Gore Case

Strengths * Listed at 180 on Forbes magazine’s 2008 list of the 500 largest private companies in U.S. * Empowered talented associates to deliver highly innovative products * Global enterprise famous for its high performance fabrics, medical products, electronic products * The diversity among team members and entrepreneurial * Fast Company magazine called Gore’s development “pound for pound, the most innovative company in America” * Gore’s four guiding principles: Fairness, freedom, commitment, and waterline * Highly differentiated and unique product | Weaknesses * Lack of quick response times and decisive action * Recalls on cosmetic flaw found in finished garments * Employee turnover rate of 5 percent for Gore, it was harder to get a job at Gore than to get accepted at an elite university * For its size, lack of hierarchical structure could be a problem and it could save time initially |

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Opportunities * Empowered talented associates to deliver highly innovative products * Gore’s products is sold on six continents and used on all seven continents, as well as under the ocean and in space * Globalization of the company’s business has been one of the biggest changes in last 25 years | Threats * Gore-Tex fabric rain suits by various manufactures * Original patents had expired on Gore-Tex fabric and some other gore products * Competitive pricing * Economic-wide recessions |

Mission

At W. L. Gore & Associates their mission statement is simply put, "our products are designed to be the highest quality in their class and revolutionary in their effect."

Vision

Gore's vision is to create a campus-like setting in which several different business units are located adjacent to one another. This permits a common infrastructure and offers "associates," as Gore employees are known, greater opportunities for career development, including cross-functional training and exposure to the company's broad range of capabilities...