SWOT ANALYSIS OF THE COMPANY
4.1. THE SWOT ANALYSIS.
The SWOT analysis conducted in the Express Malayalam Daily
has identified SWOT of the organization.
4.2. IDENTIFIED AREAS OF CORPORATE STRENGTHS.
The Express Malayalam daily is the only lowest priced Malayalam newspaper in its category. Hence the paper has its own potential to penetrate the market.
The Express Malayalam daily is established its title as the newspaper of the people of Thrissur District. The population of Trichur is about 28 lakhs. If Express bags a minimum of 5% share, it can potentially survive in the Industry.
4.3. IDENTIFIED AREAS OF CORPORATE WEAKNESSES.
The company has no professional management .
The company has no proper organization structure.
Organization communication system is very poor.
Poor organization culture and climate.
Surplus human resource and high rate of absenteeism
Lack of skills and morale.
Poor employee-management relations.
No training and development programmes.
The company has no marketing management and effective marketing strategies.
The company took no effort to design and develop the product (newspaper) as per the requirements of the customer.
Poor sales and distribution channels.
No effective sales promotion and advertising.
No customer benefit schemes to retain the customers (readers).
Poor quality raw material (news print).
The company has no inventory control system.
Obsolete printing technology and poor quality of production (newspaper).
Poor transportation management and product delivery mechanism.
The company has no financial management system.
No financial planning and profit planning.
Accounting system is inefficient and irregular.
4.4. IDENTIFIED AREAS OF ENVIRONMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES.
High rate of increase in literacy. This will result in the increase of purchasing power of the literate society especially on reading materials.
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Active scenario of peoples participation campaign and growing local interest. Since Express cater news of local interest, it will increase its readers
The majority of middle class business men population in Thrissur. The paper is more popular among the middle class business men.
The active trade unionism and growing interests in local politics in Thrissur. The news coverage of the paper is limited to the local interests.
Since the Express Malayalam daily is the first newspaper started in Thrissur, it has got wide public relations network.
4.5. IDENTIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS.
The new editions of potential corporate competitors like The Mathrubhumi daily and The Malayala Manorama daily started from Thrissur.
The grass root level marketing strategy of the Deshabhmani daily, the communists Marxists party newspaper in and around Thrissur district. The Express Malayalam daily is supported by the communists. But with the entry of the party newspaper, the readers opted Deshabhimani.
An aggressive substitute that gives more local news coverage known as Rashtra Deepika, an evening daily from Thrissur, was started.
The enforced political outlook of the new management upon the paper. The Chairman and the Managing Director of the paper at present is Dr.Subramannyam Swamy, who is a veteran Janata party leader. But the paper had a strong political outlook of a pro Marxist media for the last 50 years.
Non-payments of outstanding dues to the individuals and financial institutions increased the financial burden of the company.