Gap Analysis: Global Communications

Gap Analysis: Global Communications

Kurt Cobain, lead singer of the band Nirvana, said, “We have no right to express an opinion until we know all of the answers.” (Zahlis, 2007). The fact is that nobody knows all of the answers; we can only base our opinion on the research and data that we collect. A gap analysis can be done to help identity the current state of an organization, the desired state and help propose a solution to fill in the gap.

Global Communications (GC) is a telecommunications company that is experiencing problems because of their current state. The gap between the current state and the desired state is so large that the company is not achieving the success that they yearn for. The problem is obvious: they are losing profits and not able to stay competitive as the industry is growing faster than they can handle. In order for the company to become successful, they have implemented changes that will allow them to adapt and grow globally. The changes create issues and opportunities and allow the organization to look at their end state goals. This plan of action is a useful tool that will be used to make sure that all goals are achievable. This paper will discuss Global Communications, their current issues and opportunities, and will begin to explore options on how to overcome the problems at hand.

Situation Analysis

Issue and Opportunity Identification

Telecommunication companies are facing financial difficulties around the globe attributable to many factors in their competitive industry. We can date back to 1876 when Alexander Graham Bell first invented the telephone. This invention was one device that would change communication for an infinite number of years to come. In the last 150 years, telecommunications has evolved into a window of opportunity for companies to provide new services to the consumer. According to the website for the US Department of Labor (2008), “The telecommunications industry delivers voice communications, data, graphics, television, and video at ever increasing speeds and in an increasing number of ways. Whereas wire line telephone communication was once the primary service of the industry, wireless communication services, Internet service, and cable and satellite program distribution make up an increasing share of the industry.”

The new services in the industry make competition fierce. The main objective for any organization is to achieve success by maximizing profits. Profitability seems to be an issue for Global Communications as too much competition, limited range of service and the rapid growth of the industry has affected the success of their organization. The underlying issues create a window of opportunity for Global Communications to grow, stay competitive and improve their profitability.

In the telecommunications industry there is too much growth and competition as local and international markets are all competing for the same business. GC has the realization of the need to grow so this creates opportunity to offer new services that will help them compete on a global market. GC will initiate an expansion of services offered to small business and Consumer customers. They will also create alliances with satellite providers that will enhance communications across the globe. In addition, they will partner with a wireless company to offer internet connections with wireless phones and pc cards. Offering new products and services gives them the competitive edge they need to stay afloat in the ever so changing industry.

Another issue that GC faces is the diminishing stocks and loss of profit for the company. Not only will GC have the opportunity to revamp their services, they will have opportunity to implement cost-cutting measures that will improve profitability. This opportunity to increase profits will include outsourcing technical call centers in Ireland and India, which will cut call handling by forty percent. Not only will call handling be cut significantly, more technical services can be offered over the phone. This service gives this potential to appease a broader consumer base as the technical staff will be larger so productivity will be higher.

Outsourcing will lead to layoffs of committed employees that could hinder growth and improvement. Layoffs will cause major loss of morale and impact current productivity. Management will have opportunity to be fair, keep employees informed of any changing situations, retain loyal employees and keep the line of communication open. Senior management will be given the opportunity to negotiate fair employee incentive packages that will entice many employees to transfer overseas, hence keeping a majority of their loyal employee base. By improving the decision making process, overall knowledge, the needs of the employees and coordination, communication