Qun Xue
Casey Wilhelm
Case study #1
Bus 321-60
September 10, 2012

What forces in the marketing environment appear to pose the greatest challenges to Timberland's marketing performance?
According to the text, the forces that pose the greatest challenge are the changes and new challenges that the marketing environment poses to the global marketer. Timberland wants to stay on top of fast-changing trends. It has to face the international competitor. So the company operates an international design center to achieve the goal of business success. “Business success is defined not only by the return we earn for our shareholders but also by the positive impact we have on our communities and the environment.” (Timberland achieves profits
It also has good advertising. * The company uses scientific technology in the shoes’ production. The company designs some of its shoes to be renewable and recyclable materials. More than one-third of the products are made of recycled material. * The company does well on squeezing its operations for saving more money, time and energy. That means the company can release more money from the operations. So the expenses could be less than before. * The company has a complete operating process from design to production. Therefore its industry chain won’t break easily or be more easily influenced by other factors.
Weaknesses:
* The company relies on overseas selling. Half of the company’s revenue comes from Europe and Asia. When the U.S. dollar’s value changes, it will affect the revenue on overseas trading. * Rigorous competition in shoe marketing. There are more and more competitions in the world. * Focused market targets. There are a lot of customers who cannot buy their products, because they don’t have those shoes for the customer who has special request.
Opportunities:
* The company could expand its operations to new markets in US and UK, because their market could still be growing. * The company can also try some different marketing areas that are not only limited to outdoor sports. * The company can also sponsor some competition to help increase the brand’s popularity.
Threats:
* The company faces the main challenge