Evaluation Paper Example on Uber Company

Introduction

Uber is one of the leading companies in the transport industry (Prassl and Risak 3). It is a peer to peer ridesharing taxi cab that is revolutionary, and I aspire to work at the company as a brand marketing manager. The sharing economy had various legal and financial elements that have led to its growth and resulted in other things that can be noted including the development of the taxi industry (Prassl and Risak 7). Uber is fantastic concerning its performance and the delivery of services, and this has made it have a reach many nations across the world (Prassl and Risak 9). The company operates in a way that it brings the drivers and the passengers together and takes little commission for the service provided. In this paper, the environmental analysis of the Uber Company shall be discussed. That is the economic, legal, technological, competitive, social-cultural and global environment. I will like to work at the company because it is one of the leading firms regarding the sharing economy industry.

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Environmental Factors

The company's effect regarding the environment is always changing. Many individuals believe that the taxis increase the traffic jams and fuel usage. However, studies have revealed that Uber has raised not the congestion (Scott). Moreover, Uber is useful in that it is used by individuals as a substitute for public transportation and this provides people with a private atmosphere as opposed to the public service vehicle where there are numerous hullabaloos. Researchers have to compare the extent of Uber fuel usage contrasted with public transit and own transportation for a detailed analysis of the environmental impact regarding the company's operations. Various factors can contribute to the organization having ecological impacts.

Political Environment

Before the rise of Uber in the industry, there were various initial development-related controversies concerning the rules and regulation in different countries. Some of the elements regarding the political environment in different nations include the issues of the insurance policies in case of accidents. The guidelines were not well laid down since the company was new and operated in various countries. Therefore, the controversies existed because of different political settings in different countries including China, the Netherlands, and France. Moreover, the issue of the wages has also affected it because different regions have set different minimum wage rates (Prassl and Risak 14). Besides, various administrations or governments also require that the taxis operating in the countries to have documentation and commercial licenses that may take a long time or the processes become bureaucratic.

Economic Environment

The company operates in a sharing economy, and this means that the economy is based on sharing the physical resources that are available in different areas where it works as well as the intellectual assets. In this type of an organization, the drivers are hired to respond to the needs of the clients by taking them to their preferred locations and destinations as stated by Prassl and Risak (17). According to many people that have had an experience with the company, Uber services are cheaper and more comfortable since the appointments between the client and the chauffeur are scheduled in advance. The company has progressively grown since its start. It has increased its market at an alarming rate because of the utilization of the sharing and; therefore, this shows the potential of this kind of economy.

Social-Cultural Environment

Clients of Uber enjoy the platform, which is easy to access. Selecting appointments and pick-up period has been made easier through the utilization of app on Smartphone. No communication is a need but only a press of a button (Griffith). The cheaper charges are also enticing many people, and this has resulted in the growth of Uber in countries where it operates.

Technological Environment

The company spread like wildfire via social media. Individuals are sharing their riding experience on the Internet, and this has encouraged potential clients to try the same. Moreover, the customer also makes the appointments using a Smartphone app, and many drivers utilize 4G networks to link with customers (Prassl and Risak 14).

Legal Environment

Some legal factors have been explained in the under the political factors sector of the analysis (Prassl and Risak 15). The company faces considerable criticism, bans as well as other attempted prohibitions in numerous countries and location across the world. Uber as a company ought to ensure that all the technical utilization of the regulation and laws are observed. Furthermore, the labor and employee safety laws and copyright laws should also be followed according to specifications or stipulation of different regions.

Organizational Structure and Sulture

The company has a flat organizational structure and the top position held by a chief executive officer. This type of structure enables easy communication between the management and the floor-level employees. The CEO is assisted by various officers, chief financial officer, chief technological officer, chief legal officer, chief HR officer, chief product officer, chief of security, engineering officer, policy and communications, the president ridesharing, general counsel, and the head of Uber. At Uber Company, the product is the service of being able to order a taxi through an online platform in over 64 countries (Meyer). The value chain includes five district processes: product development, marketing and sales, ICT operations, customer services and policy, and claims management.

The company has a culture of maintaining a high standard and degree of uniqueness of the services and products that it develops. This aspect has enabled the company to experience phenomenal growth since its incorporation in 2009 (Meyer). A case in point, the company has an online platform that connects drivers and potential clients who are in the same region referred to as P2P (Meyer). The gives the company a competitive advantage over the traditional taxi business that relies on conventional media of communication such as voice calls.

The company has also gained a competitive advantage due to the application of digital marketing and the use of ICT. For instance, the company mainly advertises on social media that enables it to reach a broader potential customer pool while simultaneously cutting down on the cost incurred in product promotion activities (Scott). The company also manages to reduce its information technology costs by using cloud computing that has assisted it to reduce the number of physical systems that it has. Finally, the company has ensured that it will have a high demand for its services by providing that it offer quality services and efficiently handle the complaints made by the clients (Prassl & Risak, 2015).

Uber SWOT Analysis

Strengths

The company has a strong customer base that gives it a competitive advantage over competitors in the industry (Prassl and Risak 16).

The robust platform where Information Technology is used to link the clients with the drivers in various location.

The low prices associated with Uber services increases its competitive advantage.

Weaknesses

Moreover, lousy image concerning its work ethics also affects the company performance (Prassl and Risak 17).

Significant losses are at times incurred in operations. The company has witnessed massive losses in the seven years it has been in the business (18).

Opportunities

The company has a potential in the emerging market or the industry (Prassl and Risak 12).

There is a possibility that the use of various autonomous vehicles from numerous locations gives it an upper hand in the transportation business.

Growing emphasis regarding car sharing as well as the environment is a potential opportunity.

Threats

Various regional taxi or cab businesses exist, and this is a possible threat especially if they reduce their service charges (Prassl and Risak 12).

The legal issue in different countries is also another issue that the company has to deal with in the future.

My Strengths weakness analysis in-line with Uber can give a positive outcome in the following ways. My strength is establishing new markets for a business venture. This aspect will help me to explore the company's potential in the emerging market. With proper marketing strategies, I shall overcome the threat of competition emerging from the existing taxis in the future markets. My weakness is the inability to the inability to withstand failure. I am demotivated with failure, and therefore I shall seek further help in dealing with the vice.

Conclusion

The unique business model of the Uber business has helped it to develop into a profitable multinational company. The company has been able to carry out its processes in an efficient manner mainly due to the application of IT. Consequently, the growth of the Company is likely to be sustainable if the management sticks to the current business model. However, the management of Uber should ensure all elements of the business are observed to maintain and improve its performance in the future. This analysis shall help in understanding the Uber business and determine its potential as I aspire to join the company.

Work Cited

Griffiths, E. (2017). No, Uber's Business Model Is Not the Problem. Fortune. Retrieved 14 November 2017, from http://fortune.com/2017/06/24/uber-business-model-culture/

Meyer, L. (2017). Uber Meets Taxis' Immovable Object: Market Equilibrium. Retrieved 14 November 2017, from http://observer.com/2015/09/uber-meets-taxis-immovable-object-market-equilibrium/

Prassl, J., & Risak, M. (2015). Uber, Task Rabbit, and Co.: Platforms as Employers-Rethinkingthe Legal Analysis of Crowdwork. Comparative Labour Law and Policy Journal 37, 619: 1-30

Scott, M. (2015). The impact of Uber on yellow cabs, city congestion. Retrieved 14 November 2017, from http://pix11.com/2015/07/25/the-impact-of-uber-on-yellow-cabs-city-congestion/