Hira International Company — SME Case Study (UAE)

The fast pace of development in the UAE during the 1980s encouraged Ramesh Hira to develop Hira Traders LLC to deliver HVAC utility items in the entire region of the Middle East. Presently, the company is a leader and pioneer that delivers services to various industrial parts across MENA regions such as infrastructure, civil construction, MEP, HVAC, glass, aluminum, marine, residential, commercial, and industrial projects. The company has expanded its operations in customer and trading bases in India, GCC, the Americas, Southeast Asia, and New Zealand, Australia, and Africa. The company represents the best example of entrepreneurship started from visionary shrewdness to act with excellence at any instance from time to time. The company has 40 years of service, 1,300 Hira International Company employees, 14 production units, 30 sales offices, and 38 nationalities.

The Mission of the Company The company is dedicated to delivering customers in the construction aspect with items of the greatest quality by establishing a positive partnership with them, exceeding their potentials, and obtaining their trust via an extraordinary performance by each member of the team. It delivers work conditions where workers can meet their full potential and flourish in an environment of professionalism. The company aims to become the “Employer of Choice” in the domain of the building product market.

The Vision of the Company Hira aims to be a global leader in niche items in the building product market. The company aims to become the market leaders in the sections and the areas it selects to compete in. The company has core values such as “transparency, fair play, smart, accountability, challenging tasks, and open communication.” Organization Structure The chief executive officer (CEO) of the company is Tushar Kolhe. Martina Cosgrove is working as managing director of the company. The company is operating in a functional structure type where teams are based on specialized skills such as marketing, accounting, technical, creative, and sales departments. The sales department is under John Jones while Elizabeth Bennett is director of the creative department. Olivia Matthews is working as the technical director, Mika Munari is working as account director, and Claire Cosgrove is the marketing director. The diagrammatic representation of the company is provided in the following figure according to my understanding.

Design Development Testing Accounting Purchasing Finance Sales Customer Service Line Supervisor Production Teams Distribution R&D MANAGER FINANCE MANAGER MARKETING MANAGER DIVISION PRODUCTS PRESIDENT Figure 38: The Organizational Structure of Hira International Changes or Restructure During a Pandemic During COVID-19, the company was required to restore its operations while following all preventive measures issued by the government for health and safety. The company has always tried to provide health benefits to its employees as shown by its corporate social responsibilities projects. The company attempted to deliver health products such as hygiene kits and safety kits to employees so that they can protect themselves from the virus during working.

s The company is a leader and pioneer that delivers services to various industrial parts across MENA regions such as infrastructure, civil construction, MEP, HVAC, glass, aluminum, marine, residential, commercial, and industrial projects.

Business strategies are integral for firms to obtain growth or expansion in their position among market or industry competitors. Hira has a clear set of plans, methodologies, and objectives to obtain in the building market by providing high-quality products or services. Hira is mostly operating in construction and industrial projects.

Thus, the company has opted for a differentiation tactic to obtain a competitive advantage. The firm is looking to deliver high-quality products with unique features. Due to that, the company has been able to become a pioneer and leader of this industry in GCC and other parts of the world.

An operation strategy is linked to activities that firms utilize to gain their objectives or goals. Hira has a clear mission to lead the building industry and become a pioneer in this industry around the world. To gain this target, a customer-mediated strategy is used by the company so that it can meet the needs of clients through its services. The company has 30 sales offices and 1,300 employees working constantly to meet the expectations of customers. Furthermore, the company is applying the development of core competencies for operational strategies so that it can obtain customer satisfaction, product development, and developing good associations with stakeholders.

In the present business era, marketing has gained tremendous importance to reach millions of customers quickly. The company is using various marketing strategies under the leadership of its marketing manager, Claire Cosgrove. Various strategies such as to cause marketing (engaging in CSR), paid marketing (partnerships with celebrities), and social media/online marketing (LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube pages).

Successful Approaches and Challenges to the Company The company faced some barriers at the start since the owners belong to a foreign country (India). People are more likely to trust local companies since they share similar characteristics. Furthermore, local customers can have prejudiced behavior against foreigners at the start until they develop their worth and brand recognition.

Therefore, Hira International needed to prove its worth first and the company was able to do that due to creativity, innovation, and visionary leadership. The company represents the best example of entrepreneurship and leadership. The company was able to overcome such issues through open communication within the company and outside the company with customers. Now, the company has become the pioneer and global leader in the building and construction products industry.

The company became one of the most rapid-growing enterprises in the last four decades in the GCC. The company was able to establish an effective marketing plan. The company also utilized the practice of trial and error to identify every possible detail about industry, products, and business.

Overcoming Challenges The company faced trust and scrutiny challenges from customers regarding its obligation to customer satisfaction. In this regard, the organization has utilized an effective marketing approach to efficiently provide information about the operation of the company and involvement in customer service. With the increasing brand positioning in the market, it has become easier for it to gain trust and loyalty from customers. The company has overall invested greatly in achieving sustainability in its operation and is involved in various CSR projects for showing commitment towards the entire community. The company was able to gain a high level of brand positioning and loyalty due to such CSR programs.

Growth of the Company The company started in 1980 and now reached an annual revenue of $346 million.

The company wants to expand its operations as every other company is looking due to globalization and fast travel. The company can utilize various expansion strategies such as market development and diversification, since the company is already operating in various regions of the world. Europe is one of the regions where the company does not have a functional unit so far. Thus, the company can utilize the aforementioned strategies in this region to expand further.

Lesson Learned ¡ Assessment of operational and business tactics ¡ Learn to understand vision and mission statement’s importance ¡ Assessment of the company’s ability to overcome challenges ¡ Importance of a marketing plan and how to plan effective marketing tactic

Hira International operates to deliver HVAC utility items in the entire region of the Middle East. The company has a functional organizational structure and applies differentiation tactics as a business strategy. The company was facing trust or scrutiny challenges at the start but excellent leadership enabled the company to overcome such challenges. The company is using various marketing approaches to advertise its products and services to clients. This project has helped me to gain an understanding of operational, business, and marketing strategies.

Case Study Questions

• Since the company is already operating in different

regions of the world, should it look to expand in the European region as well?

• Why has it become important to invest in CSR for

present business firms?

• Does the company operate with an effective

organizational structure?

• What will be the present challenges for the company

due to the increasingly competitive market?