Ventura Boat Company's Challenges: A Marketing Case Study

This case study examines Ventura Boat Company, a family-owned luxury boat manufacturer in Australia facing challenges due to reliance on traditional methods and increasing market competition. The report includes a SWOT analysis, identifying strengths like market leadership and high-quality products, weaknesses such as technological inefficiency and lack of overseas experience, opportunities for overseas market expansion and technology upgrades, and threats including shrinking Australian market and technological advancements. Recommendations are provided, including upgrading technology, expanding to overseas markets, launching new product variations, and considering mergers to improve competitiveness and ensure long-term sustainability. The study concludes that Ventura must adapt to changing market conditions by embracing new technologies and exploring international opportunities to remain competitive.

Running head: CASE STUDY 0
MARKETING PRINCIPLES

CASE STUDY
1
Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................2
SWOT analysis:...............................................................................................................................2
Analysis of opportunities and threats:.............................................................................................3
Recommendations:..........................................................................................................................4
Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................5
References:......................................................................................................................................5

CASE STUDY
2
Introduction:
Ventura boat is the family owned business that deals with manufacturing luxury boats with the
tradition methods and traditional materials (Ventura, 2018). This is the business that is facing
some of the technological market issues because of the decrease in popularity of these boats in
the Australian market. This is the report that focuses on the SWOT analysis of the company
along with the in depth discussion of opportunities and threats that company have. As per the
analysis, some of the recommendations have also been discussed in the later part of the report
that can be implemented by the company for better business in future.
SWOT analysis:
SWOT analysis is used in order to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
of the company (Bull, et al. 2016). Following is the SWOT analysis of Ventura boats:
Strengths:
 Market leader: It has been identified from the case that Ventura is the market leader in
Australia. It has been realised that it is the business that deals with making the luxury
boats and lead in its sector in the Australian market.
 High quality: as per the case, the boats manufactured or designed by Ventura are high in
quality. The company believes in serving the market with quality products and this is the
reasons the company is operating in the industry since so many years.
Weakness:

CASE STUDY
3
 Reliance on traditional practices: As per the case, Ventura is the business whose activities
are dependent on traditional methods and practices. This is one of weaknesses that the
company is facing.
 Lack of technological efficiency: the company is not at all efficient in technologies that
are available in the market and facing the competition from the substitutes. The company
use all he outdate technologies for its practices and manufacturing.
 Lack of overseas experience: the company does not have any overseas experience and
thus it unable to expand their business to other international market.
Opportunities:
 Overseas market: the biggest opportunity that the company has is expansion of business
to the overseas market. This can help the company to overcome the competition issues
that the company is facing in Australia.
 Upgrading the technology: it is required by the company to upgrade their technologies so
that they can compete with the other companies in the same industry.
Threats:
 Shrinking of Australian market: it has been realised from the study that the Australian
market in the boat industry is shrinking and thus it is a very big threat for the company
(Byrnes, et al. 2016).
 Current products are becoming illegal in the Australian market.
 Buyout by big companies: it is also a big threat for Ventura as the big companies in the
industry are buying the smaller companies like Ventura.
 Technological advancement: as discussed that technological advancement in the industry
is also becoming a great threat for the business of Ventura.
Analysis of opportunities and threats:
Opportunities:

CASE STUDY
4
As far as the opportunities for the company are considered, it has been analysed that the
company can upgrade its processes and manufacturing activities by integrating better and
modern technologies that are available in the market. As more and more companies in the
industry are doing the same thus it is required by Ventura should also take initiatives in this
direction. The next opportunity that the company can easily exploit is going to the overseas
market. As the company is the market leader in Australia thus analysing the situation, it should
take initiatives in order to reach the overseas market. This is the great opportunity for the
company to enhance the business and to be in the competition.
Threats:
In terms of threats it has been analysed that the biggest threat for the company is the lack of
technology. To stand in the industry, the company has to take changes in its traditional methods
to become more competitive in the market. As its old products are becoming illegal in Australia
thus it becomes a threat for the company to even remain the business for long. In addition to it,
the big players of the industry are ready to buy out the smaller firms that again act as the big
threat for Ventura. Last but not the latest is about shrinking of the local market in Australia for
the products that Ventura is serving.
Recommendations:
There are several recommendations for the company:
Upgrading the technology: as per the case, it is realised that upgrading the technology in the
process will help Ventura in fighting the race and withstanding the competition in the industry.
Technological up-gradation can also help the company to face the challenge from the side of
government.
Expanding to the overseas market: as discussed that the current products and the practices of
Ventura is obsolete in nature and soon will be illegal in Australian market thus it will be
beneficial for the company to extend its business in the international market.

CASE STUDY
5
Launching new products variation: the company can also switch to the new and the demanding
product. This will help the company to enter the new industry which has better potential to keep
up the business (Kiss and Barr, 2017).
Merger: merger is also a very good option for the company. It has been recommended that if it
cannot be possible for the firm to enter the new market, it has the opportunity to merge with the
company already having the overseas activities (Cartwright and Cooper, 2014). This helps the
firm to enter the new market without facing any issues or barriers of internationalisation.
Conclusion:
It has been concluded from the report that Ventura is the business that deals with manufacturing
small sized boats and serves the Australia market. The company is facing many issues because it
is using the traditional practices that are obsolete in nature as per the technologies that are used
by the new players. Thus, it is required by the company to exploit the new opportunities such as
expanding the business to new international market and upgrading the technology that are in the
market. Merging with the other companies is also an option that will help the firm to withstand
the competition and sustain in the industry.

CASE STUDY
6
References:
Bull, J.W., Jobstvogt, N., Böhnke-Henrichs, A., Mascarenhas, A., Sitas, N., Baulcomb, C.,
Lambini, C.K., Rawlins, M., Baral, H., Zähringer, J. and Carter-Silk, E., 2016. Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats: A SWOT analysis of the ecosystem services
framework. Ecosystem services, 17, pp.99-111.
Byrnes, T., Buckley, R., Howes, M. and Arthur, J.M., 2016. Environmental management of
boating related impacts by commercial fishing, sailing and diving tour boat operators in
Australia. Journal of Cleaner Production, 111, pp.383-398.
Cartwright, S. and Cooper, C.L., 2014. Mergers and acquisitions: The human factor.
Butterworth-Heinemann.
Kiss, A.N. and Barr, P.S., 2017. New product development strategy implementation duration and
new venture performance: A contingency-based perspective. Journal of Management, 43(4),
pp.1185-1210.
Ventura. 2018. Home - Ventura. [online] Available at: https://ventura-boats.com/ [Accessed 12
Feb. 2018].