The Charity Sector in the UK - Case Study Example

Cancer Research UK Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Name Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Course Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Lecture Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Date Introduction The charity sector in the UK has been experiencing a lot of changes in the last decade and this is mostly linked to the structural landscape of the sector and also to the external environment in which they are supposed to operate. Charity groups seem to be facing competition as well as a challenging environment. Authors such as Chew 2003 have argued that various charitable organizations in the UK seem to be facing a changed and dynamic competitive landscape and this is mainly linked to the intensity as well as the nature of the completion for organizational resources and financial resources. Currently cancer is viewed as being one the deadliest diseases in the world. Thus a lot of research needs to be carried to so as to decline the rate at which death occurs due to cancer. This report sets out to deal with the micro and macro environment, porter’s five models, gap analysis, SWOT analysis and lastly offer a recommendation. In doing so, there will also be a demonstration of the assumptions that have been made about the future of the marketplace. Micro environment Porter’s five models Threat of new entrants Essentially, the threats of new entries in the cancer research area seem to be fairly high. The largest barrier seems to be the huge amount of funds that are needed in order to conduct cancer related research (Austoker 1988). Based on the fact that the cancer research UK is a charity group the threat of entry can therefore be termed as being low for most people will tend to have a strong believe for those research institutes that have been there for a long time (Austoker 1988). Hence it may prove difficult to a new entrant to enter the market since it will not gain any kind of profits and they will also need to attract the awareness of the customers. Threat of substitute products or services There seems to be a lower level of risks in relation to substitute products or services in this case. Most people will opt to get help from a well known research body as compared to one that is not known. Also in relation to this the cancer research UK will tend to be better since it is usually funded by donations and investments by people. Bargaining power of customers (buyers) In relation to the buying power, patient plan a role in the isolation to the other influencing aspects, the patient’s ability to affect the players in the industry in a negative manner will tend to cause low returns. Bargaining power of suppliers In relation to the medical and pharmaceutical equipment the surplus power seems to be high. As it has already been discussed the research institute mainly relies on donations thus it may at times prove hard to determine the bargaining power of the suppliers. Intensity of competitive rivalry In the traditional models, completion among rivals mainly led to zero profits for the firms. Thus in relation to this cancer research UK have already established affordable ground and that have a lot of support as well as donations from a great number of people and organizations (Malhotra & Birks 2006). Thus a rivalry that may enter the industry so as to compete may be on the losing end. Macro environment PEST Analysis Political Based on research private donations make up are the major source of the financial resources and thus they tend to receive a limited amount of funding from the government and thus they tend to be financially independent. Over time cancer research has been intimately monitoring that the parties come up with and they also undertake a comparison between its policies and those of the party. There is also a call of commitment to the government to make sure that UKs cancer outcomes are among the best in Europe. Through the campaigns it has also been made possible for the local to contact their prospective candidates and they are usually asked to sign up the cancer commitment. Economic The institute mainly relies on the donations basically for two main reasons: to remain sovereign from any economic, political or religious interest and to make certain that they have the freedom to offer humanitarian aid wherever and whenever it is needed. The regular donations that are offered to the research group enable them, to provide medical attention to those individuals who need it most and at the same time allow them to respond speedily to any emergencies. It has been found out that changes in the disposable income can have an effect in the research although the consequence may not be immediate. In instances when the purchasing power is condensed the research institute may experience a change in the funding. Social A charity group such as cancer research UK needs to acknowledge the common beliefs in a certain society. In a certain society there will be the existence of certain subcultures of the individuals with a set of shared values and this may over time have an influence on the operations of the organization. Technological factors A major technological factor is the development of new and improved product and a good example of such products are those that are usually used in the treatment of various diseases, there have also been the development in new equipment so as to aid in the recognition that may hamper the operations of the charity group and this is solely based on the fact that most institutions emphasis on the need to apply modern equipment as well as technologies and more precisely when they are comparing to their competitors in the market. SWOT Analysis Strengths A major strength of the charity group is that it offers world class research that is backed up with a strong lineup of researcher’s formulate a great level of awareness of the disease to the public and thus most of them are usually able to prevent it in its early stages (Chisnall 2005). The other strength is that a great number of people are usually interested in making investments and funds aimed at saving lives of a great number of people. Through the research it has also been found out that cancer can be treated during the early stages. Another strength is that the cancer research UK has a very informative and interactive website where they reveal all the fact sheets and thus they have gained a lot of trust from the people and those who donate will often feel glad to be associated with the charity group (Wright & Crimp 2000). Also based on the fact that a number of the developing and the already developing countries are showing a great level of interest in research related to cancer. There will ultimately we high chances of good relations across the world while they are looking for solutions to deal with the already existing problem. Weaknesses A major weakness that seems to be facing the charity group is that though a lot of funds are usually collected they are usually insufficient since research seems to be a lengthy process (Smith, Berry & Pulford 1997). In instances when the research researchers the saturation of individuals who are finding it, thus the researchers will possibly face a lot of problems in relation to funding. Threats Based on the fact that most cancer research mainly depends on the funding by the public the major threat in this case is funding. Thus in instances when funding is not enough to complete the research it is likely that the research process will have to stop at a certain stage (Smith 2002). Another major threat is based on the fact that the trained doctors and scientists from other countries may not be able to work with the research group for a long period of time since knowledge banks will need to be revitalized instead of being updated. Opportunities A major opportunity of the cancer research UK is that with its help, there are higher chances of getting newer drugs and mostly the cancer prevention drugs. The charity group is termed as being among the leading research foundation in the UK, and thus it tend to have a global recognition and impact. Hence with these the collection of funds will be better (Gaze & Wilson 2002). Another opportunity is that of government support until now the government has never offered any form of support to the charity group and thus there are higher chances that the government, may intervene and offer the required support to the charity group. GAP analysis One of the major gaps was related to the lack of tissues to be used for research purposes. Based on this it proved difficult for the researchers to be able to do the required research since there were no tissues available to assist them in researching. This is a way stimulated the formation of cancer tissue bank and it is acknowledged that the tissues are supposed to be collected from the patient with the knowledge for them to aid in further research (Rafi 2006). Another gap that existed was the lack of clear and concise collaboration between the disciplines. This seemed to be a great hurdle for the researchers. It is also highly acknowledged that there tend to be limited resources in terms of the practical resources and the financial resources (Fill 2002). This is solely based on the fact that the organization receives most of its funds from donations and in instances where the donations are low they are likely to strain in the provision of their services and also in undertaking research activities. Recommendations A major recommendation in the cancer research UK is to adopt a Smartphone application to aid in making individuals awareness of the disease, it likely causes and how it can be treated. Also by using the applicable patient with cancer can also volunteer and offer tissues to aid in further research (Dibb 2005). Another recommendation is more related to the funding of the research. The charity group ought to search for most improved and diversified ways of funding their activities so as to improve the level of research that they are able to conduct. So that even in instances where the donations are not made they will still be able to further research in the area. The last recommendation is that the organization ought to organize periodic campaigns aimed at sensitizing people on the need to take tests to determine whether they have cancer or not. Through these tests some individuals will be assisted since cancer cases will be detected at early dates and thus adequate treatment will be offered to them (Pickton & Broderick 2004). The campaigns should also be aimed at collecting funds that will be directed to further research in the area and in assisting those who have already been affected by the disease. References Austoker, J 1988, A history of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, 1902-1986. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Chisnall, P 2005, Marketing Research, 7th edition, McGraw-Hill, UK. Dibb, S 2005, Marketing: Concepts and Strategies, Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Fill, C. (2002) Marketing Communications. Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Gaze, M & Wilson, I 2002, Handbook of Community Cancer Care. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Malhotra, N & Birks, D 2006, Marketing Research - An applied Approach, 2nd edition, FT Prentice Hall, UK. Pickton, D & Broderick, A 2004, Integrated Marketing Communications. Financial Times Prentice Hall, New York. Rafi, I 2006, An Introduction to the Use of Anticancer Drugs. Elsevier Health Sciences, Elsevier. Smith P 2002, Marketing Communications: An Integrated Approach. 2nd Edition, Kogan Page, London. Smith, P, Berry, C & Pulford, A 1997, Strategic Marketing Communications. Kogan Page, London. Wright, L & Crimp, M 2000, The Marketing Research Process, 5th edition, FT Prentice Hall, UK. Read More