performance.
On the other side, students cum consultants has some more innovative solution also for
solving the corona virus problem of company. For example; after corona virus, most people or
customers like to consume food products and services only from such companies’ store and
supermarkets where existing management of a store has properly taken all precautions of corona
virus, like; using temperature indicator kit to quickly check the body temperature of a customer
or a staff, providing sanitizer facility to all customer for stopping the spread of corona virus.
After adopting these solutions of members, Iceland can simply solve its problem of decreasing
sales ratio after attracting many new customers towards own brand (Appelbaum and et.al., 2017).
There is employee retention is another major problem to a business in market place, in which
existing members of groupwork has proper innovative solution for this issue of company as well.
The solution is that, Iceland’s upper management should make or build an effective relationship
with its talented and skilled employees in workplace, because most of time employees doesn’t
like to work with such organisations where existing employer no believes in maintaining an
effective relationship with its employees. According to consultants, there are effective employee
relations is the main solution to Iceland foods for resolving its issue of employee retention. There
are members has some other innovative ideas as well for solving various other problems of
company in market place.
Recommendation
Top-level management of Iceland should follow those all innovative solutions in its
workplace which has given by students cum consultants, because these solutions are really very
productive for solving many existing challenges and problems. After using these solutions in
workplace, the management Iceland food can measure and evaluate them as well, because these
innovative solutions will definitely give very excellent results to upper management Iceland
foods (Cosenz and Noto, 2018). Nowadays, day by day increasing market competition is also a
big problem to company, in which existing management at retail business should use the solution

of members that always using competitive-base pricing strategy in order to gain huge
competitive advantage in market place. In this situation, when company gain effective
competitive advantage, then its problem of increasing market competition can be automatically
solved.
Demonstration of effective business communication skills
A business or company can’t gain appropriate profit margins in market place without
having effective business communication skills. In this dynamic and modern world, each
business has to put its huge efforts for improving communication skills of all employees and
workers, because when most employees of a company have effectively communicated skills,
then they can simply coordinate with each other. Currently most successful businesses in market
place has already order to their HR department for proving appropriate training and development
sessions to its employees in order to development their exiting skills of communication. On the
basis of collected information of all member of the group, an employee who has well-developed
communication skills always gains higher growth in an organisation in comparison of employee
who not has proper skills of communication. In this situation, existing management at Iceland
foods have to be active in order to develop skills of communication of its different existing
employees, because these are very necessary to remove different conflicts and errors from the
workplace (Mohamed, 2020). Basically, developed skills of communication enable to employees
for properly interacting with each other. In this situation, when different employees of Iceland
foods will interact with each other in effective manner, then they can simply make very effective
relationship with each other, and at end, Iceland company will be gained very happy and healthy
work culture with the support of these skills.
A business not gain people with effective communication skills in a day, because there
are lots of efforts and hard work has required in a business for improving communication skills
of existing employees or people. According to research of all three students cum consultants,
Iceland foods’ upper management should invite some popular and productive business trainers
and coaches within its workplace for improving different skills and competences of people
including communication skills (Saunila, 2016). This is really a mandatory task to existing
management of Iceland, because after employees with improved skills, company can simply

improve its overall performance in market place. Then, Iceland foods will be able to gain
excellent profit margins and huge competitive advantage in the market.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded that different innovative ideas of students cum consultants are very
productive to Iceland foods ltd. Basically, upper management of this retail business have to
consider different methods, strategies and ideas in its workplace, because these are very essential
to company for improving performance of own business in the selected market segments. It can
be also concluded that, all these three members of the group has given very appropriate
suggestions to company, so these suggestions can positively affect to overall growth of Iceland
company. According to the existing consultancy work of students, there is an effective
collaboration between different members of group is very necessary achieving final objectives.
The management of company should be focused on using different innovative solutions of
members as well for resolving their various problems and difficulties in market place.

REFERENCES
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