The worldwide expansion of Carrefour hypermarkets
The worldwide expansion of Carrefour hypermarkets faced competitive challenges, one of which was consumer saturation. There were still small discount stores in operation before the Store launched its branches in America. Many shoppers were faithful to such small retail stores. Carrefour entered the industry with a modern concept, large supermarkets that customers would have grown weary of going in to buy items. This strategy hampered Carrefour's entry into other countries markets. The stores were large, but the selection of items was limited. Other retailers had a much greater variety of products in certain categories. Changing the name of the stores it acquired in Spain and France was a dangerous way of entering into a new market environment; most of the customers ended up looking for services elsewhere.
Lars Olofsson's challenge
Lars Olofsson’s job was challenging because Carrefour was on the verge of losing it stability in business. He faced a tough challenge of fitting into the ever advancing European market with the same old ways. Most stores were consistent with the fashion trends and had adapted to the consumer's new ways of life. Despite having the sales and marketing slightly boosted by his predecessor, Olofsson still had a huge role to play in increasing the variety of products and venturing in nonfood products to compete effectively with the mushrooming specialty stores.
Recommendations
I would recommend the Chief Executive to consider lowering the prices and offering kind bonuses on the products that were hardly bought, for example, “buy one get one free.” Another recommendation would be to place the stores in strategic locations with high population and sufficient flow of customers. And buyers who purchase goods worth a certain amount should be given free after-sales service, such as deliveries.
The BP Oil Spill
I disagree with the industry observer because if BP went silent after the crisis, the customers and the shareholders would have forgotten about the company. Some would have thought the company came down or is no longer in business because of the crisis. BP did the right thing to spend money on ads to reassure the Americans that it was still in existence the spill was being fixed. This is a strategic way to keep BP alive at the time of the crisis and after.
Replacement of Tony Hayward
Replacement of Tony Hayward is not a surprise. He was quoted a number of occasions in a manner expressing he was tired of dealing with the issue of the spill. He wanted his life back. He seemed not have a solution to the crisis and even stated that the spill was quite small compared to the volume of the water. From his statements, he did not look deeply into the damage already done to the company’s reputation and how it would affect the company's operations.
Views of Lawyers and PR professionals
The lawyers would defend BP to remain in business and do away with the case. The PR professionals, on the other hand, would care much about the company’s reputation and the future. Despite all the sides being interested in helping the company stay in business, the lawyers’ advice would primarily dwell on winning the cases. The PR professionals would advise the company on ways of maintaining their relationship with the public.
Factors affecting BP's reputation repair
The repair of BP’s reputation would largely depend on how the government would handle their crisis. If the government decides to sue the company for the violation of certain acts, it will affect its healing process. Apart from the government, other private law suits might also affect the reputation’s repair. Another factor that might affect the repair is the stakeholders stand after the crisis.
