Strategic Analysis And Implementation Essay For Atkins Project Management And Civil Consultant. (70 Characters)

You are required to write a report. The report is an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key themes, issues and theories as well as analytical and communication skills.

Using the one of the business organisations which you chose for your poster; you are required to prepare a corporate strategy for the next 5 years for the same company. The report should include the following: 

• Prepare an internal and external audit
• Analyse the company’s competitive environment; evaluate competitive positions and core competencies
• Through the application of relevant strategic models assess the company’s strategic choices
• Based on the preceding analysis formulate a strategy for the next 5 years;

Prepare an implementation plan for your key functional areas, be mindful of cross functional decisions that need be made to meet the company’s objectives.

The report helps in the overall strategic analysis of Atkins project management and civil consultant wherein the mission and vision of the company are being identified conclusively. Furthermore, the internal and external investigation of the company is required to be done with the help of Porter's Forces Model analysis along with Value chain analysis which will be beneficial for the overall strategic analysis of the organization effectively.

The strategic choice analysis with the help of Porter’s Generic Forces will be identified while providing strategic recommendations to the organization for becoming more efficient towards the operations. Lastly, the implementation plan for the next five years will be done for the strategic growth which is required for the growth of the firm. Finally, the conclusion and recommendations will be provided for Atkins for the future strategic growth and prospects of the company.

Atkins project management and civil consultant is one of the British multinational engineering organizations which is famous for planning, architectural designs along with consulting services organization which is headquartered in London, United Kingdom (Atkinsglobal.com. 2018). The company was founded in the year 1938 by Sir William Atkins, and the company has their branches in more than 28 countries. In the year 2016, the company was the most significant engineering consultancy along with 11^th largest firms in global design as well. Furthermore, the company has employed more than 18000 staffs who are based in more than 300 offices in more than 29 countries in the entire worldwide. The main motto of the company is to "Plan, Design, Enable". Furthermore, in the year 2017, the organization was being acquired by a Canadian company named SNC-Lavalin in the year 2017.

The mission of the company Atkins is to provide the different customers in the market with the proper solutions on engineering which will be useful for their growth in comparison to the other competitors in the entire market (Wheelen et al. 2017). The mission is to provide the different shareholders along with customers with the proper value through provisioning of the various engineering related services, procurement along with management of the entire infrastructure and the power projects as well.

 On the other hand, the vision of the company Atkins is to strive to be the most premier engineering kind of solutions partner who will be committed to delivering the complex type of projects from the entire vision which in reality is developed for the kind of sustainable lifespan of the company. With the help of the mission and view of the company, Atkins can be able to improve their overall efficiency in such a manner which will be appropriate for their growth in the market.

The internal auditing plays a vital role in analysing along with determining the level of competency and strength of the organization in a competitive manner. The healthy kind of organization utilizes the updated variety of technology systems along with the different equipment which will be beneficial for the properly accomplishing the tasks. The financial goals of the company are being met accurately with strategic planning objectives (Robson 2015).

Mission and Vision

On the other hand, the external analysis is helpful for the organizations as this will assist them in understanding the position of the other competitors who can affect the performance of the company which can create a negative impact on the organization. To keep the business ahead of the different competitors in the market, the managers need to continually adjust to the strategies to reflect the environment in which the company will be operating.

Strengths- Firstly, the management team of Atkins have the extensive experience in the products and the different aspects of the business which is one of the major strengths of the company to build strong brand image in the competitive business environment. The capital stock base is strong which enhances the engineering activities performed by them. Secondly, Atkins has been rated as the most trustworthy organization in the United Kingdom market wherein it is one of the leading constructions and design contractors which allow the company to gain the competitive advantage in comparison to the other companies in the market.

Weaknesses- However, on the other hand, the company is not tech savvy in nature as the usage of internet is limited in comparison to the other competitors such as Jacob Engineering company. There is huge dependence of the federal government contracts which can cause a decline in the revenues of the organization in a negative manner. In comparison to Jacob, Atkins Engineering Organisation do not have a positive reputation in the market which is challenging in nature, and they are not able to handle such big projects effectively.

Opportunities- The company has the huge potentiality in attracting more customers in the market by introducing hind end bottling and labels which are being liked by the individuals in the market to become more efficient in comparison to Jacobs. Furthermore, the widening geographic type of presence along with enhancing the different capabilities through partnerships and acquisitions can be helpful in gaining more competitive advantage in the competitive market.

Threats- There is intense competition from Jacobs and the other companies which are adversely affecting the market share of Atkins in the market. Secondly, the different government regulations are changed by the federal along with foreign laws and regulations can affect the performance of the Atkins Company. Lastly, the fluctuating kind of price of the international currencies along with the different economic type of disturbances can impact the overall performance of the organization negatively.

From the SWOT analysis of Atkins, this has been found that there are different opportunities which are available for Atkins which will be beneficial for the overall success of the firm in a positive manner with proper utilization of capital stock and the experienced management team can be helpful for the overall success of the firm.

Political Factors- The political factors play a significant role in determining the different factors which can create a significant impact on long-term profitability in a particular market. The political economy is stable which will be beneficial for the growth of the economy in an accurate manner. There is a moderate level of corruption which is affecting the overall efficiency of the firm in a negative way. However, there are mandatory employee benefits which are being used positively in the project management companies which will be beneficial for the overall success of the firm in a positive manner.

Importance of Auditing

Economic Factors- In the United Kingdom market, there is huge efficiency in the currency of the host country which will be increasing the skill level of the workforce positively. The unemployment rate of the country is less in nature which will help in the economic growth rate of the organization effectively. The labour costs along with productivity can play a major role in positively managing different kinds of productivity.

Social Factors- The shared beliefs along with the attitude of the population play a significant role in Jacobs Engineering company in which the educational ideas and culture play a significant role in maintaining their effectiveness. The demographics play a significant role in Atkins in which the skills of the individuals are high which will be beneficial for the overall success of the firm.

Technological Factors- Technology plays a major role in the project management company Atkins wherein the other competitors of Atkins are more technologically advanced and innovative in comparison to them. The technology creates a huge impact on the offerings of the products which is required to be analysed by the company positively.

Legal Factors- There are different legal factors inclusive of health and safety laws which are being followed in Atkins which will improve the overall efficiency of the firm in a positive manner. Secondly, the data protection laws are helpful that can create a positive impact on the growth of the organization.

Environmental Factors- There are different environmental rules and regulations which impacts the profitability of the organization. The climate change and the attitude towards recycling can create a huge positive impact on the organization which will be beneficial for the overall success of the firm.  

From the PESTEL analysis, this can be identified that the political environment is stable for the United Kingdom that can create a positive impact on the organization. However, on the other hand, there are various environmental and legal issues which can be faced by the organization as there are different other competitors who adopt different legal rules and strategies to improve the overall profitability of the firm.

Proper analysis of internal and external competitive environment is required to be done which will be beneficial for the evaluation of the core competencies of the firm in a positive manner. The value chain model, VRIO and Porter’s Five Forces are being taken into consideration that will be essential for understanding their competitiveness in the market.

With the help of the value chain model and Resource-Based View, the different kinds of core competencies of the organization can be analysed appropriately.

Inbound Logistics- There are different suppliers for Atkins who play a major role in increasing the sales and productivity of the organization positively. The major suppliers of Atkins are the vendors, and the ones who provide with the different kinds of external resources such as funding and the facilities will be required for the completion of the project accurately.

Operations- The business operations of Atkins have been spread to different countries. However, there is no such presence of the same in the entire world. With the implementation of the different kinds of different segments, this will be helpful in evaluating the performance of the company in comparison to the other competitors in the market.

Internal Auditing Using SWOT Analysis

Outbound Logistics- The Atkins tries to receive the different kinds of products and services from the suppliers and showcase the same to the various customers around the world. The fulfilment centres are the critical and crucial aspect of the distribution network which will enable in shipping the multiple products to the customers efficiently.

Marketing and Sales- The heavy focus is on the different kinds of marketing and sales related activities as there is huge competition from the other competitors such as Jacobs. The company has selected the online marketing channels which will be appropriate for them in understanding their marketing efforts in selling the products to the customers.

The infrastructure of the Firm- The production facilities and the manufacturing facilities along with logistics play a vital role in the infrastructure and development of the firm. The firm is presently focusing on financial and technological resources wherein the company is mainly focusing on the managing of the employees working under the company to become more successful. The company needs to invest their amount in technology and people during the recent years which will continually increase the growth along with success of the brand in a positive manner.

Human Resource Management- The Atkins Company has faced various kinds of issues related to human resource management factors. There is a huge level of competition for the different talented employees such as different IT professionals and computer engineers and architects who are the major human resource for Atkins company. The entire growth of the brand is highly dependent on the availability of talented employees (Engert, Rauter and Baumgartner 2016).

Technology- The technological advancement is the other significant aspect of the Atkins Company as this is the project management consultant which mainly focuses on making substantial investments in such a manner which will help them in providing the customers with better experience (Frynas and Mellahi 2015). The central aspect which is required to be considered by Atkins is to give the customers with the highest level of convenience with the help of the proper research and development of the different technologies which play a significant role (Ferlie et al. 2016).

Infrastructure- The infrastructure plays a significant role in managing the different activities of the organization positively. The global support has been maintained by Atkins in different parts of the world wherein this will be beneficial for the growth of the company in an appropriate manner.

On the other hand, the Resource-Based View will be beneficial for understanding the core competencies of the organization. The resources which are being considered in the Atkins are the different employees along with the innovation in the technological aspects can help them in gaining competitive advantage.

Tangible	Intangible
The manufacturing plant of Atkins at UK and Europe are the best aspects for the development of the Vietnam Mill Development is one of the physical assets which can prove to be beneficial for their growth (Bettis et al. 2015)	Firstly, the human resource team is the first aspect wherein there are highly skilled employees working in the different branches of Atkins in different parts of the world wherein the presentation is available. The employees know to solve the various problems with the problem-solving skills (Bryce 2017) The inclusion of the creative capability is the other aspect in which there has been the development of the products with the great design of the software (Bettis et al. 2016)
The presence of the Atkins Store in various locations of Europe and the United Kingdom have the high potential wherein the revenue earned by the organization till the year 2017 is 1.862 billion (Bettis et al. 2014).	The brand and the quality of the different products and services play a major role in analysing the architectural aspects which help the company in gaining competitive advantage (Barney 2017). Proper partnerships along with the development of the Vietnam Steel Development Program has been able to improve their status in the worldwide (Durand, Grant and Madsen 2017)

With the analysis of the Porter’s Five Forces Analysis, the Atkins will be able to build sustainable competitive advantage in the Technical Services Industry. The managers in the Atkins will be using Porter’s Five Forces Analysis to develop a strategic position in the market along with exploring the different profitable opportunities in the whole service sector.

The threat of New Entrants- There is no such threat from the new entrants in the technical service consultancy which will be beneficial for the Atkins company. The proper innovation of the products and services has been done by Atkins will be building capacities along with spending money on research and development. Due to the different kinds of innovations done by Atkins, this will reduce the windows for the new entrants, and this will positively increase their profitability wherein the threat is low (Michael Porter 1980) 

External Auditing Using PESTEL Analysis

Bargaining Power of Suppliers- The Atkins Engineering Company buy different raw materials from numerous suppliers (Johnson and Schole 2009). The respective suppliers who are in the dominant position will be decreasing the margins of the Atkins Engineering Company that is earned by them in the market. This will lower the overall profitability of the organization negatively. The company can solve this kind of situation by building efficient supply chain management with multiple suppliers (Lynch 2008).

Bargaining Power of Buyers- The different buyers in the market have various demands which are required to be kept in mind by Atkins as there are different other substitutes in the market which offers similar kinds of services like Atkins. The Atkins Engineering Company needs to improve the entire situation by increasing the offers and discounts which will rapidly innovate the new products in a proper manner (Lasserre 2017).

Threats of Substitute Products or Services- There are other competitors of Atkins such as Jacobs Engineering Company which will lead to the suffering in the profitability of the organization in a negative manner (Saee, 2007). The threat of the substitute product is high which can affect the overall profitability of the organization negatively. The situation can be taken into control by being service oriented in nature along with increasing the switching costs of the customers in a positive manner (John Kay 1993).

Rivalry Among the Existing Competitors- The Atkins operates in a competitive market environment wherein there are existing competitors such as Jacobs Engineering Company which will take a toll on the profitability of the organization in a negative manner. Furthermore, the respective situation can be made into control by building sustainable differentiation technique along with making scale which will increase the market size in an appropriate manner (Hitt and Duane Ireland 2017).

From the Porter’s Five Forces Analysis, this can be identified that there are various threats from the rivalry that can affect the overall profitability of the firm. To reduce the same, the trends can be changed which will be becoming the opportunity for Atkins in comparison to the other competitors present in the market.

With the help of the strategic models, the different kinds of strategic choices available to the company to become more competitive. With the usage of Porter’s Generic Forces and Ansoff Matrix, the overall aspect of the analysis of the strategic choices can be considered which will be beneficial for the future growth of the company in a positive manner as well.

The differentiation strategy can be adopted by the company Atkins to improve their strategic position in the entire market. This has been noticed that there are different kinds of competitors present in the market such as Jacobs Engineering Company which provides the different unique kinds of products that have led them to increase their profitability in the market in an efficient manner (Hill 2017).

 As per the differentiation strategy, the Atkins Engineering Company needs to target the different broad market segment which will be helping them to gain huge market share in the entire market efficiently. Furthermore, Atkins can include proper research and development along with innovation which will be provided with the ability to deliver high quality consultancy services related to the different architectural designs to the companies which will strategize and optimise the operations (Hill, Jones and Schilling 2014).

Furthermore, with the implementation of differentiation aspect, there will be involvement of flexibility in providing the different operations and the companies will be able to adjust quickly in the changing market as well. However, there are certain risks involved in the differentiation aspects which is required to be controlled by the Atkins Project Management consultancy to provide and focus on the creative approach as this will help in reducing the competition from the other competitors (Hall 2001).

On the other hand, Ansoff Matrix can be considered wherein the diversification strategy can be adopted by the Atkins Company wherein there can be the inclusion of the new services which will be beneficial for the overall success of the firm in an appropriate manner. However, the diversification is the risky growth strategy which can affect the growth of the firm as there are different chances of the downfall of the company in comparison to the other competitors in the market (Grant 2012). The risks can be related due to the expansion of the business into new markets wherein there is no such knowledge of the respective country in which there is no such knowledge about the markets. However, the entire aspect can be risky. However, there can be the introduction of the highly rewarding aspects which will be beneficial for the success of the firm (Grant and Jordan 2012).

Strategic Recommendations 

Proper strategic recommendations are required to be provided to Atkins which will be helpful for them in competing with the different competitors in the market efficiently.

The usage of the innovative communication tools can be one of the unique aspects which can be considered by Atkins as adaptability is critical which will be responsive to the needs of the customers in an appropriate manner. The inclusion of the agile methodologies wherein there can be the development of the software development teams which will be allowing them to be more adaptable to the different situations in becoming more competitive. With the implementation of the agile methodologies, this will be emphasizing on the different kinds of inclusion of the software development in an appropriate manner (Goetsch and Davis 2014).

Furthermore, Intrapreneurship is the other aspect which can be adopted by the Atkins Engineering Company as this will help the employees in providing them with the opportunity to have their presence on the business as this can be appropriate for the situation and the employees can be able to create opportunities for themselves to have a real impact in an appropriate manner (Hamel and Prahalad 1994). In the case of Atkins, the innovation is the key element in which all the employees will be able to apply the diversification strategies for streamlining the project management (Ginter, Duncan and Swayne 2018).

Particulars	1st Year	2nd year	3rd Year	4th Year	5th Year
Feasibility Study of Technological Implementation
Study of Market
Study of Competitors
Implementation of Technology
CRM – Communication Collaborative approach of stakeholders
Identification of Time Frame During Implementation
Resource and Cost Allocation
Human Resources
IT Personnel
Cost Allocation
Operating Costs
Expenses
Design and Preparation
Identify the key program managers.
Build innovative applications
The design plan for the development of the project
Innovation in Technological Aspects
The input of different software
Diversification with the assistance of innovative technologies
Monitoring and Feedback
Employee Feedback through Likert Scale

From the implementation plan, this can be analysed that these are the different functional aspects which are required to be considered to become more consistent in their approaches along with becoming more competitive. The proper training and the communication plan are essential and plays a vital role in managing the different kinds of software which will bring innovation in the project management aspects which are essential for the overall success of the firm in a positive manner.

Conclusion

 Therefore, from the above, this can be concluded that from the internal and external audit of the organization, this has been identified that there are different strengths and weaknesses of the organization wherein this will affect the overall competitive environment in both positive and negative manner.

From the competitive business environment analysis, this has been noticed that the low-cost diversification strategy can be successful for Atkins wherein the demands of the customers can be analysed effectively.

The adoption of cutting-edge technology will be helpful in learning about the demands of the customers which will be done appropriately. To meet the different objectives of the company, there will be the inclusion of the diversification and differentiation strategy which will be appropriate for the overall success of the firm in an appropriate manner.

From the above analysis, this can be recommended that there are different strategies which can be taken into consideration by Atkins Engineering Company which will be helping them to become more successful in the future.

Firstly, international expansion can be considered by the company which will increase their customer base in different areas in the future.

 Secondly, in the present scenario, the Atkins is mainly focusing on the few customer segments who prefer premium branded products. To increase their sales, there can be the inclusion of the other customer segments which will be helpful for them in satisfying the needs of the customers appropriately.

There can be the introduction of the new product and service lines along with innovating the technological advancements as this will be beneficial for the company to become more competitive.  

References

Atkinsglobal.com. 2018. Atkinsglobal.com. [online] Available at: https://www.atkinsglobal.com/en-gb [Accessed 18 Dec. 2018].

Barney, J.B., 2017. Resources, capabilities, core competencies, invisible assets, and knowledge assets: Label proliferation and theory development in the field of strategic management. The SMS Blackwell handbook of organizational capabilities, pp.422-426.

Bettis, R., Gambardella, A., Helfat, C. and Mitchell, W., 2014. Quantitative empirical analysis in strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 35(7), pp.949-953.

Bettis, R.A., Ethiraj, S., Gambardella, A., Helfat, C. and Mitchell, W., 2016. Creating repeatable cumulative knowledge in strategic management: A call for a broad and deep conversation among authors, referees, and editors. Strategic Management Journal, 37(2), pp.257-261.

Bettis, R.A., Gambardella, A., Helfat, C. and Mitchell, W., 2015. Qualitative empirical research in strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 36(5), pp.637-639.

Bryce, H.J., 2017. Financial and strategic management for nonprofit organizations. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.

Doz, Y.L., 2017. Strategic management in multinational companies. In International Business (pp. 229-248). Routledge.

Durand, R., Grant, R.M. and Madsen, T.L., 2017. The expanding domain of strategic management research and the quest for integration. Strategic Management Journal, 38(1), pp.4-16.

Engert, S., Rauter, R. and Baumgartner, R.J., 2016. Exploring the integration of corporate sustainability into strategic management: a literature review. Journal of cleaner production, 112, pp.2833-2850.

Ferlie, E., Crilly, T., Jashapara, A., Trenholm, S., Peckham, A. and Currie, G., 2016. Strategic management in the healthcare sector: the debate about the resource-based view flourishes in response to recent commentaries. International journal of health policy and management, 5(2), p.145.

Frynas, J.G. and Mellahi, K., 2015. Global strategic management. Oxford University Press, USA.

Gary Hamel and C K Prahalad, Competing for the Future, Harvard Business School Press, 1994. A bestseller which some people find quite inspiring. Alternatively, read their articles in de Wit and Meyer or the Harvard Business Review

Gerry Johnson, Richard Whittington, Patrick Regnér, Kevan Scholes and Duncan Angwin 2017 Exploring Strategy. Text and Cases, 11th Edition, Pearson

Ginter, P.M., Duncan, W.J. and Swayne, L.E., 2018. The strategic management of health care organizations. John Wiley & Sons.

Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014. Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson.

Grant RM, J, Jordan, 2012, Foundations of Strategy, Wiley

Grant, R 2012, Contemporary Strategy Analysis, Wiley

Hall, 2001; extremely useful for the change management elements of strategy modules - but make sure you get the second or third editions - the first is far more limited in its approach

Hill, C.W., Jones, G.R. and Schilling, M.A., 2014. Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning.

Hill, T., 2017. Manufacturing strategy: the strategic management of the manufacturing function. Macmillan International Higher Education.

Hitt, M. and Duane Ireland, R., 2017. The intersection of entrepreneurship and strategic management research. The Blackwell handbook of entrepreneurship, pp.45-63.

Husted B, Allen, D, 2010, Corporate Social Strategy, Cambridge University Press

J,Saee, 2007, Contemporary Corporate Strategy, Taylor & Francis Ltd Routledge

Jagdish N. Sheth, Mona Sinha, and Reshma Shah 2016 Breakout Strategies for Emerging Markets: Business and Marketing Tactics for Achieving Growth

John Kay, Foundations of Corporate Success - How business strategies add value, Oxford University Press, 1993. A useful and finely written overview of strategy, from an economist’s point of view, but certainly not just aimed at economists. Excellent on the strategic implications of game theory and different types of contract.

Johnson G and Scholes K, 2009, Outlines & Highlights for Exploring Corporate Strategy, Academic Internet Publishers Incorporated

Lasserre, P., 2017. Global strategic management. Macmillan International Higher Education.

Lynch, R, 2008, Corporate Strategy, Prentice Hall

Michael Porter, Competitive Strategy, Free Press, 1980 and Competitive Advantage, Free Press, 1985. These books revolutionised strategic management thinking, in the 1980s, but are difficult to read, especially the second, with too many obscure US examples. For a clear and readable exposition of Porter's ideas, the book by Grant is recommended.

Robson, W., 2015. Strategic management and information systems. Pearson Higher Ed.

Wheelen, T.L., Hunger, J.D., Hoffman, A.N. and Bamford, C.E., 2017. Strategic management and business policy. pearson.