Business Analysis of John Lewis Partnership Outline

Business Analysis of John Lewis Partnership - Outline Example This paper will examine the methods that have been used by the partnership as well as how these have led to initiatives that have moved ahead of competitors in the UK. The several areas of analysis performed in relation to the John Lewis Partnership will provide insight into strategies which businesses can apply to begin to move forward in the retail sector. SWOT Analysis The relevance of the SWOT analysis is to work into new strategies that will help to monitor and change the aspects within the corporation. The main ideal is to work toward a sense of knowledge management which can be applied within the organization while moving forward with different strategies and approaches that are associated with the corporation (Zhiping, Yonghong, 2002). When looking at the strategies of the John Lewis Partnership, it can be seen that the strengths of the corporation should be a continuous feature. This is based on the diversity of products that are offered with the retail store, ranging from w ine shops to business solutions and insurance (Felicitta, 2009). This diversity is followed by finding partners and small business owners that can tap into the retail store as a part owner. This allows the internal environment to have a spirit of entrepreneurship, while creating more opportunities for growth and support within the community. As this is done, it helps to stimulate loyal customers and responses among those that are in the community (Shi, 2007). The weaknesses that are from this main attribute come from the dimensions of positioning. This is a main problem with those who are in the retail industry, specifically because it changes the outcome of which customers will decide to shop in a specific area and will also alter the relationships and partnership that are provided within the company (Messinger, 2007). The positioning of the John Lewis Partnership is one that is limited by the partnerships which are incorporated as well as the sectors which have already been develo ped. This allows other competitors to begin to move into the sector and change the outlooks with other retail management options. Since most of the stores are built on partnerships, this may mean that the partners don’t have the necessary opportunities to continue and to make the desired profit (Tustin, 2006). The opportunities and threats that are associated with this can lead to further strategies to change the level of popularity against competition. The main opportunity comes from the multiple stores offered. Most competitors create a vertical relationship, meaning the association is based only on the one set of stores opened (Liu, Davies, 2007). This particular opportunity led to a 79.3% increase in 2008 and another 3.6% increase in 2009, with 11,365.4 million as the revenue (Aark, 2010). However, the partnerships established allow the John Lewis change into a multiple layer orientation of expansion, allowing them to move beyond competitors because of the diversity offer ed. While this works effectively, the mass amount of partnerships also limits other attributes. There are not as many price cuts and quality differences in most of the retail stores because of the partnerships established. Competitors with independent stores and national chains often move ahead of John Lewis Partnership because of the differences in price and the diversity of products which can be offered (Hall, 2007). TOWS Analysis The