STRENGTHS WEAKNESSESS OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Family Culture Risky work environment International Sales Competitor Market

Quality Products Lack of Technology Workplace automation Financial Investment

Based on my above SWOT Analysis I need to now define the current state of Virginia Meats, Inc. Below is the History of VMI - How do I use the SWOT to Define the current state?

History

Virginia Meats, Inc. (VMI) started in 1864 in the small town of Shipley, England, with the purchase of a crate of oranges. Founder George Morris grewup in poverty, a chimney sweep by trade. In 1864, at the age of 39, he and his wife received a small inheritance of about sixty English Pounds. Afterpaying their debts, they were left with just a tiny sum, with which George purchased a small parcel of oranges from a canal boat. He quickly took hisfruit to the local open-air street markets, and from this small beginning, George Morris became a thriving fruit merchant. The business thrived and soonbecame the Morris Wholesale Food Company having moved to Liverpool for the expansion. Having two sons Morris encouraged them both to take overthe business. In 1884 the oldest son Joseph Morris began to work with his father and five years later, after leaving Oxford, his youngest son John enteredthe business as well. The competition between the boys for control of the operations began to take a toll on George. Hoping to retire soon and have thebusiness grow George leaped at the opportunity to open an American branch when his younger son John came to him with the idea. John had heard thatone of their imported ham vendors was opting to sell his company. Located in a small Virginia town of Littlefield the company was a successful meatexporter and growing meat supplier to American customers. Specializing in pork products, Littlefield hams began exporting their cured hams to Englandas a specialty food. Morris and Sons had picked the brand up to sell to places like Harrods and Fortnum and Mason, high-end food purveyors because ofits unique smoke flavor and salty taste. It proved to be a good seller. John had visited and worked in the factory during his summer breaks at Oxfordbecause he loved America and the Hams. John's proposal to his father was simple. He would move to America to buy the business in Littlefield andbegin to develop products for sale in America and increase the export business as well. John would be in charge of the division and his brother wouldhave charge of Liverpool.

In 1890 at the age of 27, John Morris and his new wife moved to their new home Littlefield, Virginia USA. In subsequent years the Morris family grewin America with the addition of three children to John's family and Joseph having two children.

George passed away in 1894 leaving Joseph to continue running the Liverpool concern. However, the competition in the wholesale food business washarder to beat. While the Liverpool branch was solvent, it was showing stagnant sales with the exception of the luxury imports. In 1902 Josephdownsized the Liverpool branch and specialized in importing luxury foods. The America branch was doing very well and could absorb the change in thecompany profile. Morris and Sons continued to prosper. At the outbreak of WWI, the Company was doing well but Joseph had declining health. His oneson who had just entered the business was conscripted into service and was deployed to France. Joseph took his daughter's son-in-law into the businesstemporarily. One year later his son was killed at Marne. The son-in-law, Harrison Smythe, took over the branch with the consent and help of John.

During John Morris's tenure as president of Morris and sons, the most notable development in the company's history was the growth of its exportbusiness during World War I. Because Morris was founded in England its American branch, had long been involved in shipping pork products, especiallybacon, to England. Morris had been the largest American exporter of meat products to England before the war, and the war and immediate postwar yearssaw continued growth. In addition, Morris also exported meat products and lard to France, Denmark, Holland, Switzerland, and Italy during the war.

In the subsequent years, the Company in America took overall operations and expanded through the acquisition of several local Littlefield competitors.In 1968 the brothers moved the headquarters, to Richmond because of the need for a greater labor pool. The original business stayed in Littlefield, butadditional slaughter and packing operations were erected outside Richmond. In 1970 the company was slaughtering 3,000 hogs a day and employed1,400 people.

Eager to expand the business from a regional Virginia concern the company went public in 1994 but kept the controlling stock. Determined to keep thecompany within the family, John's great-grandson Vance Morris took over the business in 2003 upon the death of his father. He controlled 65% of thestock with other family members owning a total of 20%.

In 2019, at the time of Vance Morris' unexpected death, the company was slaughtering 15 million hogs annually with revenues of 2.245 billion dollars.

Current Company Vision:

Bringing quality meats to family tables everywhere

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Current Mission:

We believe that family and tradition matter. Virginia Meats, Inc. is a family too and because we believe that family matters, it is ourcommitment to put only quality pork products on your kitchen table just as we would our own.

Services Offered

Packaged and Fresh Pork Products

Current Fact Sheet

Headquarters Richmond, Virginia USA

Worldwide web address www.VirginiaMeats.com

Chief Executive Operator Daniel Chinn

2019 Revenue $2.245 billion

Employees 12,500 (9,000 U.S.; 3,500 International)

Customers 4,750 (3,008; 1,742 international)

Operating Facilities Processing Facilities, Richmond, VA USA; Littlefield, USA; Winston-Salem,

NC USA; Liverpool, England; Sulwaki, Poland

Packaging Facilities Richmond, VA USA; Littlefield, VA USA; Frankfort, KT USA

Current Sustainability Commitments

VMU has made three major commitments to the planet's ecology. First, to offer the best animal care, reduce greenhouse emissions by 23% and maintain

better than USDA food safety and quality standards. Current steps to reach these goals include:

Animal Care:

Each applicable facility to maintain a systematic program for animal care based on the North American Meat Institute's (NAMI) Recommended

Animal Handling Guidelines and Audit Guide

All live animal suppliers to be certified to the National Pork Board's (NPB) Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus)

Complete conversion to group housing systems for pregnant sows on U.S. company-owned farms by the end of 2021

Complete conversion to group housing systems for pregnant sows on U.S. contract farms and in joint ventures worldwide by 2022

Environment:

Reduction of greenhouse emissions by 23%. Processing and reduction of plant waste through conversion to group housing for sows and the use of steam

sterilization processes for food production.

Food Safety and Quality:

No incident requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recalls

Maintain the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) certification at all applicable facilities.

Currently, there have been no FDA recalls for the last three years and inspections have been problem-free.

Current Business Philosophy

As one of the largest worldwide producers of pork products, it is the goal of VMI to help improve its international sales. It will now look forward to two

years as a change in business strategy is imperative to keep growing. The need for innovation and competitive edge ideas are the focus for the next two

years. Sustainability both for-profit and planet is foremost in the minds of the leadership. The development of "green" friendly international delivery

strategies will be the main emphasis.

Current Corporate Culture

VMI has always considered its employees to be like family. They value their input in the business and seek to empower them whenever they can. The

current company culture is hierarchical with a functional underpinning. The growth of the company and the need for structure and communication to

keep the global deadlines have caused the Directors to move towards a collaborative culture. They hope that the family feel of the clan culture will not be

lost hence the hybrid.

Organizational Structure:

This company has a functional division structure. However, within each division is a functional structure whose makeup is dependent on its purpose. For

instance, if the branch is a meatpacking plant where slaughter takes place than its decision-making flow will follow the jobs that are part of the slaughter

and packing processes. Communication and decision making still flows from the top down.