ENVIRO-WEAR has followed the differentiation competitive strategy to stay ahead of its competition. Differentiation involves the production of high quality products that attract the customers (QMBA, 2016). These products are developed in such a way that they are different from those of other companies in the same industry. Product differentiation adds some attractive qualities to the products so as to attract a large customer base. Product differentiation can be carried out on several aspects of the products. These aspects include functionality; support; durability; brand image; and features (Arline, 2015). The company can adjust these aspects so that they suit the needs of the customers. The consumers will go for those products that they find attractive.
ENVIRO-WEAR followed the differentiation competitive strategy by developing clothing that would attract customers. The strategy involved ensuring that the products took into account the issue of environment. The current world is so focused on sustaining the environment, and people are encouraged to participate in activities that boost or preserve the environment. There are education tools everywhere informing people of the importance of preserving the environment. A company that produces products that are environment friendly is more attractive to the customers as compared to those companies that produce goods that do not help the environment. That is the reason why ENVIRO-WEAR decided to focus on producing recreation and sports clothes that paid attention to the environment.
The company focused on producing high quality products that would attract the customers. It also paid a lot of attention towards waste disposal so that the environment would be preserved. Many manufacturing companies have been found to dispose their waste products in a manner that harms the environment. Companies that focus on preserving the environment dispose their waste products in such a way that gases are not emitted to the open air. Such companies also package their products in containers that can be recycled or those that are biodegradable. ENVIRO-WEAR acknowledged the importance of such issues and aimed at producing products that were environment friendly.
The name of the company also suggests that the company is focused on ensuring that the products pay proper attention to the environment. The name of the company is suggestive to the consumers. The name ENVIRO-WEAR suggests that the company makes clothes that are environment friendly. Any customer who has never heard of the company will have an idea of what the company produces once they hear of the company’s name.
The company should continue following the differentiation strategy so that it can attract more consumers and increase its customer base. Consumers are attracted by products that give them extra value (Arline, 2015). People have been enlightened about the importance of preserving the environment and they will seek products that seek to fulfill this mission.
There are several ethical issues involved in the case of ENVIRO-WEAR. A senior manager at the company was heard saying that the company was selling clothes that were of poor quality. It is very unethical for a company that claims to uphold quality. Many customers are drawn to the company because of the high quality products that the company claims to produce. The consumers believed the jokes made by the senior manager because he was key personnel and was in a position to know the true state of activities at the company. The company should solve this issue by producing high quality products according to its promise to the customers.
Another ethical issue arises due to the rumors spread about the company’s inability to sustain the environment. The customers were angry because many of them had been attracted to the company due to its claim of preserving the environment by engaging in processes that are environment friendly. As a result, many customers stopped buying the company’s products and some buyers returned the goods they had bought. Customers prefer to know the truth so that they can make informed purchase decisions. The company should solve this issue by informing the public about the true nature of their business conduct. It can do this by clarifying whether the rumors are false.
References
QMBA, (2016). Porter’s Five Forces: A Model for Industry Analysis. QuickMBA. Retrieved from: http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/porter.shtml
Arline, K., (2015, Feb 18). Porter’s Five Forces: Analyzing the Competition. Business News Daily. Retrieved from: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5446-porters-five-forces.html
