Analysis of Schindler - Assignment Example

Analysis of Schindler What are the Schindlers strengths and weaknesses? There are a number of strengths at Schindler that are readily apparent by visiting the company’s website. First of all, the website states that they are the largest supplier of escalators in the world. This high level of market share gives them a solid foundation from which to work from. Second, the website claims that they manufacture the second largest number of elevators in the world. The fact that they manufacture this many escalators means that they have highly visible brand name recognition.

Third, they prominently announce a strong dedication to safety. This undoubtedly helps new customers feel assured and keeps existing customers feeling as if they are in good hands. Fourth, Schindler appears to offer a wide array of services, ranging from the actual manufacturing of their products to upgrades and maintenance. This means that customers can rely on them for a variety of needs without having to seek assistance from an outside entity. Fifth, they have a very strong website. Their website is easy to navigate so that customers can easily find what they need (Schindler.com, 2008).

The weaknesses are not so easy to find on their website, most likely because organizations attempt to flaunt only their strengths on this important tool as it is used as a means of advertisement. However, if one reads between the lines, the weaknesses can be spotted. First, a company of this size must continuously upgrade their technology to ensure satisfactory product manufacturing that is up-to-date with customer needs. This can be a great financial burden to an organization. Second, the transportation network in an organization of this size must be infiltrated with the latest in communications technology to ensure proper and on-time delivery to clients.

This presents yet another large financial burden to the organization. Third, their search engine marketing is weak, as a Google.com search for the term ‘elevator’ did not place them anywhere near the top of the list. This means that their company can be hard to find if their brand name is not known by a particular customer. Fourth, the company has faced safety and health blemishes in the past (Schindler.com, 2008). They were fined for an OSHA violation in Ontario in 2006. Fifth, the company is continuously acquiring other organizations.

While this is not necessarily a weakness in itself, it is in that there are an awful lot of employees at those acquired companies that are faced with job losses and restructuring (Ontario Ministry of Labour, 2008). What are the Schindlers current critical issues and future challenges? First of all, Schindler must be careful that it does not grow so fast that it cannot handle the large infrastructure that is created as a result. Second, the company must work hard to maintain its current market share so that it does not lose out to its competitors.

Third, the company needs to increase its search engine marketing visibility so that more customers can find them and they can continue to increase their customer base to match the growth of the company. Fourth, the company needs to keep a close eye on emerging communications technologies so that they can stay on the cutting edge and maintain efficient customer delivery and communications. Fifth, the company needs to ensure that they continuously have the best products and services available so that they can not only maintain their current market share, but expand it (Schindler.com, 2008).

What does "Leadership" mean within Schindler? Schindler’s perspective of leadership is best summed up through their vision statement. It states, “Leadership through service. The vision is achieved by fulfillment of these conditions: To be a total service company we must live values that make our customers see us as delivering a service and not only hardware. We must all be passionate service providers to our customers, whether they are internal or external. Every business process must be designed to contribute to serving our customers” (Schindler.com, 2008).

As a fifth component, they also claim that leadership visibility is an important part of their leadership philosophy (Schindler.com, 2008). References Schindler.com 2008, Schindler, Available at: http://www.us.schindler.com/sec_index Ontario Ministry of Labour 2008, Schindler Elevator Corporation Fined $300,000 for Health and Safety Violation, Available at http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2006/09/25/c9638.html?lmatch=&lang=_e.html