Strengths can be found internally in a company and can be used to the company’s advantage. The strengths identified are as follows:
1. KFC's secret recipe.
The secret recipe has long been a source of advertising, and allowed KFC to set itself apart. Also, KFC was the first chain to enter the fast-food industry, just before McDonald's, which opened its first store a year later, and the "secret recipe" was the initial home replacement strategy.
2. Name recognition and reputation.
KFC's early entrance into the fast-food industry in 1954 allowed KFC to develop strong brand name recognition and a strong foothold in the industry. The Colonel is KFC's original owner and a very recognizable figure, both in the U.S. and internationally, in their new logo. In fact, in the fourth annual LogoValue Survey, done by The Schecter Group, the KFC logo was the only one which significantly enhance the brand's image (Logos add…1).
3. PepsiCo's success with the management of fast food chains. PepsiCo acquired Pizza Hut in 1977, and Taco Bell in 1978. PepsiCo used many of the same promotional strategies that it has used to market soft drinks and snack food. By the time PepsiCo bought KFC in 1986, the company already dominated two of the four largest and fastest-growing segments of the fast food industry (Wright, p.424-426).
4. Traditional employee loyalty.
"KFC's culture was built largely on Colonel Sanders' laid back approach to management" (Wright, p.433). Before the acquisition of KFC by PepsiCo, employees at KFC enjoyed good benefits, a pension, and could receive help with other non-income needs. This kind of "personal" human resources management makes for a loyal workforce (Wright, p.434).
5. Improving operating efficiencies by reducing overhead and other operating costs can directly affect operating profit.
Due to the strong competition in the US, the fast-food chains are reluctant to raise prices to increase profit. Many of the chains are turning to