Research Paper on:
Waterford Wedgwood

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also a company that has benefited from the changes in recent years and the careful growth strategy adopted by management. To consider the current position of the company the background  will be outlined before the macro and micro environment and influential factors are examined using traditional analysis tools. History The history of Waterford Crystal begins in 1783 in  the town of Waterford in Ireland when George and William Penrose started up a business manufacturing crystal. Their purpose was to "create the finest quality crystal for drinking vessels and  objects of beauty for the home" (Waterford, 2003). The venture was not cheap, it was reported by the brothers to the Irish government that the setting up of the company  cast ?10,000, at the time this was a great deal f money (Waterford, 2003). The facility employed between fifty and seventy employees with production lead by John Hill, a Quaker  from Stourbridge, England (Waterford, 2003). The quality of the crystal produced was unmatched in Ireland ort England, and they even exported to countries such as Spain, the West Indies, Newfoundland  and areas that were to become part of the United States (Waterford, 2003). Despite the high level of quality and the advantage of differentiation that this gave, after only one  hundred years of operation the company failed(Waterford, 2003). High taxes and a low level of capital within the company caused the venture to fold, but the reputation of Waterford crystal  was to live on due to the work and reputation that had been gained over the past century (Waterford, 2003). In 1947,m following the second world war a new  factory was set up in Waterford, this was a mile an a half from the original factory that had been set up next to Merchants Quay by the harbour (Waterford,