Roll-out Given Care‟s current competitive position (see Appendices for competitor analysis) the organisation has an opportunity to reposition itself in general and specifically in the three target sectors, particularly before the entry of more aggressive for-profit operators in the retirement village industry accelerates in Queensland. It is recommended that repositioning be undertaken concurrently across all three sectors. This should include divisional-wide activities and development of collateral that highlight Care‟s strengths, values and core competencies in general, and Care‟s understanding of the needs of ageing Australians specifically. In the residential aged care and community care sectors the aim is to change perceptions about the organisation and its professionalism. Care needs to demonstrate that its approach to service and quality has, and will continue to improve. Care needs to reinforce its commitments and its values and demonstrate that its motivation is not just business growth (i.e. more beds or funding), but delivering real improvements in peoples‟ lives in a Christian environment. Existing and new retirement villages in particular need to be aggressive in how the positioning is adopted and rolled out. Competition in this sector is more likely to be from the for-profit providers. What Care offers as a point of difference is the cultural motivations behind how the communities are managed and their underlying Christian values. Building messages and materials based on these differences will help to position Care‟s retirement villages as a real alternative to those offered by the private sector in the same price point. Finally, as a principle, we recommend Care isn‟t shy about using its Christian focus strongly as a point of difference. In particular we recommend highlighting the non-denominational nature of the Churches of Christ and the welcoming of people from all Christian backgrounds.
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