The Ontario Christian Gleaners: Stakeholder Engaged Strategy Case Study Example

Executive summary

This work provides the analyses of The Ontario Christian Gleaners: Stakeholder Engaged Strategy case. The first part of the work consists of 8 analyses conducted on different spheres of the organization’s operation: current strategy description and assessment, organizational performance assessment, PESTLE assessment, industry analysis using Porter’s Five Forces Model, internal analysis, stakeholder assessment, SWOT, strategic options assessment and strategic change plan. It was made in the forms of tables which represent the whole picture of the OCG organization. Another part is the Body of Work which provides brief discussion of the major analyses parts. Results show that the OCG is a very promising organization with great opportunities for growth and entering new markets. The work finds that the Ontario Christian Gleaners is the charitable and mission-driven organization based on the volunteers work with the relationships with stakeholders contributing significant importance to the value that the organization creates.

Body of the Work

While working on the The Ontario Christian Gleaners: Stakeholder Engaged Strategy the sufficient analysis has been conducted. First of all we have described and assed the current strategy of the company. The OCG is an organization which mission is to use surplus food and feed those in need. According to van Duren and Sterne (2014), “Its core values are providing fellowship for volunteers and feeding the hungry without undermining capacity building in recipient communities.” The main product that the OCG offers is dehydrated soup mixes made from the donated products. Shelley Stone is the organization’s leader with having 7 board members as well. The OCG is a non-profit organization, though it is still has a lot of assets and is extremely important for the people as it feeds the hungry ones. The organization is also considered as a charity and religious one.
Concerning the organizational assessment, the Ontario Christian Gleaners seems to have limited issues, so generally the organizational performance is quite well. It has set an action plan towards meeting its strategic goals. The organization and Shelley, in particular, are doing good HR work and going to even hire more staff and become more efficient. What is more, the OCG also pays attention to its marketing and PR strategy, having created its own website as well as brochures and posters. The organization’s financial performance is not that good because expenses exceed the revenues.
In order to assess the external environment of the organization we’ve made a PESTLE analysis. Generally the aspects considered are quite promising. First of all, according to the FAO evaluation, the OCG will never run out of donated produce. Secondly, there are some innovations which will help to make production more efficient. However, as a result of its growth, the organization may have to hire a professional financier which will increase its expenditures.
According to Porter’s Five Forces Model the OCG has good position and prospective in its industry. It has no problems with food supply as well as with possibilities of entering new markets. What is more, the industry is a non-competitive one, so there is no threat of rivals or substitutes. Thus, the organization has great opportunities for further growth and development in its industry.

Considering the internal analyses of the organization, it has more strengths than weaknesses.

The stakeholders are divided into two groups: primary and secondary ones. The latter one consists of those directly participating in the OCG performance, ranging from board members to Canada Revenue Agency. These are the subjects each of which is inevitably important for the organization. The secondary stakeholders are also important, but their influence is not so significant comparing to the primary stakeholders one. They include media outlets, authorities etc.
Having considered the SWOT analyses it becomes obvious that the company is doing well and is going to further grow. This is proved by both internal strengths (team, resources and objectives) and opportunities they provide. Thus, the OCG can expand by working with new suppliers, inviting more volunteers and evolving advertising campaign. According to van Duren and Sterne (2014), “After nearly five years of operation, OCG is beginning to grapple with the challenge of growing in a balanced way while remaining consistent with its core values and physical and human capabilities.” The weaknesses and threats are not scary and they are rather additional tasks that should be solved on the organization’s development way.
Strategic planning is very important both for profit and non-profit organizations, according to Mintzberg (1989) and Bryson (2004). When talking about the OCG’s strategic options, the main of them include upgrading the warehouse and improving the equipment. This will make the production process more efficient and will also increase storage.

References

Bryson, J. M. (2004). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: a guide to strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass.
Mintzberg, H. (1989). Mintzberg on management: inside our strange world of organizations. New York: London: Free Press
Van Duren, E., & Sterne, R. (2014). The Ontario Christian Gleaners: A Case Study of a Stakeholder-Engaged Organizational Strategy. Cuizine: The Journal of Canadian Food Cultures / Cuizine : Revue Des Cultures Culinaires Au Canada, 5(1). Retrieved February 9, 2015, from http://www.erudit.org/revue/cuizine/2014/v5/n1/1024278ar.html?lang=en