The Canadian Tire Company As A Prospective Employer For Graduates Of TRSM

Introduction

I am writing this report in order to provide an analysis of the company of Canadian Tire as a prospective employer for graduates of TRSM. They are one of the largest corporations in Canada which is why they should be considered as a potential employer.

Methods

Throughout this research assignment, I have used only secondary data, provided through the Canadian Tire Corporate website, as well as the websites in the Ryerson University research guide prepared specifically for this assignment.

Key Findings

Canadian Tire is a truly Canadian company, founded in 1922 with over 500 locations, all across the country. With more than 10 retail outlet brands under its ownership including Sport Check, Mark’s, Atmosphere and with the addition of many brands under the Canadian Tire name. The business model of Canadian Tire can be related to that of some similar retail stores but is also different from many. Essentially, Canadian Tire has its own network of retail stores, owned in large part by franchisees. The store also has assets in many other retail outlets, many of which you have probably heard of (i.e. Mark’s Gas+, Etc.).

Canadian Tire also runs a financial institution under the name of Canadian Tire Bank, as well as manufacturing items under many different brands. Looking at the business strategy of Canadian Tire, it is apparent that they know what they are doing. They are in the top 3 Canadian businesses and they are continually innovating within their area. In terms of competitive strengths, Canadian Tire as a company really does have a quite a few. The first of which is that their name is extremely synonymous with Canada and life in Canada, which is why the company has extremely high brand recognition within the country. Canadian Tire offers an extremely large selection of goods and services to its Canadian consumers, and the fact that they are a Canadian brand helps them when it comes to consumers making the decision of where to shop.

Another one of the strengths of Canadian Tire is simply the variety they offer. Simply the ubiquity of the Canadian Tire name within Canadian Tire households can sometimes be enough to push consumers towards them, which is a major competitive advantage. Luckily, Canadian Tire’s strengths do outweigh its weaknesses however, its weaknesses exist nonetheless. Their main competitive disadvantage is that they are not an international company despite attempts). This could be seen as either an advantage or a disadvantage but in contrast to the fact that most of Canadian Tire’s competitors are internationally-recognised (i.e. Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Lowes, etc.), their Canada-only approach is seen more as a downside.

Although admittedly, it would be difficult for a company by the name of “Canadian Tire” to try to break into international markets. Company culture and human resources are both very large topics within Canadian Tire. Multiple times, Canadian Tire is rated one of the top 100 workplaces in Canada (canadastop100.com/national/, October 2018) which puts it at the top of many perspective employee lists. Canadian Tire Corporation also works hard to make sure that its employees voices are heard. They hold meetings and encourage employees to share their ideas with senior leaders. Canadian Tire Corporations HR department even runs a magazine titled The Torch that “celebrates the success of our employees” (corp.canadiantire.ca, 2018).

As with many other companies nowadays, Canadian Tire Corporation works extremely hard in regard to both sustainability and community-focused initiatives. At every step within the process, they are working hard to achieve maximum sustainability (right from manufacturing to transport, to the buildings their products are sold in). Canadian Tire also manages the Jumpstart charity which helps to provide access to sports to kids in Canada by providing funding that many families may lack. To date, “Jumpstart charities has helped over 1.5 million kids to get in the game” (corp.canadiantire.ca, 2018).

Taking a closer look at company health, it is apparent that Canadian Tire is doing fairly well. They have total assets of around $15.5 billion and their share is constantly offering between a 13% and a 15% return when looking the previous two years. Between July 12, 2017 and June 30th, 2018, the earnings per share were right around $10 which is not bad for a company like Canadian Tire. Overall, the company is doing fairly well in terms of finances. Conclusion

In the end, Canadian Tire Corporation is one of the biggest, most Canadian companies out there. Much of their brand has to do with being Canadian and it shows in their business. They have an extremely loyal customer base (Canadians) and their business model is proven. They are strong in the sense that they offer a large variety to their consumers, but they could improve their focus on international markets as they are solely Canadian at the moment. It is rated as one of the top 100 employers in Canada and funds charities, as well as sustainability practices within the markets they do business in. Canadian Tire is also in very good economic standing at the moment.

Recommendations

For graduates of TRSM, I can confidentially say that I would be able to recommend Canadian Tire Corporation as a potential employer. Employee well-being is taken extremely seriously within Canadian Tire and they also have many different opportunities for advancement. Not only is Canadian Tire rated one of the top 100 employers in Canada, but they also offer one of the best work environments in Canada with an excellent Human Resources division. Within Canadian Tire Corporation, there are much more than just jobs in retail stores. There is management in each of their divisions, as well as in distribution centres, call centres, etc. Overall, I can recommend Canadian tire as a potential employer to TRSM graduates.