Purpose of 1. Enterprise Research

The purpose of enterprise research is to help enterprises better understand the market environment and competitive situation, so as to improve their competitiveness and market share. Specifically, enterprise research can help companies achieve the following goals:

Identify and evaluate the number, type, size, position, strategy, strengths, weaknesses, trends, threats and opportunities of benchmarking enterprises;

Analyze the characteristics, price, quality, function, innovation, satisfaction, loyalty, channel, promotion, brand, reputation, etc. of the products or services of the benchmarking enterprise;

Compare and evaluate the differences and similarities between yourself and benchmarking enterprises, find out your core competitiveness and competitive disadvantages, and determine your market positioning and differentiation strategies;

Predict and respond to the possible behaviors and reactions of benchmarking enterprises, formulate corresponding strategies and action plans, seize market opportunities, and avoid or mitigate market threats.

Content of 2. Enterprise Research

The content of enterprise research mainly includes the following aspects:

Basic information of the benchmarking enterprise, such as name, address, contact information, time of establishment, legal representative, shareholder structure, organizational structure, business scope, main products or services, target market, target customers, etc;

The financial position of the benchmark enterprise, such as operating income, profit, assets, liabilities, cash flow, cost, investment, financial ratio, etc;

The strategic status of benchmarking enterprises, such as vision, mission, objectives, values, strategic direction, strategic choice, strategic implementation, strategic evaluation, etc;

Market conditions of benchmarking enterprises, such as market share, market growth, market demand, market segmentation, market positioning, market opportunities, market threats, etc;

The marketing status of benchmarking enterprises, such as the characteristics, price, quality, function, innovation, satisfaction, loyalty, channel, promotion, brand and reputation of products or services;

Human resource status of benchmarking enterprises, such as number of employees, employee structure, employee quality, employee training, employee motivation, employee satisfaction, employee turnover rate, etc;

Technical status of benchmarking enterprises, such as technical level, technical innovation, technical protection, technical cooperation, technical transfer, technical input, technical output, etc;

The legal status of benchmarking enterprises, such as legal compliance, legal risks, legal disputes, legal protection, legal counsel, etc.

Methods of 3. Enterprise Research

The main methods of enterprise research are as follows:

Desktop research, that is, through the collection, collation, analysis of the public information of benchmarking enterprises, such as official websites, annual reports, news, social media, industry reports, market research, patents, trademarks, court decisions, etc., to obtain relevant data and information of benchmarking enterprises;

On-the-spot investigation, that is, by personally or entrusting a third party to the business premises, production bases, sales outlets, exhibitions, conferences, etc. of the benchmarking enterprise, to observe, take photos, record, video, interview, purchase, trial, etc., to obtain the first-hand information and feelings of the benchmarking enterprise;

Customer research, that is, by conducting questionnaires, research, discussion groups, mysterious customers, satisfaction surveys, etc. to existing or potential customers of benchmarking enterprises, to understand the advantages and disadvantages of benchmarking enterprises' products or services, customers' needs and preferences, customers' loyalty and willingness to switch, etc;

Supplier research, that is, through the existing or potential suppliers of benchmarking enterprises, questionnaires, research, discussion groups, cooperation intentions, quotation comparison, etc., to understand the procurement volume and frequency of benchmarking enterprises, procurement costs and quality, procurement channels and methods, procurement strategies and plans;

Industry expert research, that is, through the industry experts, scholars, consultants, analysts, commentators, associations, institutions, etc., questionnaires, research, discussion groups, reports, articles, evaluation, etc., to understand the industry status and influence of benchmarking enterprises, industry trends and changes, industry opportunities and threats.

Steps to 4. Enterprise Research

The steps of enterprise research mainly include the following stages:

Determine the research objectives, I .e., clarify the purpose, scope, content, method, time, budget, etc. of the research;

Select the research object, that is, according to market segmentation, competitive intensity, competitive relationship, competitive potential, etc., to determine the number and type of benchmark enterprises to be investigated;

Design research plan, that is, according to the research objectives and objects, formulate the specific contents, methods, tools, processes, personnel, resources, etc. of the research;

Implement research activities, that is, according to the research plan, use desktop research, field visits, customer research, supplier research, industry expert research and other methods to collect relevant data and information of benchmarking enterprises;

Analyze the research results, that is, sort out, summarize, classify, compare, evaluate, attribute and predict the collected data and information, and obtain the characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, trends, threats and opportunities of benchmarking enterprises;

Summarize the research conclusion, that is, according to the analysis results, summarize the main characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, trends, threats and opportunities of benchmarking enterprises, and put forward the evaluation and suggestions of benchmarking enterprises;

Compile the research report, that is, according to the research conclusion, write the enterprise research report, including the title, abstract, keywords, catalog, text, conclusion, suggestion, reference, appendix, etc., according to the standard format and language, proofread, modify, review, release, etc.

The Case for 5. Enterprise Research

In order to better demonstrate the value and practice of enterprise research, this paper selects the specific cases of the clients of Shangpu consulting services:

Enterprise research of a home appliance enterprise. The company is a professional production and sales of air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines and other household appliances, facing fierce market competition, hope that through corporate research, to understand their position in the market and advantages and disadvantages, to find market opportunities and threats, to develop appropriate strategies and action plans. Champu Consulting provides enterprise research services for the enterprise, which mainly includes the following steps:

Determine the research objectives, that is, to understand the scale, growth, demand, segmentation and trend of the home appliance market, analyze the market share, product characteristics, price strategy, channel layout, brand image, innovation ability, customer satisfaction, etc. of oneself and benchmarking enterprises, find out their own advantages and disadvantages, find out the opportunities and threats of the market, and formulate corresponding strategies and action plans;

Select research objects, that is, according to market segmentation and competition intensity, determine the number and type of benchmarking enterprises that need to be investigated, including direct benchmarking enterprises and indirect benchmarking enterprises, such as Midea, Gree, Haier, Hisense, TCL, LG, Samsung, Siemens, etc;

Design research plan, that is, according to the research objectives and objects, formulate the specific contents, methods, tools, processes, personnel, resources, etc. of the research, including desktop research, field visits, customer research, supplier research, industry expert research and other methods, collect relevant data and information of benchmarking enterprises;

Implement research activities, that is, according to the research plan, use desktop research, field visits, customer research, supplier research, industry expert research and other methods to collect relevant data and information of benchmarking enterprises, such as basic information, financial status, strategic status, market status, marketing status, human resources status, technical status, legal status, etc. of benchmarking enterprises;

Analyze the research results, that is, sort out, summarize, classify, compare, evaluate, attribute and predict the collected data and information, draw the characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, trends, threats and opportunities of benchmarking enterprises, compare and evaluate the differences and similarities between themselves and benchmarking enterprises, find out their core competitiveness and competitive disadvantages, and determine their market positioning and differentiation strategies, anticipate and respond to possible actions and reactions of benchmarking firms;

inductive investigationConclusion, that is, according to the analysis results, summarize the main characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, trends, threats and opportunities of benchmarking enterprises, and put forward the evaluation and suggestions of benchmarking enterprises. For example, Midea and Gree are the leaders in the home appliance market and have high market share and products. Quality, brand awareness, innovation ability, channel coverage and other advantages, but it also faces threats such as rising costs, declining profits, product homogeneity, and market saturation; haier and Hisense are challengers in the home appliance market. They have strong product diversification, price competitiveness, and overseas market development, but they also face disadvantages such as weak brand image, unstable channels, and unleading technology; TCL, LG, Samsung, Siemens, etc. are followers of the home appliance market, with certain product characteristics, technical level, customer base and other advantages, however, it also faces disadvantages such as low market share, high competitive pressure and insufficient marketing efforts;

Compile the research report, that is, according to the research conclusion, write the enterprise research report, including the title, abstract, keywords, catalog, text, conclusion, suggestion, reference, appendix, etc., according to the standard format and language, proofread, modify, review, release, etc.