Script

Chris: Hello, we are CalPal & Co, a UK based group of investors, it is our goal to invest in environmentally friendly and ethical buisnesses. We are comprised of Chris, Alex, Ben, and Lewis.
Ben: First impressions are important here at CalPal, so we decided to list our initial thoughts as it would help us make a more confident decision for our investment. After all, if we aren’t interested, then why should our consumers be?
To start with, Ntegra.  An independent consultancy and IT services organisation. Straight away that triggered an alarm for us. While we are confident that IT services will always be in high demand, it’s a difficult area to understand and keep ahead of, as technology is constantly changing.
Alex: Another issue is that the company wasn’t confident on who their competition was as they offered a wide range of services in different business sectors, this could suggest they have no clear direction. The phrase ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ sprang to mind, as we weren’t certain about how much they could achieve.
Lewis:  Next up was Hartwood, a business with a very different approach to Ntegra. We weren’t confident about this company, because the services they offer will only be popular with a certain type of consumer. However, they value quality over quantity of their products, making them unique to competitors. Though with the higher standard of quality, there comes a greater cost.
Alex: The company is also heavily reliant on the demand for Oak structures and Oak Suppliers. We felt that if the business grew, the quality would drop, no longer giving them the advantage they have over other competitors.

Ben: Last but not least, Environmental Solutions. Straight away we knew that this company had potential, as time goes on, recycling is going to become more and more important, and getting a foot in the market now, as shown by the fact they saw a ‘gap in the market’ is key. In the past decade, recycling has grown in popularity, along with laws that make business recycle.

Chris:  SWOT Analysis is key to our understanding of the businesses. First, we looked at Ntegra. The strengths we identified included their communication and cooperation with their clients. And also their experience in IT. The weaknesses we found showed their competition was varied, meaning it would be difficult to maintain a strong foothold in the market as the focus would be too spread out. Ntegra does show a strong potential in growth, however they will be faced with high competition in a constantly changing market, they may lose out because of this.
Lewis: Hartwood on the other hand is faced with fewer competitors, offering a variety of high quality services with a strong reputation. The company is limited by the small size of their workshop and must also face more popular national competitors offering cheaper yet lower quality products. Hartwood does have a good chance of expanding into a wider market but it is likely people will prefer to take the cheaper options.
Ben: In our opinion, Environmental Solutions is a strong competitor, this is because products to recycle will always be in high demand as most pollution comes from industry, the popularity of recycling is also increasing because of the EU laws put in place. Problems faced by the company include their dependency on the other businesses to use them for their recycling, as opposed to Biffa and Veiola
Chris: Environmental Solutions does have the potential of becoming a leading recycling company in the Thames Valley because of the gap in the market they found.
Alex: As a group, we agreed that we would decide on our investment by looking at the potential development that each company had to offer in the near future and how this contrasted with their current problems and future ones.
Lewis:  After considering all these various aspects, we chose environmental solutions as not only recycling is a growing issue, having moved into a gap in the market they have the potential to expand and become an even more major company in the Thames Valley.
Ben: With the £100,000 we would first invest in having more staff, more machines and expanding the premises so the company can expand at a faster rate. However, with the majority of our investment we would like to look into offering new services, including an offsite facility focusing on the recycling of plastics and clear sacks.
Chris:  A key sector of business is marketing. Without attention and new clients, the business won’t grow. Recycling is a key issue in today’s world, and everyone needs to play their part. Raising awareness of the issue is easily achieved through fliers in the door, Radio features on BBC Berkshire, and sections in Magazines and newspapers.
Lewis: Adverts on LinkedIn and various other professional media networks are also key. We found that legally, businesses must recycle and it’s much easier on them to outsource that task to another company, which, if they happen to see a conveniently placed advert, could sway their decision, which is where Environmental solutions came in.
Wing it like a jet engine!