Proposal and

Marketing Report
for Way Out Bikes

Contents
Way Out Bikes Mission Statement
Assessment Question

pg 3

Introduction
Appropriate Stakeholders

pg 4

Preliminary Investigation
Description of the Investigation

pg5

Gap Analysis
20 Questions that were asked to the Owner
20 Assumption Answers from the Owner

pg 6

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

Comparison of Operational Practices

Conclusion

Citations and References

pg 7

pg 11

pg 9

2|Page

Way Out Bikes Mission Statement

Our mission at WAY OUT BIKES is to help

customers select exactly the right bicycle for
their needs and lifestyle and also seeks to
offer value and expertise to our customers in
the division of bikes and bike ware.

Assessment Question
1. Evaluate current
business strategy
1.3 Report information regarding the effect of IT developments to and appropriate
person

1.7 Write up your finding in a report to the business owner outlining your
preliminary investigations, including a description and gap analysis.

3|Page

Introduction
The following document/report lists the appropriate stakeholders at WAY OUT
BIKES (WOBs). It has a write up on our findings outlining our preliminary
investigation, a description of this and a GAP analysis for the owner of Way Out
Bikes. It also includes the 20 hypothetical questions that were asked to the owner
as well as, their responses. This document/report also includes some IT
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) that were addressed
in this assessment and Comparisons of Operational Practices.

Appropriate Stakeholders
The following information is a list of the appropriate stakeholders of Way Out Bikes.

Owner/Management
The owner/management is
responsible for the: profitability,
longevity, market share, market
standing, succession planning,
raising capital, growth, social
goals.

Investors/Board of
Directors
The investors/board of directors
are responsible for the: Return
on investments and income.

Suppliers

Employee/s

Customers

The suppliers
are responsible
for the:
products and
services used
in the end
product for the
customer/s and
equitable
business
opportunities.

The employees
are responsible
for the: Rates of
pay, job security,
compensation,
respect, truthful
communication

Value, quality,
customer care
and ethical
products

4|Page

Preliminary Investigation
At the beginning of this Preliminary Investigation we were informed that Way Out
Bikes wanted to acquire an information system for their business. Along with
acquireing an information system for the business, the company prides itself on
its dedication of specializing in helping customers select exactly the right bicycle
for their needs and lifestyle. Together with priding itself on dedication of
specializing in customer help, discovered was that WOBs cannot compete on
price with mass merchandisers. However, they are striving to offer their
customers something more priceless, value and expertise. This list was what was
assessed in the Preliminary Investigation.

Description of the Investigation

A brief description of the investigation; First, there was the issue of addressing
Way Out Bikes information system. Information systems generally consist of
hardware, software of a companys computer systems and computer tangible
resources, which is what we are focusing on. The investigation involved asking
the owner a number of questions and then making assumptions on the owners
answers. This was to help with further understand WOBs financial and emotional
position. Along with finding out the financial and emotional position of WOBs,
carried out also was a SWOT analysis. This analysis involved discovering the
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of/for the company. Carrying
out these proceedings/investigation will help with further understanding Way Out
Bikes company position.

5|Page

Gap Analysis

Online Accounting Software for WOBs

Sample 1: https://www.xero.com/au/ or Xero

Review of Xero account software system:

Price- 30 Day Free Trial

After the trial period you can opt for the $25 a month Starter Plan, which provides
companies with the option of;
Yes

No

Users: Unlimited
Employees paid/month: 1 for free
File storage: 1 GB
Bank feeds: Yes
Bank transactions reconciled:
20/month
Invoices: 5/month

X
X

Bills: 5/month

Auto superannuation
Multi-currency

6|Page

Review of Xero account software system:

Another option, which is the most popular
plan, is the Standard Plan. This is only
$50 a month and provides users with:

Yes

Users: Unlimited
Employees paid/month: 5 for free
File storage: 5 GB
Bank feeds: Yes
Bank transactions reconciled: Yes
Invoices: Yes
Bills: Yes

No
X
X

Auto superannuation
Multi-currency

Review of Xero account software system:

The final and most expensive

option is to use the Premium 50 Plan - $80 a month. This plan provides customers
with all the extra features, plus up to 50 employees paid/month and 50 GB of data.
Yes

Users: Unlimited
2|Page

Employees paid/month: 50 for free

File storage: 50 GB
Bank feeds: Yes
Bank transactions reconciled: Yes
Invoices: Yes
Bills: Yes
Auto superannuation: Yes
Multi-currency: Yes

Online Accounting Software for WOBs

Sample 2: http://www.saasu.com/ or SAASU

Review of SAASU account software system:

Price- 30 Day Free Trial

After the trial period you can opt for the $15 the Small Plan, which provides companies
with the option of;
YES

Invoicing: Create transactions at any stage of the sales cycle

Transactions: 1,000 transactions a year
Banking: Monitor bank accounts with management tools
Bank feeds: 3 bank feeds
Inventory: Manage inventory, purchasing and supply-chains
Add-ons: Choose from over 50 specialist products
2|Page

Jump: Find anything using this search program

Reports: View any report and see the results in seconds
Contacts: Program Saasu to develop partnerships with customers
Forecaster: Intuitive cash flow forecasting, for the next 30 days
Payroll: Handles payroll processing

NO
X
X
X
X

Multi-currency: Manages multi-currency exchange

Advanced Inventory: Manage inventory, purchasing and supply-chains
Consolidated P&L: Provide a P&L statement summary
KPI report builder: Provides KPI reports

Review of SAASU account software system:

Price- 30 Day Free Trial

After the trial period you can opt for the $40 the Medium Plan, which provides
companies with the option of;
YES

Invoicing: Create transactions at any stage of the sales cycle

Transactions: 20,000 transactions a year
Banking: Monitor bank accounts with management tools
Bank feeds: 5 bank feeds
Employees: 20 employees
3|Page

Multi-currency: Manages multi-currency exchange

Inventory: Manage inventory, purchasing and supply-chains
Add-ons: Choose from over 50 specialist products
Jump: Find anything using this search program
Reports: View any report and see the results in seconds
Contacts: Program Saasu to develop partnerships with customers
Forecaster: Intuitive cash flow forecasting, for the next 30 days
Payroll: Handles payroll processing

NO
X Advanced Inventory: Manage inventory, purchasing and supply-chains
X Consolidated P&L: Provide a P&L statement summary
X KPI report builder: Provides KPI reports

Review of SAASU account software system:

Price- 30 Day Free Trial

2|Page

After the trial period you can opt for the $180 the X-Large Plan, which provides
companies with the option of;

Invoicing: Create transactions at any stage of the sales cycle

Transactions: 100,000 transactions a year
Banking: Monitor bank accounts with management tools
Bank feeds: 20 bank feeds
Employees: 100 employees
Multi-currency: Manages multi-currency exchange
Advanced Inventory: Manage inventory, purchasing and supply-chains
Consolidated P&L: Provide a P&L statement summary
KPI report builder: Provides KPI reports
Add-ons: Choose from over 50 specialist products
Jump: Find anything using this search program
Reports: View any report and see the results in seconds
Contacts: Program Saasu to develop partnerships with customers
Forecaster: Intuitive cash flow forecasting, for the next 30 days
Payroll: Handles payroll processing

Summary of the software systems

Xero offers a long-term cheaper accounting system than the SAASU system.
However, SAASU provides more accounting option to business owners,
especially the X-Large Plan. As you would have discovered from the list above,
both programs are designed for small to medium businesses, which means they
will both do the job adequately for Way Out Bikes. Consequently, the decision of
which program to go with will rest with whether you want more features for a
higher price (SAASU) or less features for a lower price (Xero)?

10/20 Questions that were asked to the

Owner

To let the reader of this report know what was said in the questions to the
owner section, selected is a number of questions that were asked,
(Hypothetically) to the owner of WOBs.
3|Page

Q1 - What resources are contributors for the organisation/Way Out Bikes

production process?
Q2 What knowledge and skills do your employees have that can be seen as
exceptional, expensive to imitate/replace and incapable of being substituted?
Q3 What is the organisations core competencies/values?
Q4 Could the organisation outperform its competitors in key performance
areas?
Q5 Could the organisation go one better than its competitors in key
performance areas, such as offering the option to also service/repair bikes of
customers for a free or a lower cost than they would for a normal person who
is getting their bike repaired?
Q7 Is this company ready to adjust to future trends that may occur in its
lifetime? If Yes, how?
Q8 Would the company be interested in developing an electronic program
where people can enter their personal information into it and the program
comes up with a match of what bike would best suit them?
Q9 Do you know what your competitors capabilities are compared to your?

Q10 Do you know of any important feature that exist within this industry?

Q11 Do you know what strategy your competitor is doing to gather buyers?
4|Page

10/20 Assumption Answers from the

Owner
To let the reader of this report know what was said in the assumptions by
the owner section, selected is a number of assumptions that were
responded, (Hypothetically) by the owner of WOBs.

Q1
Possible assumption could be; Capital equipment, skills of individual
employees, patents, finances, talented managers.
Q2
Possible assumption could be: they have experience working in a childcare
centre which could help with attending to children, or they have an expertise
with select exactly the right bike for the right client.
Q3
Possible assumption could be: that we seek to provide customers with value
for money and deliver expertise advice in the field of bikes and bike ware.
Q4
Possible assumption could be; Yes, as we will struggle to outperform them in
the short term financially lower costs on merchandise, but we can outperform
them in our knowledge of bikes and bike ware.
Q5
Possible assumption could be; Yes, if the person purchases the bike from
them they could do that for a certain duration of time?
Q7
Possible assumption could be; Yes, it is ready to adjust to future trends that
may occur in its lifetime. How we will do this is by obtaining up to date
information/statistics about the organisations strengths, weaknesses and
performances. Obtaining this information will highlight the critical issues that
the organisation faces and what its strategic plan must address.

5|Page

Q8
Possible assumption could be; Yes and we would be open to many other new
and innovative ideas that would lead to the long term success of the
company.
Q9
Possible assumption could be; Yes they can offer cheaper prices on their
bikes.
Q10
Possible assumption could be; Yes, everyone that comes and buys a bike is
genuinely concerned about their health and wellbeing and feel that this will
help improve their way of life.
Q11
Possible assumption could be: Yes, they are using the strategy of selling their
products for a cheaper price than Way Out Bikes.

10/20 Strengths, Weaknesses,

Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)
Analysiss
The following is a list of 10 SWOT analysis for Way Out Bikes.
Q1 - What resources are contributors for the organisation/Way Out
Bikes production process?
Possible assumption could be; Capital equipment, skills of individual
employees, patents, finances, talented managers.

First SWOT Analysis: The Strength of this assumption is that it focuses on

contributors of the organisation, such as skills of individual employees or
6|Page

talented managers. The Weakness in this assumption is that it is restricted to

only resources from contributors. The Opportunity here is that it could be
made open to more contributors. The Threat is that if open to more
contributors it may weaken the resources for the organisation.
Q2 What knowledge and skills do your employees have that can be
seen as exceptional, expensive to imitate/replace and incapable of being
substituted?
Possible assumption could be: they have experience working in a
childcare centre which could help with attending to children, or they
have an expertise with select exactly the right bike for the right client.

Second SWOT Analysis: The Strength is that an employee could be more

experienced in a particular field, thus more helpful. The Weakness is that this
employee or expert could expect a higher pay because they are more
qualified. The Opportunity is that the employee or expert could deliver a
higher level of customer service, which could convert to more sales. The
Threat is that if not appreciated properly another organisation may want them
to work for them, which may lead to them leaving.
Q3 What is the organisations core competencies/values?
Possible assumption could be: that we seek to provide customers with
value for money and deliver expertise advice in the field of bikes and
bike ware.

Third SWOT Analysis: The Strength is that the company provides

customers with value for money and expert advice on bikes and bike ware.
The Weakness in this situation is that other companies could undercut the
company on their prices. The Opportunity is that the company could try and
introduce something else to offer, such as organising regular cycling tours.
The Treat is that the other bike companies could try offering the same service
of organising regular cycling tours.
Q4 Could the organisation outperform its competitors in key
performance areas?
Possible assumption could be; Yes, as we will struggle to outperform
them in the short term financially lower costs on merchandise, but we
can outperform them in our knowledge of bikes and bike ware.

Fourth SWOT Analysis: The Strength is that the company is striving to

outperform their competition by their knowledge on bikes and bike wares. The
Weakness in that the company cannot successfully compete with lower costs
7|Page

on merchandise. The Opportunity is that they could find distributors that offer
lower prices on their merchandise. The Threat here is that you could
jeopardise the quality of product by sorting for a cheaper option of bikes or
bike wares.
Q5 Could the organisation go one better than its competitors in key
performance areas, such as offering the option to also service/repair
bikes of customers for a free or a lower cost than they would for a normal
person who is getting their bike repaired?
Possible assumption could be; Yes, if the person purchases the bike
from them they could do that for a certain duration of time?

Fifth SWOT Analysis: The Strength under this circumstance is that the
company is trying to outperform their competitors in services, such as free or
at a lower rate bike repairs, which could convert to more sales. The
Weakness in this case is that offering a free or at a lower rate could not cover
the cost of labor. The Opportunity here could be to offer a one off free or at a
lower rate bike repair for their first bike service, if the buy a bike from their
shop. Then after giving that option charge them the standard rate for a bike
service. The Threat here is that other companies could offer the same
option/service to their customers.
Q6 Do you know what drives the competitor to provide customers with
lower priced bike ware?
Possible assumption could be; Is that they can purchase more stock, as
they are turning over more stock, because they can sell their product at a
lower price. Thus making more money/profit in the long term, which is
the ultimate goal. This is what could drive the competitors to provide
lower prices to customers.

Sixth SWOT Analysis: The Strength in this assumption is that the

competitor can make more money in the long term if they sell their products at
a cheaper price, which they can do because they are selling large amounts of
this product. The Weakness is that there is a risk of not selling all their stock,
which can happen if this field/hobby becomes ostracized. The Opportunity
here is that if Way Out Bikes can find a way on how to meet this demand,
while still living within their means, they could possibly out do their
competition and become the leading company on the sales of bike ware and
bike related technology. The Threat for the opposing company is that if Way
Out Bikes can meet the quantity of sales and still charge the same amount
they are currently offering they would make more money in the short and long
term.
8|Page

Q7 Is this company ready to adjust to future trends that may occur in

its lifetime? If Yes, how?
Possible assumption could be; Yes , it is ready to adjust to future trends
that may occur in its lifetime. How we will do this is by obtaining up to
date information/statistics about the organisations strengths,
weaknesses and performances. Obtaining this information will highlight
the critical issues that the organisation faces and what its strategic plan
must address.

Seventh SWOT Analysis: The Strength in this assumption is that it is ready

to adjust to future trends that may occur in its lifetime. The Weakness is that
they do not specify if this adjustment will be strait away or over a duration of
time. The Opportunity here is that they can find a way to quickly adjust to
future trends, thus making them competitive and always up with the latest
technology. The Threat is that they/ Way Out Bikes may not adjust quickly
and competition will take future sales from them, because they are not up with
the latest trends.
Q8 Would the company be interested in developing an electronic
program where people can enter their personal information into it and
the program comes up with a match of what bike would best suit them?
Possible assumption could be; Yes and we would be open to many other
new and innovative ideas that would lead to the long term success of the
company.

Eighth SWOT Analysis: The Strength is that the company is open to many
new and innovative ideas that would lead to long term success. The
Weakness is they may get court up in bad innovative ideas that dont lead to
long term success for the company. The Opportunity here is that the
company can become very successful if they choose the right new and
innovative ideas for the company. The Threat is other companies could take
the same approach and they do not choose the wrong ideas and we/Way Out
Bikes do and we loose time and money and they do not.
Q9 Do you know what your competitors capabilities are compared to
your?
Possible assumption could be; Yes they can offer cheaper prices on their
bikes.

Ninth SWOT Analysis: The Strength is that Way Out Bikes know what the
competitors capabilities are compared to ours. The Weakness is that we/Way
Out Bikes cannot compete with their cheaper prices. The Opportunity could
be to offer them something extra that isnt costly to the company, such as
9|Page

tailor making a bike program that is suitable for the individual. The Threat is
that other companies could provide the same service and then you do not
have anything special to offer customers.
Q10 Do you know of any important feature that exist within this
industry?
Possible assumption could be; Yes, everyone that comes and buys a bike
is genuinely concerned about their health and wellbeing and feel that
this will help improve their way of life.

Tenth SWOT Analysis: The Strength is that Way Out Bikes (WOB) know
some important features that exist within the bike ware industry. The
Weakness here is that they do not mention other important features for
example, they dont say that knowing some basic road rules is an important
feature within this industry. The Opportunity for WOB could be to make up a
book with important facts about cycling. The Threat is people may not read it
and may get hurt from not knowing some basic road rules.

Comparison of Operational Practices

Comparing WOBs to other competitors -

WOBs offers expertise in the field of bikes and bike ware

WOBs cannot compete with bike prices, but can offer priceless
knowledge on bikes to their customers
WOBs will maintain a principle of providing customers with the
lowest prices they can possibly deliver
WOBs always strives to provide their customers with quality
service
Their staff are multi-skilled and can assist in numerous departments
WOBs strives to provide their customers with fast and polite
service
They are always looking for ways in order to be up to date with the
latest trends and technology

10 | P a g e

Conclusion
The document/report listed the appropriate stakeholders at WAY OUT BIKES
(WOBs), for example the stakeholders included people such as employers and
employees. However, it was not limited to just employers and employees it
extends to other stakeholders such, the owner and customers. Along with listing
the appropriate stakeholders at WOBs, it critiqued the preliminary investigation.
This involved acquire an information system for their business. After the
preliminary investigation a description of this was given. Next discussed was the
GAP analysis for the owner of Way Out Bikes, this involved two companies the
first, was Xero and the second, SAASU. The both of these software accounting
programs had their pros & cons, for example Xero offered a long-term cheaper
price to install and maintain. Whereas, SAASU offered a product that had more
accounting tools to use. Followed by the accounting software analysis, was the
10/20 hypothetical questions that were asked to the owner as well as, their
responses. Some of the questions asked were What resources are contributors
for the organisation/Way Out Bikes production process? As well as, What
knowledge and skills do your employees have that can be seen as
exceptional, expensive to imitate/replace and incapable of being substituted?
And finally, Do you know what strategy your competitor is doing to gather
buyers? This document/report also includes some IT Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats (SWOT). For example, the SWOT analysis response
to question 1 was the Strength was that it focused on contributors of the
organisation. The Weakness for this assumption was that it is restricted to only
resources from contributors. The Opportunity for this assumption is that it could
be made available to more contributors. Finally, the Threat is that if open to more
contributors it may weaken the resources for the organisation. As a conclusion
the report finished with looked at Comparisons of Operational Practices. One
comparison used from WOBs was their expertise in the field of bikes and bike
ware to other companies.

11 | P a g e

Citations and References

12 | P a g e