Macob: Evaluation of E-Business Strategies and Risk Analysis Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Macob, an organic beauty product provider, focusing on its e-business strategies and environmental factors. It begins with a PESTLE analysis to evaluate the political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors influencing Macob's business. The report then critically evaluates Macob's current e-business strategies, including inbound marketing, virtual integration, vertical integration, and customer retention. Project management techniques are applied to analyze these strategies, emphasizing customer acquisition and platform expansion. Finally, the report assesses the risks associated with e-business strategies, such as website failure and cybersecurity threats like malware and viruses, along with physical risks. The conclusion highlights the importance of environmental analysis, effective e-business strategies, and risk management for Macob's long-term success. The report uses the provided references from books and journals.

CONSULTANCE
REPORT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
1. Environmental analysis......................................................................................................1
2. Critical Evaluation of the organisations current use of E-Business...................................3
3. Uses of project management techniques to analyse proper e-business strategies..............4
4. Risk associated with E-business strategies.........................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7
Books&Journals.....................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Business environment involves all the internal and external factors that influence overall
performance of a business entity. It is essential for a business organisation to analyse various
environmental factors in order to be competitive in a business environment (Keith, 2017). In this
present report, the chosen organisation here is Macob that provides organic beauty products to
their potential customers through online medium. In this report, environmental analysis, strength
and weaknesses of various environmental factors and evaluation of the organisation's current
business strategies has been discussed. In addition to this, project management techniques and
risk associated with various E-business strategies has also been discussed.
1. Environmental analysis
In this context, it is essential for Macob to analyse environmental factors that can effects
its overall productivity in a competitive business market. In this report, pestle analysis will help
the chosen organisation in analysing external environment, which leads in gaining competitive
edge in a dynamic business environment. The factors of Pestle analysis are discussed below as:
(a) Political Factors
In this regard, the chosen organisation is dealing in organic skin care products that will
gives visible results to their potential customers. In this context, it is essential for the chosen
organisation to manufacture products as per the personal care product safety act. This will help
them in providing healthy products to their customers.
Strengths
 The foreign trade policy of UK will help Macob in increasing their customer reach, as it
helps them in operating their business activities without trade restrictions. It will also
help a business entity in gaining a future opportunity to formulate effective business
policies in order to operate their business activities
Weaknesses
 Sometimes tax policies formulated by government limits business activities of an
organisation that will also considered as threat because the chosen organisation has to
analyse their cost of production in accordance with the tax policies on their particular
products.
(b) Economic Factors
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As per the current scenario, the economic growth of UK is continuously decline due to
strict rules formulated by government authorities to stop unfair trade practises. In this regard,
there will be a continuous decline in purchasing power of UK peoples, which indirectly effects
sales and productivity of the chosen organisation.
Strengths
 Inflation rate of UK is stable, which helps the chosen organisation in increasing demand
of their particular products and services as stable inflation rate will improve purchasing
power of their customer's. This will also helps in sustaining their productivity for a longer
duration.
Weaknesses
 Sometimes, recession factors effects overall business performance that is also a future
threat as there is no solution for dealing with this type of situation.
(c) Social Factors
In this context, the chosen organisation Macob is manufacturing organic skin care
products by optimum utilisation of environmental resources. This will help the chosen
organisation in a achieving its societal aims and objectives and also leads in retaining its
potential customers for longer duration as compared to their competitors like Bespoke.
Strengths
 Macob is providing organic skin care products to their potential customers with minimum
side effects, which helps them in improving their brand image in a business market.
Weaknesses
 The cultural barriers while expanding business activities limits productivity of Macob,
which leads to effect their aims and objectives.
(d) Technological Factors
Macob is operating its business activities from UK, which is considered to be largest e-
commerce market. In this context, the chosen organisation is utilising its technological resources
as they are selling their products online. This will help them in gaining technological edge in a
business market.
Strengths
 As company is providing its products through online, so it will help a business entity to
be technologically advance in a business market.
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Weaknesses
 Sometimes employees fails to deal with latest tools of technology, which is also
considered as major threat as it will hinder their overall performance.
(e) Environmental Factors
As per this factor, Macob is manufacturing organic skin care products with no side
effects. This will helps them in increasing their customer reach as now people are focusing more
on organic products that chemical products which causes many side effects.
Strengths
 Macob is manufacturing organic skin care products by optimum utilisation of
environmental resources. This will helps them in achieving their societal aims and
objectives and also in gaining their customer's loyalty.
Weaknesses
 Frequent changes in taste of the customers is the major threat for Macob as it harms their
overall performance
(f) Legal Factors
The legal environment of UK focuses more on safety of their people. In this regard, the
chosen organisation Macob is manufacturing organic products which are safe and healthy for
their potential customers.
Strengths
 Macob is manufacturing organic products, which helps them in satisfying consumer
protection act. This will also help them in satisfying health and safety law, which
eventually helps the chosen organisation in increasing their customer reach.
Weaknesses
 It involve huge cost and time in co-operating with the legal environment.
As per the above mentioned pestle analysis, the chosen organisation is successfully
satisfying all external environmental factors. This will help them in retaining their productivity
for a longer duration as compared to its competitors.
2. Critical Evaluation of the organisations current use of E-Business
There are various E-business strategies which will help the chosen organisation in
achieving their specific aims and objectives that are discussed below as:
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(a) Inbound marketing strategy: This strategy aims on getting attraction of customers
or lead through the use of content created on Internet by company. Thereby they have customers
coming to company directly instead of marketers competing for attention. In Macob, this kind of
marketing strategy takes initiatives for making it easier for their clients, which are looking for
services or goods through internet actively in order to find what are the offerings given by an
organisation.
(b) Virtual integration: It is a new form of management of value chain. In such system,
the connections of value chain are bring together through the help of formal arrangements
between customers as well as suppliers. Transportation of components which are required by an
organisation can be arranged easily with the help of networked computer system or internet.
Here in Macob, with the help of this firm monitors every activities in an organisation itself right
from production to distribution to their customers.
(c) Vertical integration: In this segment, the chosen organisation monitors everything
from manufacturing their product to distribution procedures in order to be effective and efficient
in a business market. It helps a business entity in increasing their supply chain co-ordination and
also in decreasing their cost of production.
(d) Customer retention: In this context, the chosen organisation makes various efforts
to sustain their customer base for a longer duration by providing them products and services in
accordance with their needs and requirement.
3. Uses of project management techniques to analyse proper e-business strategies
Project management is a process of taking initiative, executing, planning and ending
work in a team in order to achieve particular goals and also to attain specific criteria for success
within a specified time. Whereas, an e-business strategy is important to a company for
conducting business activities over internet (Shirazi and et. al., 2014). It elaborates short term as
well as long term e-business objectives and also includes skilled and careful planning. There are
various project management techniques that can be used to analyse e-business strategies properly
which are bing discussed below as:
(a) Expanding selling platform: When an organisation is expanding its platform for
selling it will increase its selling and customers can be easily attracted. Here in Macob, when a
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company is selling its products through internet they can also give adds on Instagram, Facebook
and other social media suited in order to expand their business and earn revenue generation.
(b) Customer Acquisition: This means getting new customers. Acquiring customers
which are new includes influencing customers so that they can buy products of a company or
services. Organisations as well as companies take into consideration cost related to customer
acquisition as an essential measure in analysing value of a customer that is brought into their
businesses. While, customer acquisition management means a group of methodologies as well as
system in order to manager prospects of customers and also inquires which are generated
through a variety of techniques of marketing. Successful customer acquisition strategies involves
referrals of customers, loyalty programs of consumers and many more. Another way which
could be thought of customer acquisition management is by considering the connection between
customer relationship management and advertising. With the help of this Macob is attracting
more and more customers.
4. Risk associated with E-business strategies
Risks
Risk refers to a probability of injury, damage, loss, liability and many more which is
caused either by internal or external vulnerabilities and which may be neglected by taking pre-
emptive action. Different risks are associated with proposed strategies which are being
discussed below.
Website failure: Macob is a company which sell its beauty product online. If the website
of a company fails than they will not be able to sell their products and services. This will also
lead to decrease in rates of customers and they will not get information about products and
services of a company. It can also lead to interruptions which can be proved as expensive for an
organisation. But failure of website are not caused just by external sources but internal risks can
also threaten this operation.
Hackers/Cyber security: These threats are becoming very common nowadays, as
hackers are becoming smarter in their tactics. Some of the cyber security threats of Macob and
ways in which professional of cyber security are counter acting them in order to protect this
company, systems and users. These are being discussed below.
 Malware: This is an term of umbrella for a wide range of software which are designed to
irrupt on digital system. All kinds of Malware has a common thing which is that it is
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unwanted and unknown towards interest of either the end users or an individual who are
owning a system its is being running on. In order to resolve this a software “ghostware”
will be hinder within Macob which has ability to monitor quantity of data which is been
compromised and also determines cyber criminals who are behind breaches.
 Viruses: These are a kind of Malware which can also be call a subtype of malware. They
require actions by users like to click on attachment which is associated with e-mail or
either running a program which is infected so that it can activate.
Physical risk: It can be termed as an agent which causes harm with or without remaining
in contact. They can also be classified as the type of environmental hazard or occupational
hazard. These risks involves radiation, heat and cold stress, noise hazards, ergonomic hazard.
Controls of engineering are being used often to mitigate physical risks. These risks can be a
common source for injuries in different kinds of companies. Physical risks are caused by falls,
machines, confined spaces, temperature, cold stress, heat stress and many more activities within
an organisation.
CONCLUSION
From the above mentioned report, it has been concluded that environmental analysis will
help a business entity in identifying its current strength and weaknesses. This will helps them in
sustaining their productivity for a longer duration. Along with this, it has also been analysed that
E-business strategies will help business entities in enhancing their overall performance in a
business market. In addition to this, it is also important for business entity to undertake various
risk associated with E-business strategies in order to be productive.
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REFERENCES
Books&Journals
Keith, L., 2017. Environmental sampling and analysis: a practical guide. Routledge.
Wei, H., Abtahi, S. M. H. and Vikesland, P. J., 2015. Plasmonic colorimetric and SERS sensors
for environmental analysis. Environmental Science: Nano. 2(2). pp.120-135.
Shirazi and et. al., 2014. Thermal–economic–environmental analysis and multi-objective
optimization of an ice thermal energy storage system for gas turbine cycle inlet air
cooling. Energy. 69. pp.212-226.
Zalengera and et. al., 2014. Overview of the Malawi energy situation and A PESTLE analysis for
sustainable development of renewable energy. Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Reviews. 38. pp.335-347.
Pestle, W. J., Crowley, B. E. and Weirauch, M. T., 2014. Quantifying inter-laboratory variability
in stable isotope analysis of ancient skeletal remains. PLoS one. 9(7). p.e102844.
Aithal, P. S., 2016. Study on ABCD analysis technique for business models, business strategies,
operating concepts & business systems.
Veit and et. al., 2014. Business models. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 6(1),
pp.45-53.
Galliers, R. D. and Leidner, D. E., 2014. Strategic information management: challenges and
strategies in managing information systems. Routledge.
Cavusgil and et. al., 2014. International business. Pearson Australia.
Yee-Loong and et. al., 2014. Can e-business adoption be influenced by knowledge management?
An empirical analysis of Malaysian SMEs. Journal of Knowledge Management. 18(1).
pp.121-136.
Strauss, J. and Frost, R. D., 2016. E-marketing: Instructor's Review Copy. Routledge
Chaffey, D., 2015. Digital business and e-commerce management. Pearson Education Limited.
Mazzarol, T., 2015. SMEs engagement with e-commerce, e-business and e-marketing. Small
enterprise research. 22(1). pp.79-90.
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