Internal Strengths of Southwark Circle - Coursework Example

?PUBLICR SWOT analysis Strengths: Currently, the organization of Southwark Circle, which is to be turned into UK Circle and made nationwide, has several internal strengths. Most notably, because of the philanthropic and positive nature of the organization, there is a lot of grass-roots support, and visibility is high among the the UK public. “Southwark Circle employs local people called Neighbourhood Helpers to help out with a variety of tasks. Some are great at DIY, other like teaching how to do things like use the Internet or speak a language, and of course there are some with ‘green fingers’ to help out with gardening” (Southwark, 2010). The organization has the strength of being perceived as positive help for those in their older mature years, from ages sixty to eighty. This age group represents more serious risk factors than other groups; the representatives from this population can have problems combined with various other circumstances of his situation have made them vulnerable. Because the organization is perceived as helping the vulnerable rather than taking advantage, a key strength is in public perception. Weaknesses: One potential internal weakness of the proposed expansion for Southwark to UK Circle is that the organizational leadership may perceive the status quo as acceptable, and resist public relations (PR) intervention from an external source. “One of the greatest problems public relations practitioners face is proving that they make a worthwhile contribution to their organizations. This is especially so during economic downturns when businesses and nonprofits are looking for ways to eliminate needless expenses” (Wirth, 2003). Another weakness is that the client base of the organization, on average, does not have a lot of spending power to add to the financial bottom line. They may receive little or no support from the children, and may be a retired veteran of the second World War. There are also complicated gender role relations among the elderly. Retirement may cause a man to miss the more competitive role that he may have played as a breadwinner in society, and one study “found that men who return to work typically by choice--such as accepting part-time consulting jobs with former employers--are more satisfied with their lives… than men who retire permanently” (Kearl, 2000). Some elderly individuals might be experiencing cognitive changes as well as symptoms of the mental illness of depression, which are serious issues that Southwark/UK Circle cannot help with. Opportunities: In terms of external expansion, Southwark/UK Circle can take advantage of marketing opportunities to spread the word about the organization, and give it a wider public range of awareness. Through PR, market segmentation, target market selection, and positioning, the organization can become more visible, as well as more economically viable. The first point is market segmentation. This is basically the process of dividing the market for Southwark/UK Circle into categories or groups, based on demographics and other indicators that make each member of a group. For example, a company making cell phones might divide their market of customers (by age, income, gender, etc.) into smaller groups. And as a baseline in relation to these groups, the basic message of the organization remains fundamentally positive: “Southwark Circle community believes that people can be each others' solution, and backs it up every day, week and month by helping each other out with life's practical bits and pieces. Southwark Circle is also about learning new things, and enjoying your hobbies and interests with others in the community” (Southwark, 2010). Threats Externally, balance can be sought between different extremes by recognizing that there are many different situations in which a business can succeed or fail that are circumstantial and would be unchanged no matter what the planning structure. There are many businesses that have had core competency but have not been able to expand nationally successfully. Other businesses are more able to expand. What seems to be the crucial issue is one of the planning stage that follows the establishment of core competency. The planning stage is indeed important, but more and more commentators are asking: what kind of planning? In many cases, the answer may be that the planning that matters most is cultural. But in the context of this wider culture, in terms of the organization, establishing a core competency becomes a potential threat, because of limited resources. “There is simply not enough resource in the current system to continue delivering the same quantity and quality of care to an increasing number of people with more complex needs.  It is estimated that public spending on social care will need to triple over the next 20 years just to keep pace with ageing” (Southwark, 2010). This is a serious situation requiring remedy. Corporate and consumer communications In terms of corporate communications, the plan for UK Circle is to use existing partnerships that Southwark Circle employs, and add to them as a sort of base or framework. This will involve a sponsored corporate launch in the late winter and early spring of 2011, which will both raise visibility of the organization, and highlight successful communication with corporate sponsors, which could include (but are not limited to) local community centers, healthcare delivery facilities, insurance companies, gyms, and local health food stores. In addition, the launch can educate and raise awareness in the community, regarding the importance of volunteering. In this sense, communication will be mixed with target market selection. This basically the process that a company or marketing professional goes through to focus on a group of customers, in terms of being able to reach them with marketing messages. Another key to communication with clients as well as corporate sponsors for UK Circle, is outlining positioning. “It's an idea that people like you helped bring to life. Southwark Circle was co-designed and tested with over 250 older people and their families, and developed by our partners at Participle Ltd. Since we launched in May of 2009, we've worked with hundreds of people to continue shaping how it works and what we do” (Southwark, 2010). In terms of the present realities, then, it is important to remember that operating an expanding national business requires choosing an organizational structure that is either centralized or more diffuse; problems in communication between entities tend to increase with the relative distance of the branch or subsidiary to this central location. In terms of communications, UK Circle can either organize around principles of keeping operations centralized, or it can move towards allowing more regional freedom within the area of operation, thus decreasing the risk of miscommunication. Increasingly in an expanding business environment, a balance is being sought by a matrix type of approach that works on assimilating the benefits of centralized control with the adaptability of the localized ability to make important decisions. Some organizations try to plan for too much all at once in this paradigm, and expect this operational structure to pay off immediately. As a general rule, however, “Businesses that are able to facilitate effective communication both written and verbal; between the members of these various cultural groups will be far better equipped to succeed in the competitive business world than will those organizations that allow internal cultural differences to fester and harden” (Green, 2001). This process is not true in every case, but in most cases, it is sound advice for the business to be less exclusive about culture and more oriented towards being inclusive. In the process of intercultural communication and its effects on international negotiations, there are benefits and risks to both centralized communication and local control. On the one hand, a central headquarters retains more control over operations and ensures that company vision will be implemented directly in the market of international expansion. On the other hand, this paradigm often results in a clash between those who are in the field nationally, where operating rules are often quite different than those at home, and their centralized planners. Businesses that have communication problems between a centralized command structure and their operative organizations may face future problems that are significant, in what might be called a way that focuses on internal culture. Stakeholders The stakeholders of UK Circle include operations managers, staff, community volunteers, corporate sponsors, the client base, and investors. “Southwark Circle is a membership organisation that helps people take care of household tasks, forge social connections and find new directions in life. Open to all, regardless of levels of need or income, Circles is now a model of how future services might look across Britain” (Southwark, 2010). In other words, because of the open structure of the organization, the stakeholders are multiplied. In terms of importance, perhaps the most integral stakeholders of UK Circle will be the client base. There are also social variables to consider, however. Some older people escape society’s attention because they do not conform to prevalent role stereotypes, while others do not. Society uses age as a variable that determines who an individual is and what they are supposed to be doing in a number of ways. All one really has to do is leaf through a popular magazine or watch some television commercials to see how society expects its older citizens to behave and function, and variations on these role assumptions are seen to be less popular than the mass-presentation of pre-established roles for the elderly that are based on expectations regarding their chronological age. There are many stereotypes against the elderly in society. People may think of the elderly as being infirm and unstable and therefore unfit to exist on anything but a monitored sort of like childlike outsider status. “Southwark Circle is a social enterprise registered in the UK as a Community Interest Company (CIC). In other words, we care about maximizing our social impact, not our bottom line, and any profits we do make will be re-invested in the community. We're proud to have received funding from Southwark Council to launch and develop a sustainable model” (Southwark, 2010). This emphasis on community over profits could be addressed as a general rule for all stakeholders, not just specific ones. If the professional stakeholder is not familiar with the client stakeholder’s history or perspective, this stakeholder communication process would be compromised. In terms of stakeholder interaction, UK Circle assumes a full, direct, and knowledgeable relationship between the individual client and their helper/provider, education worker, and/or sponsor. In terms of accurate assessment, if the professional does not know what to expect by being well-acquainted with the individual and their history, they will be less likely to pick up on signals of change that are evinced with the onset of serious and threatening illnesses in the elderly such as depression and dementia. One study “found… that abusers were very likely to be dependent on the older person for housing and financial assistance. Indeed, only one-third of the abusers were financially independent of the abused elder” (Atchley, 2000, p. 399). Many elderly individuals are still worried about their position. They are undergoing emotional and psychological changes and coming to grips with the situation, as aging is a process that can’t be reversed. Goals and objectives Goals of UK Circle continue to be to help the elderly be a part of an integrative community, rather than a society which isolates them. Help for the elderly can start from computer programs extend from simple attention and executive skills, all the way up to complex problem solving exercises. One main goal of the expansion is to use more computerized training programs as the main mode for cognitive training. UK Circle will also start to provide our clients with a personalized list of vitamins and supplements to maximize brain potential, provide relaxation exercises that give us the foundation to normalize our clients, and develop and incorporate various exercises and meditation techniques for our patients. For healthy individuals, UK Circle has developed protocols which increase brain capacity and stress tolerance as well as brain break performance. For elderly clients with illness, we have comprehensive treatments and protocols to help them manage stress and depression. The new face and purpose of the organization can only be expressed through effective PR. “What is public relations? It is the dissemination of a message about a product, service or company through a variety of media--especially the news media--to generate credibility, visibility, understanding and awareness” (Boasberg, 1989). Getting the message out about what UK Circle is doing for the elderly means painting a realistic picture for the public. Our clients have cognitive and medical problems. Sometimes people come to UK Circle complaining about memory and concentration deficits, or depression. UK Circle screens for all possible medical problems and medications related to the complaints, and makes referrals to professional healthcare organizations (it must be stressed in terms of goals that the organization is not a medical facility). Although we are not a medical facility UK Circle can check all medications with complaints in relationship to memory, analyze eating habits, medical problems and the level of physical activity. UK Circle will contact the client’s primary caregiver for general health information and tests, and will develop plans together with the active client’s participation. This plan includes lifestyle modification, development of special physical exercises, learning stress management, breathing exercises, diet, vitamins, medications, psychotherapy and computer training. In some cases we will pay more attention to treatment of depression, anxiety and insomnia, and then continue with memory treatment. As always, garnering and implementing feedback will also be an important goal. “Southwark Circle is a new way of doing things that aims to help you lead the life you want to lead, and we're counting on you to help us improve the service and grow the community, so please get in touch and let us know how we're doing” (Southwark, 2010). To achieve these objectives, UK Circle must be well positioned as a brand, with brand awareness raised throughout the UK. Positioning is the way that a product is separated from its competition or other products, or the way the company is separated from its competition. These are all key marketing concepts. The company has established inroads into a frustrated customer base beginning with its expansion into ever growing and expanding services. The company has already researched its customer base to find their biggest complaints and worked to serve them so that they would enjoy a higher degree of satisfaction and loyalty. UK Circle will continue to focus on what the customers want rather than who they are in terms of status, and present itself effectively. The company will concentrate their marketing efforts on the segment of customers expecting less and gave them what they want: better quality care for their investments, with individual attention and community integration. Our strategy of expansion objectives will employ customer segmentation to identify those groups who are most likely to be targeted and convince them that the main sources of their previous dissatisfaction with other companies and service providers will be effectively remedied at UK Circle. Delivery strategies Differentiated marketing means that the organization operates in several segments and designs different services for delivery for each segment, according to specialization. For example, Apple is basically a company that makes computers. But it makes different kinds of computers for businesses and personal users, and treats different segments differently in terms of being able to respond to their needs. Since the UK Circle team is pursuing a three-pronged niche marketing strategy, it makes sense to use differentiated marketing in order to deliver to the needs and goals of each niche in a specialized and unique manner, rather than offering a single presentation. For UK Circle delivery and expansion, using differentiated marketing seems to make the most sense, in terms of rationale, because the team is going to be aiming at three distinct markets. For example, using a “little brother/sister” type mentorship opportunity or an appearance at a school might be an effective marketing strategy. But offering a corporate philanthropist and future possible sponsor a mentorship or batting practice opportunity, or having the UK Circle mascot barge in on a board meeting and start turning somersaults, may be less effective. The converse is also risky, but it must be kept in mind that service delivery costs money, even if the organization is more concerned with community than profits. “Without new sources of funding, there will be a ?6 billion shortfall. Councils across the country have already been tightening their eligibility criteria and rationing social services in an attempt to make ends meet. As a result, fewer and fewer people are receiving any help at all.  The care system is failing many people at a time when it needs to start providing for more” (Southwark, 2010). The best type of delivery system for UK Circle, at least in the first few years of operation, is an outreach system. Opportunities abound in dynamic community outreach programs, and people in the community can take advantage of the opportunities UK Circle will offer to become effective leaders, communicators, and achievers. Many point out that by taking part in active preventative care and community interaction through outreach and education, people can develop self-esteem and positive self-concepts in regard to health while familiarizing themselves with the structured environments that will make up a large part of their futures and making positive social relationships. Also considering related leadership, and positive development, the benefits of outreach- and education-based delivery are clear. If afforded the opportunity, and given the knowledge and exposure to these activities, sponsors will increase advocacy to allow their clients to participate in services at an affordable cost. Highlighting delivery points also means using effective marketing opportunities for PR: for example, a follow?up to Southwark Circle’s successful consumer PR in Christmas 2009 is planned for Christmas 2011, to be held in Manchester. PR tactics The main PR techniques used to expand UK Circle will concentrate on public affairs, public awareness, and media relations. Print, billboard, and television media will be used, but the key focus will be on the internet as a means of effective and low-cost, high-impact marketing. “The inventory process encompasses obtaining and examining with a very critical eye all the consultants' intellectual capital - white papers, research, surveys and sales materials - plus any analyst reports. Using a critical eye means evaluating the material shorn of its sales or marketing spin as well as reading it in the context of overall industry trends, as you understand them” (Schroeder, 2003). As noted, a concentration on public affairs will be a key point of the PR marketing mix strategy, because in such a competitive environment, public affairs becomes the key factor of successfully competing with other companies. This is not to say that UK Circle will engage in predatory pricing or will attempt to undercut its competitors and develop a monopoly in the country. What this does mean, however, is that the new company must keep its overhead down so that the customer benefits, and must make this a part of the company’s shared vision about attention to the customer’s needs. The pricing strategy for the company therefore must be very flexible in order to respond appropriately to market forces of competition that have influenced the landscape. Ultimately, the company should employ customer segmentation to identify groups who are likely to spend money on sponsorship activities, or who may inspire others to spend money. This has been done in the categories in terms of segments for target marketing, including adults and sponsors. The next step is to determine how to convince these segments that they will be making a wise decision in using UK Circle as a point of investment, which is better than the competitors’ choices, and that they can rely on the organization to meet their needs. “Public relations has evolved very rapidly to its present position as an intricate and functional part of the marketing mix. What was once a "sideshow" in the marketing scheme is now a practical, effective tool that is used by Fortune 500 companies on a daily basis” (Boasberg, 1989). To build up brand awareness, one needs to keep in mind that in terms of the marketing mix, there must be a balance of customer segmentation and product segmentation. There are two product lines planned, mentoring and independent services, each with individual characteristics that will appeal to the given market segments. Customers must be grouped in a way that is meaningful to the future profits and growth of UK Circle, in terms of its ability to find out what the different segments want and provide it. Thus far, the developed plan for market segmentation is to focus on community promotion for potential sponsors, public affairs, and both merchandise and ticket sales for sponsorship fundraising events (Christmas 2011 in Manchester will be one of these events). This segmentation process is useful for UK Circle for three basic reasons. First of all, the expansion is going to need sponsors, and the UK has many wealthy areas. Second of all, the UK may have a strong gerontology population, but it also has people of all ages who want to be seen as philanthropists. “The number of people aged 75 and over will increase by 76%.  At the same time, ageing highlights seemingly intractable problems in the funding and delivery of public services, with demand expected to vastly outstrip supply.  Particularly worrying is the issue of care.  How will the country care for the growing number of older people, and who will pay for it?” (Southwark, 2010). Actual agency clients will form the backbone of the marketing mix. Advocacy and outreach programs can help the population. They also may have enrichment programs such as classes as well as organized activities to help the physiological and psychological health of individuals in the community, as well as programs enhancing community unity. Even with the lack of nationalized guidelines and resources, many communities are helping themselves by establishing quality care that is integrated with healthcare, and provides a foundational organizational system of support for individuals in a low income environment. There are also similar establishments providing care that can provide examples of community and national platform integration. This paradigm mostly works on the level of entrepreneurial and community empowerment, however. “By the same token, advertising alone won't drive home a point. It must be combined with other elements of what's referred to as the "marketing mix": sales, promotion, and public relations. To even the most sophisticated marketers, the inclusion of public relations in that "tool kit" may come as a surprise” (Boasberg, 1989). Evaluation and assessment Evaluation of the success of the expansion can be measured in terms of its growth, the growth of sponsors, and the growth of branches into northern UK. “Many of the measures such as news media coverage or hits on a website that PR people traditionally use to demonstrate their institutional value are simply not very persuasive in tough times” (Wirth, 2003). Results have shown that an attenuation towards treating issues of the lack of social services and quality of care for elderly individuals in populations as a holistic confrontation between public and private or community interest is not actually the best way to go about advocating or affecting change in the system, so evaluation should focus more on the bottom line than the community interest level. That is, the main new question drawn from extraneous conclusions added to the original form of evaluation, which stressed the division of national and community programs in terms of superiority of results, is whether or not it is inherently more stable and proactive to the system in general to be less divisive and more cohesive or holistic in the approach to a solution. “A longer term, broadly focused public relations campaign might have general messages promoting providing services as a form of expression to others. Public relations campaigns can even help condition your market” (Gregory, 2000). Looking at assessment long-term is definitely important for UK Circle. This is a potential problem, however, for management and volunteers because devising an evaluation measure that works across the board naturally, according to some, denies the individuality of volunteers and clients who all have a different teaching and learning style, making it difficult to judge them by broad and ill-defined standards. Also, what works for one client may not work for another. The situation is one in which many dedicated individuals go about the act of helping the elderly in different ways, which makes it hard to impose an outside standard on their activities in terms of a “one-size-fits-all” type of approach In terms of what kind of assessment is most useful or accurate, there are statistics on either side of the issue backing various points. There are different types of pilot programs that can be tested and tried out, with different methods and sampling. Basically whether assessment is a qualitative of quantitative design, the same goal is in mind. The goal is to see how effective the program is in its ability to improve quality of life in the client. There are different implications for pilot assessment programs that are either qualitative or quantitative, however. Each type of design may have a different outcome in terms of credibility and validity of results. Qualitative and quantitative designs have different implications. It can be shown in the potential pilot assessment program that qualitative designs tend more towards theory generation whereas fixed or quantitative designs are more about theory testing, so quantitative designs m ay be best for the pilot program for assessing UK Circle’s expansion success. This is a generalization that can be made about these different types of designs, which have their respective advantages and disadvantages. Surveys and experiments such as the one that can be chosen regarding the effectiveness of memory retention and cognitive ability testing measures are examples of fixed or quantitative research designs, which are more quantitative than qualitative and have more aspects of this type of theory. One thing that is for sure is that, “Britain’s population is ageing.  People are living longer and having fewer children.  As a result, older age groups are growing much faster than the rest of the population.  Over the next 25 years, the number of children will increase by 11%, working-age adults by 15%, and older people by 32%” (Southwark, 2010). This means both expanded opportunities for the organization, and an expanded client base with which to operate, if pilot programs are successful. REFERENCE Atchley, Robert C. (2000). Social Forces and Aging: An Introduction to Social Gerontology. Stamford, CT: Wadsworth Thomson Learning. Boasberg, H (1989). PR as a marketing tool. Railway Age Foster, J (2005). Effective?Writing?Skills?for?PR. Kogan? Green,?A (2001).? Creativity?in?Public?Relations. Kogan? Gregory,?A (2000). Planning?and?Managing?Public?Relations?Campaigns. Kogan? Kearl, M. (2000). The Double Standard of Aging. Time and Social Inequality. from http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/time-7.html. Schroeder, M (2003). Conducting Effective PR Programs for Management Consultants: A Formula for Success Public Relations Quarterly Wirth, E (2003). Excellent Public Relations and Effective Organizations. Communication Research Trends. Southwark Circle (2010). http://www.southwarkcircle.org.uk/ Read More