Mission and Vision of Eden Project - Research Paper Example

? Project Eden Table of Contents Introduction 3 Strategic Capability analysis using Kay’s distinctive capabilities framework 4 Environment Analysis of Eden Project using PESTEL framework 6 Analysis of Eden Project’s Strategic Purpose 8 SWOT analysis 9 5 possible alternative courses of action 10 Evaluation of 5 alternative course of action on the basis of mission and vision of Eden Project 11 Advantages and disadvantages for the each possible alternative course of action 14 First Course of Action: Developing a new entrepreneurship research centre 14 Second Course of Action: Promote awareness through marketing campaign 15 Third Course of Action: Developing a medical center 15 Fourth course of Action: Promoting the location for movie shooting 16 Fifth course of Action: Developing an Amusement Park 16 Reference 17 Introduction The world of the 21st century is moving at a fast pace. The fast pace of advancement of the modern day world is more on the lines of rapid change and tremendous development. It is of high importance to mention that the evolution of the telecommunication technology along with the process of evolution of high speed internet and various kinds of technology enabled gadgets has resulted in the process of playing a tremendous amount of influence in the lives of the masses around the world. It needs to be mentioned that because of the lines of emergence of high speed internet connectivity, the network of communication channels has improved in a drastic manner all over the world. The internet has played a major role in the process of creating the channels of communication in the various regions of the developed as well as the developing economies. It can be rightly said that it is of considerable importance to highlight that this technology powered development has resulted in the process of transformation of the globe, where the entire world can be represented and increasingly seen as a single and well connected global entity. Because of this technology powered transformation of the world around us, there has always been a steady evolution of various kinds of trends associated with the factor of globalization and innovation. The trends of globalization as well as innovation that are emerging from all corners of the world are increasingly getting diffused at a very rapid pace and it is happening irrespective of the fact of whether the regions are located in the developed or developing economies. The rapid diffusion of the trends of globalization and innovation is resulting in the process of evolution of various kinds of new types of consumer demands. These new consumer demands are increasingly paving the way for a significant amount of business opportunity. In this case, the focus is on Eden Project. The Eden Project is a tourist setup in the region of Cornwall in United Kingdom. The project has been developed on a very entrepreneurial as well as innovative note. The entire tourist attraction spot has been built on a former 200 ft deep clay fit and currently comprises of two giant biomes. It has been opened to the public in the year 2001 (Smale, 2006). The uniqueness of the entire project is the fact that the project is aimed to develop and enhance an understanding among the public that a successful business can be conducted by developing a sustainable approach to life as well as to the planet as whole. This assignment is focused on developing a strategic analysis using various models as well as identifying various possible courses of action which will have a compatibility with the various short and long term goals as well as operational perspectives of the tourist site. Strategic Capability analysis using Kay’s distinctive capabilities framework From the academic point of view, the strategic capability can be defined as the ability of adequacy and sustainability of the resources. It also helps in judging and indentifying the competency of an organization to survive and prosper (Johnson and et.al, 2008, p. 117). The strategic capability analysis is this case is supposed to be done by Kay’s distinct capability framework. In explaining the capability framework of Kay from an academic perspective, it needs to be stated that the framework highlights that the success for an organization is largely dependent on the careful increase of its own unique strengths which are commonly termed as distinctive capabilities for the firm. Generally the three variables that form the distinctive capabilities of the firm are architecture, reputation as well as innovation It can be stated that the architecture is a mix of networks within or surrounding an organization where the internal employees, external stakeholders are all a part of it. The architecture can be internal, external or even network based. The internal architecture exists between the firm and the employees, while the external architecture will comprise of the relationship between the firm and the supplier. The network based architecture is the inter collaboration between the firms. The variable of reputation is dependent on the relationship between the buyer and the seller. The variable of innovation takes into account the issues of cost, uncertainty, process management as well as reaping rewards (Assen and et.al, 2010, p. 9). In relating Kay’s distinctive capability framework with that of the Eden Project, all the variables of the framework need to be specifically mapped. Talking in regards to the architecture variable, it can be stated that Eden is largely dependent on multiple suppliers located in the region of Cornwall. A strong example of the mutually supportive network that exists between Eden and its suppliers is the fact that Eden supplies old bottles to a Cornish firm who resends it to the tourist spot after recycling it in a complete manner. It is relevant to state that this particular strategy has helped the firm to a great extent in achieving growth in their recycling business.. Also, apart from supporting the companies based in Cornwall, Eden plays a strong role in contributing to the growth of the farmers and other business existing in the developing world by developing a strong working relationship. While analyzing the variable of reputation between the buyer and the seller, it can be stated that in this case, the relation is considerably healthy. It needs to be stated that the process of sourcing quality supplies by Eden from the firms located in Cornwall has helped in boosting the growth of a wide range of businesses ranging from food goods, plants as well as other retail items. The fact that Eden sources its essential supplies from around 3000 firms based in Cornwall further provides a positive glimpse of the positive healthy reputation that exists between the buyer and the seller in this case. In analysing the innovation variable of this particular framework, it can be said that the influence of innovation is pretty high in this case. The fact that the entire project of Eden is being built after remodelling and reconstructing an abandoned and isolated industrial site simply highlights the factor of innovation (Stonehouse and et.al, 2002, p. 171). Also, the case study elaborates that till the official opening day of the ecofriendly tourist spot of Cornwall, the entire Eden project is a culminated and summarised effort of creativity as well as innovation. Environment Analysis of Eden Project using PESTEL framework The PESTEL framework greatly helps in the process of conducting an analysis of the external environment using the variables of political, economic, social, technological, environmental as well as legal. The political variable takes into account the influence of issues like governmental stability, taxation policy, regulations on foreign trade, policies related to general and social welfare etc. In this case, as per the information provided in the case study, it can be said that the influence of the political factors is very nil. The economic influence of the Eden Project is very high. It can be said that because of the Eden Project, there has been a strong growth of various businesses present in the region of Cornwall. In providing growth related facts, it can be stated that the entire Eden Effect of the period of 2001 to 2003 has led to the process of generation of around 111 pounds for the entire South West economy. The social influence of the Eden project is pretty strong. It can be said that as a result of the popularity of the Eden Project, the increased flow of tourists has led to the growth of businesses opportunities for the sectors of accommodation, retail as well as catering. Because of the increase in business growth, a lot of jobs have been created in the entire region which has automatically had a positive social impact. The technological influence in this particular case can be considered high since the entire project is built while implementing a model of incremental as well as radical innovation. Additionally, it can be said that the transformation of a abandoned ugly pit into a highly sustainable and environment friendly spot of tourist attraction requires significant amount of technological expertise as well as technology based cutting edge innovation. There is tremendous amount of environmental influence in the case of Eden Project. Elaborating in a very specific manner, it can be stated that the entire project is focused on promoting a sustainable approach towards life as well as the planet at large. The total environmental influence of the project is very farfetched in nature as it has the potential to inspire the visitors to develop a eco friendly business model in their own locations. The legal factors comprise of issues like competition law, employment law, and health and safety law (Johnson and et.al, 2008, p. 68). In this case, it can be said that the influence of the legal factors is pretty low. However, it needs to be noted that though the project is very much ecofriendly in nature, yet it might get impacted in a negative or a positive fashion in case there is a change in the current environmental laws of the region. Analysis of Eden Project’s Strategic Purpose It needs to be highlighted that the analysis of the strategic purpose of Eden Project has been done through stakeholder mapping. It needs to be stated that the stakeholder mapping is a kind of collaborative process for conducting a research or discussion as it helps in taking views from multiple stakeholders for a very broad analysis (BSR, 2011). Stakeholder Mapping: Eden Project SWOT analysis The SWOT analysis is a situational analysis which can be split into internal as well as external analysis. The internal analysis is largely focused on studying the various internal factors of the company while the external analysis is targeted towards evaluating the external factors of the company. In explaining further, it can be stated that the internal analysis of the company is done by identifying the relative strengths and weakness, while the external analysis of the company will be focusing on the opportunities and threats (Assen and et.al, 2010, p. 15). The main focus on conducting a SWOT analysis is to develop as well as fine-tune a specific business model for a company while taking into account the internal and external factors of influence that may impact the business (Hill and Jones, 2010, p. 19). The most important strength of Eden project is that the entire project follows a highly ecofriendly model of business. The second strength is that the Eden project provides a tremendous amount of financial as well as social contribution to the entire region of Cornwall. The next strength is the fact that the entire project is highly popular among the tourist and has made the entire region a tourist hotspot. The fourth strength is that the entire project is focused on teaching the large number of visitors about environmental stewardship. The last strength is that the management of the Eden project is trying to promote the entire spot as a zone that supporting multiple activities ranging from music and cultural programmes to even high profile events like live concerts which attract worldwide television coverage to the entire region. The major weakness of the Eden project is the fact that the business model is largely dependent on the factor of attention and hype that is being generated among the tourists. Another weakness is that the number of tourists to this project is on the decline at the present day scenario. In discussing about the opportunity associated with the Eden project, the primary focus needs to be given on the new education centre named The Core, which was founded in the year 2005. The new education centre has been identified as a source of opportunity since it has the potential to become a major centre for sustainable and ecofriendly entrepreneurship businesses. The second opportunity is associated with the process of expansion of the entire area covered under the Eden project. The expansion will increase the ability of Eden to conduct multiple activities of diverse nature like music events, live concerts as well as cultural activities. The major factor of threat for the Eden project is that it faces a high level of competition from other popular tourist destinations of the region of United Kingdom. Also, another threat is that the Eden project needs to continue to engage in to new ecofriendly ventures which require a significant amount of funding. Failure to do so will greatly impact the footfall to the tourist spot in the upcoming years. 5 possible alternative courses of action For the purpose of transforming the Eden project, in a grand fashion, so that it becomes eligible for winning the National Lottery Award, it is important to highlight that five alternative courses of action has been defined. The first course of action that can be taken is to develop a new centre of entrepreneurship research within the Eden Project. The main aim of the centre will be to focus on research and development of new ecofriendly business models. The next course of action that can be taken is to promote awareness among the local as well as international tourists through a highly intensive marketing campaign. It needs to be stated that the main objective of the marketing campaign is to generate interest and curiosity among the target audience by communicating the highly interesting facts about the plant related species present in Eden. The third action can be to develop a medical centre within the region, which will provide natural healing through herbal therapy. This will be a unique strategy since it will help in increasing the value of the tourist spot as well as transforming it in to a medical tourist spot. The fourth course of action that can be taken is to promote the entire area as a convenient location for movie shooting. The usage of the Eden Project as a movie shooting spot will provide free publicity to a wide range of audience present in various locations all over the world. This strategy will greatly help in generating the interest level about the project among the international tourists. The fifth course of action that can be taken is to develop a small amusement part within Eden. This will be a very new kind of a development but it will help in a great way to create the flow of domestic tourists who are looking for relaxation, fun as well as gaining some interesting knowledge about ecofriendly business education. Evaluation of 5 alternative course of action on the basis of mission and vision of Eden Project In the given case study we can find that the mission of the Eden project is to improve their economic restoration process. The project has been planned to enhance the awareness of the general public regarding the dependence of our lives on the existence of plants, various preservation practices and the different support studies going on all around the world. Thus spreading the awareness guides the vision of the project that helps them to plan a sustainable ecological conservation framework for the future of the world at large. The short term objectives of the Eden project has not been clearly discussed in the entire study however it is possible for us to arrive at the conclusion that the short term objectives of project includes making the million visitors learn about protecting the ecology, growing the regional economic condition, and most importantly showcasing that even a business running on the basis of environmental protection and preservation policies can effectively develop, attract visitors and earn great revenues. While discussing about the long term objectives of the project we should first note that at present the project holds the third position among the most popular tourist attraction spots of Britain, and proved to be successful in attracting almost around 2 million visitors during the year 2002. Now the project is continuously thriving to attain the number one position among all other tourist attraction parks of Britain. For accomplishing this objective the project authority is focusing a great deal on consistently maintaining a friendly and mutually beneficial relationship with the suppliers. They are also looking forward to develop partnerships which would develop and grow keeping pace with the objective of the project for serving the Cornish economy. Furthermore Eden constantly works with other businesses and farmers belonging to the various developing nations. Thus it can be concluded from the previous discussion that the short term objectives, long term objectives, vision and mission of Eden depends to a great extent on the footfall which has reportedly dropped from 2 million people in the initial year to 1.2 million visitors in the recent days. Therefore in order to increase the number of visitors, Eden should implement some innovative strategies to ensure maximum footfall. Keeping the various objectives of the project in mind we have already proposed 5 possible courses of action that would help Eden to attract more and more tourist into their garden. Now these options should be evaluated on the basis of the above discussed objectives of the project. First of all we have proposed the development of a centre of research within the boundaries of the garden which would support the entrepreneur who is interested in or planning to develop businesses on the basis of different environmentally acceptable business frameworks. This approach would definitely provide support to the existing objectives of the project since it would add value to the services and operations of Eden. Next we suggested the introduction of a marketing campaign which would encourage several environmental awareness programs. It would aim the tourists and non-tourists and would work towards generating interest among the visitors by the communication of highly relevant and appealing facts which will make the people gather knowledge about the plants, species and the ecosystem and their roles in their day to day lives. This campaign would also prove to be highly related to the defined vision and mission of the firm since it would help to attract several school students, college goers, research professionals, scientists, news reporters and others who would find the theme of the project to be very helpful and interesting. Then we suggested the formation of a medical centre within the area that would offer natural remedies through herbal treatments to different illness. This step would actually allure people from different parts of the world to visit the garden since natural cure is what most of us try to attain especially in the recent era of chemical treatments that causes huge expenses and several side effects. The natural treatment being cheaper than other modes of treatment would help in drawing people from all strata of the society. Thus again our purpose of increasing the footfalls can be served with the application of this strategy. Next we suggested that the site could be offered on rent to the movie production locations since the shooting attracts many people than anything else. People would travel from far places to see how movies are made. In this way we can acquire lots of people and that would generate a great amount of revenue for the project. Again we can find that the objectives are served. We finally suggested the inclusion of an amusement park within the area. It would help in alluring families to visit the garden along with their kids. Hence it would increase the number of footfalls. Advantages and disadvantages for the each possible alternative course of action First Course of Action: Developing a new entrepreneurship research centre Pros The development of a new entrepreneurship research center will automatically help in a great extent to develop new ecofriendly business models which will help in reducing the business impact on the environment. The new research center will create a great value to the global community at large and will also significantly increase the contribution to its multiple stakeholders in a very sustainable and ecofriendly manner. Cons The development of a new entrepreneurship research center will require significant amount of financial investments. Also, to promote research and development of new business models of sustainable nature, the research center needs to attract top global talents who will actively contribute towards the achieving the main objective. Failure to attract talent will lead to the process of inability to develop ecofriendly and sustainable business models by the institute. Second Course of Action: Promote awareness through marketing campaign Pros The advantage for this particular strategy is that the marketing campaign will help in creating interest to the tourists of international as well as domestic markets. This will help in boosting the flow of tourists to this specific tourist spot. Also, another advantage is that the high interest of the customers will help the company to achieve external investment for funding for its various new business and tourist focused activities. Cons The negative factor is that the marketing campaign will only help in boosting the interest of the target audience mainly for the promotion period. After the period of promotion, the interest level is bound to fall and the flow of tourists to the spot will reduce automatically. Third Course of Action: Developing a medical center Pros The most important positive point is the fact that this strategy will help in generating a large inflow of tourists, who are patients looking for natural healing treatments. The increased inflow of tourists will help in a great way to generate revenue, since Eden can charge a premium price for its natural healing and therapy based treatments. Cons The negative factor is that the high overflow of tourists who are looking for herbal treatments will lead to loss of business opportunities associated with this particular strategy. Another negative factor is that to develop a medical center, a significant amount of financial investment is needed. Fourth course of Action: Promoting the location for movie shooting Pros Watching a shooting going on has always allured people and especially when it’s a Hollywood movie being shot, then it is expected that people would visit the site from almost every corner of the world in order to get a glimpse of their favorite stars or just for gaining experience about the shooting procedure. This would help the garden to gain popularity and draw tourists from all locations across the world. Cons The people of the shooting team are likely to mess up the entire area and it won’t be possible for the Eden authority to restrict them. Additionally the light, noise and various electronic equipments used for the shooting purpose would probably the harm the plants and flowers preserved in the garden. Fifth course of Action: Developing an Amusement Park Pros A lot of people would find the amusement park ideal for spending time with their families particularly on the weekends. The parents would also find the park imparting knowledge to their little ones and therefore it would prove to be the primary choice for the people staying with family and kids. Cons Converting a portion of the park into an amusement park would make the Eden authorities to invest a great amount. Additionally the idea of amusement park would not prove to be an unique service offered since there are lots of other amusement parks in the region which are much more enticing for the visitors. Reference Johnson, G. and et.al. (2008). Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text & Cases, 7/E. India: Dorling Kindersley Pvt. Ltd. Stonehouse and et.al. (2002). Business Strategy. Great Britain: Elsevier Science. Hill, C.W.L., and Jones, G.R. (2010). Strategic Management Theory: An Integrated Approach. 10th ed. USA: Cengage Learning. Assen, M.V. and et.al (2010). Key Management Model. UK: Pearson. Smale, W. (2006). Eden Project's regeneration work. Retrieved from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5216102.stm BSR. (2011) Stakeholder Mapping. Retrieved from: http://www.bsr.org/reports/BSR_Stakeholder_Engagement_Stakeholder_Mapping.final.pdf Read More