Company Analysis: Haigh’s Chocolates Outlets in Australia - Management Report Writing Assessment Answers

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Background information

Haigh’s Chocolates is of the best chocolate’s outlets in Australia. Haigh’s Chocolates are the Australian confectionery joint specialized in the selling of very high-quality chocolate to its global base clientele as well as to the people in the Southern part of Australia as in the New Wales and in Victoria. A person named Alfred Haigh founded the industry in the year 1915, and it has its location in Adelaide, South Australia. Presently, the company is one of the family owned companies in the world that have the technology of creating chocolates from very raw cocoa beans (Terziovski 2010, p. 895).

Haigh’s Chocolates have employed an approximated three hundred and fifty employees from all over Australia. The people who are employed in this industry have acquired the skills of making fine, handcrafted chocolates from various coffee varieties that come from different regions in the world including Switzerland (Sharma & Henriques, 2005, p. 34). As such, Haigh’s Chocolates currently compete with most of the world largest multinationals based on the quality of chocolate produced, the customers' experiences with their different outlets and products as well as from the tradition of the industry in their ways of making high-quality products.

The company has various outlet stores in the southern part of Australia with three outlets in the city of Adelaide. There is a total of six Haigh’s Chocolates stores in Melbourne, a total of four in the central business district and some other extra two stores in Sydney. Until today, the company has maintained most of its traditional techniques as well as artisan skills that were used in the process of the chocolate manufacturing thus making it receive some awards because of its resilience in the market (Adler & Gundersen 2007, p. 45).

Haigh’s Chocolates strongly distinguish itself from the rest of coffee providers in a number of ways. One of the ways in which the business distinguishes itself from the rest of the providers in the region tracks its roots from its longtime operation as a successful as well as a successful family owned business that is operated in South Australian business enterprise. The company shifted from an original cottage industry to a sophisticated manufacturing retailer that makes its production be efficient while being accompanied by a vast experience in the sector. Finally, the company has been successful in creating a number of luxury brands with very high-quality products that usually call for premium prices from most of its customers.

Technology management is important for the company, as it makes sure that all the applied technologies in the company are updated and their application is effective in the organization. Technology management also plays an important role in the organization by offering the employees as well as the management are fully informed of all the changes that are taking place in an organization (Leavy 2005, p. 40). All these are done for purposes of making the effective running of the organization and efficient as well as effective communication of the employees in the organization.

Sustainability practices

For purposes of succeeding in the extremely competitive market in the whole world, the company has the role of producing high-quality products that makes it hard for its competitors to establish a firm market base in the regions where they have already made an impact. In order to do this, the company has to distinguish its operations from that of its competitors by employing a number of sustainability practices in the market (Terziovski, 2010, p. 896). The company has taken an industry lead on sustainability for purposes of keeping itself a step ahead of its competitor.

One of the best ways in which the company does this is by embracing the use of biodegradable packaging in its production. It involves itself in charity works by donating a portion of its total sales of some selected products to nonprofit organizations that help to improve the lives of different individuals within and outside the country (Leavy 2005, p. 39). Because of this, the company adds value to itself and its products, thus attracting consumer support and in the process winning more sustainability project that the customers for its services.

The other sustainability practice that the company engages in is that of having a sweet path to business efficiency. For the last number of decades, Haigh's Chocolates has been in the forefront in providing some of the best treats in the region. Some of its products like the hand-dipped truffles have been termed as one of the best products that the company has ever produced thus keeping it ahead of its competitors (Artis, et al. 2009, p. 8). The company has also been producing signature chocolate frogs and more than ever; the products have been termed as having the highest demand in the region, thus making it a step ahead of its competitors thus making its production sustainable. Some of its recipes have not been in a position to be replicated by any other company, and this has made it crucial in maintaining its customers thus making it unique thus making it sustainable.

The sustainability of the company can also be linked with its belief that quality products can only be obtained by using quality ingredients, and the company is known for taking the best few specialist chocolate retailers (Leavy, 2005, p. 40). These retailers tend to come from all over the world, and they always make sure that the chocolate making skills of these retailers start from their ability to make the best chocolate out of the raw cocoa bean. Just like wine grapes, there are different elements of cocoa beans that usually depend on the variety and the place of origin from where the beans were obtained from as well as the way in which they were processed (Leavy, 2005 p. 40). All these make the operations of the company sustainable as they maintain a great pool of customers who they serve and remain loyal to for a long period without being influenced by any other brands.

Additionally, the operations of the company can also be termed as being sustainable as the agents of the company tend to source the raw materials that are used in the company from the best cocoa plantations from all over the world. Some of the best areas where they source this very important raw material include Ecuador, some parts of Africa and from Papua New Guinea. The company also sources the other ingredients like cocoa butter, and icing sugar from various parts of the Australia thus ensuring quality is maintained, and its sustainability maintained thus ensuring continued productivity (Leavy 2005, p. 39). The company makes these highly prized ingredients cheap by transforming them into CHEP pellets and then transferring them to their different retailers.

Additionally, through its UTZ certified program, the company has enabled a majority of the farmers who supply them with important raw materials to learn very important farming methods, improves the way in which they live through sustainable production and take better care of their children as well as the environment (Artis, et al. 2009, p. 13). As a result of this program, a great number of farmers who take cocoa bean farming as their main economic activities to maintain their relations as they receive lots of benefits from the company thus ensuring sustainability in the supply of the very important raw materials for the company. The programs enable different farmers from different regions to grow better crops and be in a position to generate more income from the better sales that they make from their sales. The program also enables the farmers to come up with better business opportunities while protecting their surroundings as well as securing the earth’s natural resources (Collins & Clark 2003, p. 740).

Finally, the company plays a very important role in making sure that the experience that the consumers get from the organization is paramount. Haigh's Chocolates develop and captures value by ensuring that it has a proper level of direct control over the activities that are carried out in the organization. The result of this is that the organization is in a position to have a guarantee that all the products that it produces for the market are of high quality, friendly, customized, and luxurious in nature (Collins & Smith 2006, p. 546). The provision of these services is not limited to the products alone, but they extend to the excellence and range its premium-priced products for the control of different market channels. The company pays painstaking attention to its different retail stores and offers a lot of priority to teaching the company staff on how to manufacture quality products and retail them at lower prices.

Role of organizational behavior at the company

Organizational deeds play different roles in an organization. One of the key functions of organizational behavior is to have a better understanding of human behavior and secondly, influencing the human behaviour. The role of managerial behavior in Haigh's Chocolates is to understand the behaviour of all the patients in their organization and to some extent, influence the behaviour of all the employees in the organization. In understanding human behaviour in an organization, executive behaviour plays a key role in understanding the behaviour of individuals in an organization, and this helps them to know how to treat different people in the organization based on their studied behaviour (Delaney, and Huselid, 1996, p. 946).

The other role of organizational conduct is that it helps the management to understand the interpersonal behaviours of all the employees working in their organizations. Understanding interpersonal behaviour helps the organization helps them to improve their interpersonal relations, and this pushes the organization to greater heights making all its operations effective and efficient (Delaney & Huselid 1996, p. 945).

Organizational conduct also helps the organization to understand group behaviour as well as understanding intergroup behaviour in an organization in a bid to know how to relate to its employees better and make them work best when in a group. Understanding group dynamics are very important in making, the organization develop some of the best communication skills that help them to improve productivity and make progress in their different activities. Understanding group behaviour helps the organization to develop effective leadership as well as developing high morale between the organizations.

In influencing the human behaviour of the organization, managerial behaviour plays an important role by assisting the managers to influence the behaviour of the other employees differently. Organizational behaviour in Haigh's Chocolates does this by developing different leaders from the given pool of employees by learning how to bring about the best of the best in the leadership skills of the employees (Greenberg & Baron, 2008, p. 56). Organizational actions also helps the managers to know the best ways of motivating their employees and through this, the company is in a position to motivate its employees effectively and efficiently thus leading to more production in the organization. Improving communication and organizational change as well as bringing about effective development in the organization (Sharma, and Henriques, 2005, p. 160). All these help the organization to be effective in its activities leading to sustainable actions being taken in the organization.

Human resource management practices of the company

The human resource department in any given organization plays different roles in trying to make sure that the operations of the organization are effective and efficient. As such, in Haigh's Chocolates, human resource development committee has a number of functions. One of the functions of the human resource development in the company is to make sure that quality products are produced by the organization and that all the ingredients needed to make effective products in an organization are followed and all applied for efficiency and effectiveness (Haigh, and Dardis 2012, p. 10).

The other role of the human resource department in the organization also includes carrying out recruitment practices in the organization, and this leads to the effective running of the organization. It is the duty of the human resource department involves employing the most qualified personnel in the organization and this leads to effective operations in the organization. The signing of the company contracts to employers is also made effective by the human resource department (Ivancevich & Matteson, 2011, p. 654). The human resource department also makes sure that it co-ordinates all the end-to-end recruitment activities within the region that include the bulk recruitment of extra employees during peak holiday seasons.

The human resource department at the company is also responsible for providing the workplace relations’ services that include any forms of awards or even agreement interpretation, legislative and policy requirements (Handfield & Nichols 1999, p. 23). Additionally, the department is responsible for the provision of specialized advice in relation to the performance of the employee and in dealing with any irregularities in behaviour that happens in the organization.

Role of international business at the company

International business plays an important role in any organization. One of the roles of international business is to provide a platform for the organization to sell its products in the international market. International business also plays an important role in opening the company to acquire some of the best raw materials that are used in the process of making its quality products, and this leads to the company bring sustainability in its production (Hu, et al., 1999, p. 95). International business also offers an opportunity for the organization to expand its operations to other countries where the organization can provide its services (Kerry 1998, p. 34).

Analysis of entrepreneurship and innovation at the company

A sole proprietor whose main objective was to offer the best quality chocolate in the market that he purported to serve started the company. The business was provided using old and unimproved methods, but the quality of chocolate that was produced by the company was very high that led to a number of customers being attracted to its services (Handfield & Nichols 1999, p. 56). The motivation of the founder was to produce one of the best quality chocolates while utilizing the existing methods of production. Although, as time progressed, emerging technologies were adopted by the organization that led to its expansion and more products being offered as it tried to meet the emerging and expanding the market of its products. Motivation played very important role in keeping the founder focused and not changing to any other products that had attracted more customers by that time (McLaughlin, Bessant & Smart 2008, p. 320).

Conclusion

Several strategies need to be employed by the organization to expand its operations and products to the market. One of the strategies is for the management to recruit many farmers from all over the world to supply them with quality cocoa beans. This strategy will help the company to improve its production and at the end open more branches that will lead to more profits being made. Again, employing the emerging technologies to keep pace with its competitors is another strategy that the company may employ to expand its activities. Finally, the company should source for the most qualified employees from the market to make sure that the quality of the produced products is not compromised with as a result of poor production. To conclude, all these strategies will help the management to keep up with the changes in the market and compete with its competitors effectively.