The document provides a SWOT analysis for Jan Smith, Inc., a fashion public relations firm. It identifies the company's main strengths as its reputation and clientele. Weaknesses include a cramped workspace and lack of IT support. Opportunities exist in expanding to new markets and leveraging sample tracking software. Threats include competitors with stronger event planning and the trend of clients bringing PR in-house. The analysis concludes with recommendations like hiring an IT professional and event team, and adapting strategies for digital media.

1. Complete a SWOT analysis for a logistics company,
I have attached all the required documents. The
one named "SWOT Internship OnPoint Started
Outline" is what I have inquired from the company
FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT
www.tutorialoutlet.com
Running head: SWOT ANALYSIS OF JAN SMITH, INC. USE
INSERT PAGE NUMBER TO ADD HEADER ABOVE—WILL
HAVE TO WORK
WITH “DIFFERENT FIRST PAGE” AS SUBSEQUENT HEADERS
CONTAIN
DIFFERENT INFORMATION. SWOT Analysis of Jan Smith, Inc.
Using the SWOT Topics
Student Name
Berkeley College 1 SWOT ANALYSIS OF JAN SMITH AND
COMPANY 2 Abstract
An internship gives the perfect opportunity to get an insight into a
company’s internal strengths
and weaknesses as well as external opportunities and threats. The
following essay
discusses those four aspects using a SWOT analysis and offers
conclusion and some areas for
future study that Jan Smith, Inc. could implement in order to reach
and exceed the company’s

2. goals. SWOT ANALYSIS OF JAN SMITH AND COMPANY 3
SWOT Analysis of Jan Smith, Inc.
Using the SWOT Topics
Jan Smith, Inc., is a fashion public relations firm founded in 1982 and
managed by the
woman herself. The agency has a presence in all four style capitals:
New York, Milan, Paris, and
London. In addition, the company initiates operations in Los Angeles.
Jan Smith Public
Relation’s clients range from such design houses as Marni, Céline,
Pucci, Viktor & Rolf, Bally,
and Rochas. The business works hard to maintain a favorable public
image for its clients and
provides magazines, stylists, and celebrities with the design houses’
garments and accessories; it
also organizes press events, such as fashion shows.
The Public Relations agency is composed of many departments. For
example, the Press
Department communicates with magazine and celebrities’ assistants,
conducts press strategies as
well as client-based researches, and manages press events. The second
unit is the showroom
team that maintains the design houses’ collections into the sample
tracking system Fashion GPS.
The logistics unit oversees domestic and international publications’
requests along with returns;
and the accounting team manages the expenses of the various fashion
clients’ accounts, as well

3. as the salaries of employees.
Using the SWOT topics, the author, through various readings,
observations, and
interviews has created a thorough essay on how Jan Smith, Inc.,
stands in relationship to its own
status and how it may compare to companies in its area of operations.
It may be proposes that SWOT ANALYSIS OF JAN SMITH AND
COMPANY 4 additional research be conducted to better understand
how the SWOT topics affect both internal
and external relationships.
Strengths
One of the agency’s significant strengths is its name that is known
worldwide and the associated
excellence and professionalism that it has established in its thirty
years of existence. For instance, their
core competency is to attain the greatest media exposure of the
clients’ garments and accessories in
editorials and on celebrities. This is achieved with the pressroom
employees’ distinctive knowledge of
the industry and their networking skills, as well as the quick and
efficient preparation and shipping of
garments of the logistics team. Prompt and proficient reaction to
design houses’ and magazines’ needs is
one of the firm’s most vital strengths.
Secondly, the existing fashion clients add to the agency’s favorable
image. Jan Smith, Inc.,
provides services to many of the biggest international fashion
businesses, such as the Italian firm Marni,

4. the French design house Céline, or Bally, which has a Swiss heritage.
Since a public relations agency relies
heavily on word-of-mouth advertising for itself, Jan Smith, Inc.,
created a sustainable competitive
advantage by representing very well-known clients. Hence, loyal
fashion houses maintain a lasting
partnership and attract other fashion houses.
Furthermore, with the company’s existence in all fashion capitals,
designers occupy the agency’s
service in every city. The advantage for the designers is not only to
provide just one press collection that
can be exchanged between Jan Smith, Inc.’s, headquarters but also to
expect the same service and media
output in all places. Because Fashion GPS is used in every office,
sample tracking is facilitated and quick
responses given. Therefore, having an individual client in one city
will most likely encourage the public
relations firm’s service in another capital and will increase the
company’s overall profit.
Weaknesses SWOT ANALYSIS OF JAN SMITH AND COMPANY
5 Among the Public Relations agency’s weaknesses is the Logistics
Department’s workplace layout.
Here, employees and interns conduct the most physical activity by
arranging incoming samples and
packing outgoing items of clothing. The logistics area measures
13x13 feet and about eight workers are
continuously in motion. Because of the small space and the hectic
environment, frustration and a lack of

5. awareness is created. Thus, employees and interns who work here feel
dissatisfied and not motivated to
work towards the company’s common goal.
Moreover, there is no IT professional employed. Since many times
problems with the computer
software Microsoft 2003, the Internet, or Fashion GPS occur, the
sequence of operations slows down, as
nobody knows how to handle the complications. From time to time
the label and barcode printers break
down; there are problems with the printers’ cartridges, or paper jams
arise. Employees get irritated and
misunderstandings increase, which ultimately lead to a tensed office
climate.
Although the communication between all four departments is very
polite and respectful, a lack
of transparency occurs. For instance, when a garment is missing, the
Logistics Department gets blamed
directly. Yet, many times a press director used a sample for a press
meeting without loaning it out. If the
pressroom team seeks this particular garment, they are oftentimes
unaware of how to track a sample on
Fashion GPS correctly.
Opportunities
As the firm hires many international employees that speak several
languages and have different
nationalities, everybody has a distinctive background and thinking
style that adds to the team spirit and

6. strengthens the group identity. Also, employees from other
headquarters are interchanged for a period
of time on behalf of training purposes. With the advantage of a
diverse work environment, Jan Smith,
Inc., could easily set up offices in minor fashion capitals, such as
Barcelona, Stockholm, Munich, or
Toronto. Public relations employees have the characteristic of being
globetrotters, since frequent
traveling for research and the satisfaction of clients’ needs is required.
Hence, the opportunity is SWOT ANALYSIS OF JAN SMITH AND
COMPANY 6 available to relocate eager employees that are familiar
with the new market. As a result, the corporate
culture would be retained and the existing client body has the
opportunity to enter the new market as
well. Simultaneously, native designers are encouraged to contract Jan
Smith, Inc., because of its
reputation. A China Daily article noted, “A marked increase in
Chinese faces on the runway was one
highlight of the just-ended high-octane spectacle that is New York
Fashion Week” (Chung Dawson, 2011).
In particular, with the rising influence and purchasing power of the
Asian market, Tokyo and Singapore
are interesting marketplaces.
Likewise is the expanding usage of the sample tracking software
Fashion GPS an opportunity. It is
not only utilized by public relations agencies but also by more and
more fashion houses, such as Marc
Jacobs or Louis Vuitton. Since the software allows tracking of
collections’ inventory, up-to-the-minute

7. sales trends, and press analysis reports, design houses have a direct
insight in their (media)
performance. As companies want their specific requisites met, an
external public relations company that
operates with Fashion GPS is more likely selected than one that runs
their undertakings, for instance,
with Excel. Thus, Jan Smith, Inc., has an immense advantage
compared to its competitors.
Another opportunity is the increasing relationship with the logistics
company, FedEx. As the
service is used by all headquarters for all clients, Jan Smith, Inc., gets
certain shipping conditions. This
reduces particular shipping expenses. The affirmative cooperation is
also significant as it facilitates
attaining data about problems with packages at Customs. With well-
kept and efficient business
relationships, not only economies of scale are attained but also the
flow of operations is accelerated.
Threats
One of company’s greatest threats is competitors that have a distinct
event or production team.
One example is the New York-based public relations and production
agency KCD Inc. Jan Smith, Inc., does
arrange fashion shows; yet, is not involved with trunk shows or shop
openings. As cocktails and fashion
parties are so vital in the fashion industry for building up media
relations, the company omits an intense SWOT ANALYSIS OF JAN
SMITH AND COMPANY 7 opportunity, which would not only
attract new clients and raise revenue, but would even strengthen the

8. office’s image.
Secondly, a threat is the trend towards the establishment of in-house
Public Relations
departments as fashion houses’ budget costs have decreased during
the recession. According to the
agency report from AdAge, “the overall domestic agency market,
which includes public relations as well
as advertising, marketing services, (and) media dropped 7.5% to
$28.4 billion in 2009” (Leggio, 2010).
Setting up an in-house Public Relations department assures a more
efficient interaction with product
development and customer service. On the one hand, this helps to
make communication more effective;
on the other hand, design houses can reach a further qualified
audience.
Moreover, the socio-cultural trend towards communicating via the
Internet and the shift towards
the computer age, challenges Public Relations agencies that use a
traditional strategy and only
correspond with hardcopy magazines and their editors and stylists.
Yet, the evolution of style bloggers
and ezines is a rising trend that in particular appeals Generation Y
customers. In 2008, PR Week/PR
Newswire conducted a survey, which highlighted that 55 percent of
those aged 18 to 29 say they get
most of their news and information online (Leggio, 2010). In order to
respond to the modern pattern of
online reading, Jan Smith, Inc., has to adapt to this behavior to not
lose their current and future clients in

9. this target market. SWOT ANALYSIS OF JAN SMITH AND
COMPANY 8 Conclusions and Future Study
In order to be recognized in the future as one of the greatest public
relations companies not only
in New York, but also worldwide, Jan Smith, Inc., needs to sustain its
qualitative services and reputation
by continuing to network, increasing their clients’ media exposure,
and satisfying magazines’ and stylists’
requests. This can only be attained with industry knowledge; thus,
every employee needs to be finetuned to identify trends, as well as
have strong communication skills. Employees need to possess a talent
for planning as, for instance, several celebrities or magazines can
demand a specific evening gown
simultaneously. Hence, the account representative has to know which
magazine or celebrity appeals the
most to the fashion house’s target customer, and also needs to arrange
a strategy with an accompanied
timeline, which makes it possible to suit all requests.
With the aim of turning weaknesses into strengths, the New York-
based headquarter has to
expand, as it has no capacity for all of its fashion clients’ collections.
The agency should rent another
floor in the Chelsea Arts Tower so that the showroom and logistics
department can manage the vast
amount of samples, which take away valuable working space. This is
essential because assignments need
to be accomplished in a concentrated manner while having an
organized desk. Although a lack of space

10. is no excuse for mistakes, an attractive working environment
motivates and lets employees feel
comfortable. Additionally, it would facilitate the search for small
accessories or easy-to-lose garments.
Also, an IT person that is familiar with the agency’s operations should
be hired in order to
respond effectively and efficiently to unexpected crises. This person
could also teach new employees or
interns the computer software Fashion GPS so that communication is
transparent.
Closely connected to this issue is the understanding of all employees
that clarity of every
operation is vital. Finger-pointing should be avoided; rather
technology used to converse about a missing SWOT ANALYSIS OF
JAN SMITH AND COMPANY
piece of clothing. With instant messaging, a circular note via e-mail,
or updating folders on the shared
drive, problems could be solved faster.
With the aim of expanding its headquarters on the American East
Cost, Jan Smith, Inc., should
also consider an expansion of the provided services. Implementing an
event team would be a
noteworthy thought, as there is a clear demand on the design houses’
side of holding cocktails, trunk
shows for top clients, or organizing shop openings. As the market is
there, the only factor that needs to
be established is an event team that liaises with the Press Department.
Furthermore, Jan Smith, Inc., needs to be aware of the technological
and cultural changes in

11. communication. As the firm mostly considers classical Public
Relations approaches by catering to
hardcopy magazines, research needs to be conducted in order to
identify emerging fashion bloggers or
forthcoming Internet portals that have an influential voice. A
marketing major with a global interest in
up-and-coming fashion trends would be the perfect fit to inform about
new and important media
personalities and portals. 9 SWOT ANALYSIS OF JAN SMITH
AND COMPANY 10
References Blasberg, D. (2010, May 21). A day in the life: PR maven.
Harper’s Bazaar. Retrieved from
Chung Dawson, K. (2011, Mar. 01). Changing face of fashion. China
Daily. Retrieved from
Joly, K. (2008, June). Magazines: gone digital, going paperless?
University Business. Retrieved from
Leggio, J. (2010, Sept. 17). Public relations: should your company
bring it in-house? ZDNet.com.