Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Organizational Development
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management
Employees and corporate reputation are unique resources that generate positive financial performance and ultimately create sustainable competitive advantage. Corporate reputation is vital to an organization and employees are the key link to managing it. By recognizing the synergistic role that employees can play in the overall positioning of corporate reputation, management can help satisfy corporate strategic objectives. Examine initiatives essential to gain employee commitment to corporate reputation as well as the use of the Balanced Scorecard to integrate corporate reputation metrics into the incentive system.
Authors :: Karen S. Cravens, Elizabeth Goad Oliver
Swot Analysis of "Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management" written by Karen S. Cravens, Elizabeth Goad Oliver includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Reputation Corporate facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Labor, Motivating people, Public relations and Organizational Development.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management casestudy better are - – central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing commodity prices, there is backlash against globalization, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, increasing energy prices, geopolitical disruptions, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies,
technology disruption, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Reputation Corporate, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Reputation Corporate operates in.
According to Harvard Business Review, 75% of the managers use SWOT analysis for various purposes such as – evaluating current scenario, strategic planning, new venture feasibility, personal growth goals, new market entry, Go To market strategies, portfolio management and strategic trade-off assessment, organizational restructuring, etc.
SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix
SWOT analysis of Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Reputation Corporate
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Organizational Development field.
4. Making a Organizational Development topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Reputation Corporate
Strengths Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Reputation Corporate in Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management Harvard Business Review case study are -
Strong track record of project management
– Reputation Corporate is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
High brand equity
– Reputation Corporate has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Reputation Corporate to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Innovation driven organization
– Reputation Corporate is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Reputation Corporate has innovation driven culture where significant part of the revenues are spent on the research and development activities. This has resulted in, as mentioned in case study Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Reputation Corporate in the sector have low bargaining power. Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Reputation Corporate to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Organizational Development industry
– Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Reputation Corporate to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Organizational Development industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Reputation Corporate to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Reputation Corporate are driving operational speed, building greater agility, and keeping the organization nimble to compete with new competitors. It helps are organization to ideate new ideas, and execute them swiftly in the marketplace.
Ability to lead change in Organizational Development field
– Reputation Corporate is one of the leading players in its industry. Over the years it has not only transformed the business landscape in its segment but also across the whole industry. The ability to lead change has enabled Reputation Corporate in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management Harvard Business Review case study comprises – understanding the underlying the factors in the industry, building diversified operations across different geographies so that disruption in one part of the world doesn’t impact the overall performance of the firm, and integrating the various business operations and processes through its digital transformation drive.
Digital Transformation in Organizational Development segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Reputation Corporate digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Reputation Corporate has successfully integrated the four key components of digital transformation – digital integration in processes, digital integration in marketing and customer relationship management, digital integration into the value chain, and using technology to explore new products and market opportunities.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Reputation Corporate is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Organizational Resilience of Reputation Corporate
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Reputation Corporate does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Weaknesses Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management are -
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management HBR case study mentions - Reputation Corporate takes time to assess the upcoming competitions. This has led to missing out on atleast 2-3 big opportunities in the industry in last five years.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management that the firm needs to have more collaboration between its sales team and marketing team. Sales professionals in the industry have deep experience in developing customer relationships. Marketing department in the case Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Reputation Corporate is planning to shift buying processes online.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Reputation Corporate has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.
High dependence on existing supply chain
– The disruption in the global supply chains because of the Covid-19 pandemic and blockage of the Suez Canal illustrated the fragile nature of Reputation Corporate supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Reputation Corporate vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Need for greater diversity
– Reputation Corporate has taken concrete steps on diversity, equity, and inclusion. But the efforts so far has resulted in limited success. It needs to expand the recruitment and selection process to hire more people from the minorities and underprivileged background.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Reputation Corporate has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Organizational Development strategy. But it has very little resources allocation to manage the risks emerging from events such as natural disasters, climate change, melting of permafrost, tacking the rise of artificial intelligence, opportunities and threats emerging from commercialization of space etc.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Reputation Corporate has created an environment where the organization is dominated by functional specialists rather than management generalist. This has resulted into product oriented approach rather than marketing oriented approach or consumers oriented approach.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Reputation Corporate has borrowed money from the capital market at higher rates. It needs to restructure the interest payment and costs so that it can compete better and improve profitability.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Karen S. Cravens, Elizabeth Goad Oliver suggests that, Reputation Corporate is facing high bargaining power of the channel partners. So far it has not able to streamline the operations to reduce the bargaining power of the value chain partners in the industry.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Reputation Corporate, firm in the HBR case study Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Opportunities Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management | External Strategic Factors
What are Opportunities in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The opportunities highlighted in the Harvard Business Review case study Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management are -
Manufacturing automation
– Reputation Corporate can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Organizational Development segment. It can use CAD and 3D printing to build a quick prototype and pilot testing products. It can leverage automation using machine learning and artificial intelligence to do faster production at lowers costs, and it can leverage the growth in satellite and tracking technologies to improve inventory management, transportation, and shipping.
Loyalty marketing
– Reputation Corporate has focused on building a highly responsive customer relationship management platform. This platform is built on in-house data and driven by analytics and artificial intelligence. The customer analytics can help the organization to fine tune its loyalty marketing efforts, increase the wallet share of the organization, reduce wastage on mainstream advertising spending, build better pricing strategies using personalization, etc.
Reconfiguring business model
– The expansion of digital payment system, the bringing down of international transactions costs using Bitcoin and other blockchain based currencies, etc can help Reputation Corporate to reconfigure its entire business model. For example it can used blockchain based technologies to reduce piracy of its products in the big markets such as China. Secondly it can use the popularity of e-commerce in various developing markets to build a Direct to Customer business model rather than the current Channel Heavy distribution network.
Developing new processes and practices
– Reputation Corporate can develop new processes and procedures in Organizational Development industry using technology such as automation using artificial intelligence, real time transportation and products tracking, 3D modeling for concept development and new products pilot testing etc.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Reputation Corporate to increase its market reach. Reputation Corporate will be able to reach out to new customers. Secondly 5G will also provide technology framework to build new tools and products that can help more immersive consumer experience and faster consumer journey.
Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions
– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Reputation Corporate in the consumer business. Now Reputation Corporate can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Reputation Corporate can make experimentation a productive activity and build a culture of innovation using approaches such as – mining transaction data, A/B testing of websites and selling platforms, engaging potential customers over various needs, and building on small ideas in the Organizational Development segment.
Identify volunteer opportunities
– Covid-19 has impacted working population in two ways – it has led to people soul searching about their professional choices, resulting in mass resignation. Secondly it has encouraged people to do things that they are passionate about. This has opened opportunities for businesses to build volunteer oriented socially driven projects. Reputation Corporate can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Reputation Corporate can leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the production process, customer analytics to get better insights into consumer behavior, realtime digital dashboards to get better sales tracking, logistics and transportation, product tracking, etc.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Organizational Development industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Reputation Corporate can take advantage of these changes in consumer behavior to build a far more efficient business model. For example consumer regular ordering of products can reduce both last mile delivery costs and market penetration costs. Reputation Corporate can further use this consumer data to build better customer loyalty, provide better products and service collection, and improve the value proposition in inflationary times.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Reputation Corporate can still utilize the low interest rates to borrow money for capital investment. Secondly it can also use the increase of government spending in infrastructure projects to get new business.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Reputation Corporate can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Reputation Corporate operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Organizational Development sector.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Reputation Corporate to conduct training and development for its employees across the world. This will result in not only reducing the cost of training but also help employees in different part of the world to integrate with the headquarter work culture, ethos, and standards.
Threats Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management are -
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Reputation Corporate high dependence on third party suppliers can disrupt its processes and delivery mechanism. For example -the current troubles of car makers because of chip shortage is because the chip companies started producing chips for electronic companies rather than car manufacturers.
Aging population
– As the populations of most advanced economies are aging, it will lead to high social security costs, higher savings among population, and lower demand for goods and services in the economy. The household savings in US, France, UK, Germany, and Japan are growing faster than predicted because of uncertainty caused by pandemic.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Reputation Corporate is facing in Organizational Development sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Reputation Corporate with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Organizational Development field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Reputation Corporate can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management, Reputation Corporate may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Organizational Development .
Environmental challenges
– Reputation Corporate needs to have a robust strategy against the disruptions arising from climate change and energy requirements. EU has identified it as key priority area and spending 30% of its 880 billion Euros European post Covid-19 recovery funds on green technology. Reputation Corporate can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Organizational Development industry.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Reputation Corporate can face lack of demand in the market place because of Fed actions to reduce inflation. This can lead to sluggish growth in the economy, lower demands, lower investments, higher borrowing costs, and consolidation in the field.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Reputation Corporate in the Organizational Development industry. The Organizational Development industry is already at various protected from local competition in China, with the rise of trade war the protection levels may go up. This presents a clear threat of current business model in Chinese market.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Reputation Corporate demand
– There is a high probability of declining consumer confidence, given – high inflammation rate, rise of gig economy, lower job stability, increasing cost of living, higher interest rates, and aging demography. All the factors contribute to people saving higher rate of their income, resulting in lower consumer demand in the industry and other sectors.
Backlash against dominant players
– US Congress and other legislative arms of the government are getting tough on big business especially technology companies. The digital arm of Reputation Corporate business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Reputation Corporate has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Organizational Development industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Reputation Corporate needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Organizational Development sector. According to Mckinsey study top managers believe that the adoption of technology in operations, communications is 20-25 times faster than what they planned in the beginning of 2019.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Reputation Corporate can face downward pressure on margins from increasing competition from international players. The international players have stable revenue in their home market and can use those resources to penetrate prominent markets illustrated in HBR case study Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management .
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management Template, Example
Not all factors mentioned under the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants in the SWOT Analysis are equal. Managers in the HBR case study Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management needs to zero down on the relative importance of each factor mentioned in the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants.
We can provide the relative importance to each factor by assigning relative weights. Weighted SWOT analysis process is a three stage process –
First stage for doing weighted SWOT analysis of the case study Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management is to rank the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. This will help you to assess the most important strengths and weaknesses of the firm and which one of the strengths and weaknesses mentioned in the initial lists are marginal and can be left out.
Second stage for conducting weighted SWOT analysis of the Harvard case study Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management is to give probabilities to the external strategic factors thus better understanding the opportunities and threats arising out of macro environment changes and developments.
Third stage of constructing weighted SWOT analysis of Employees: The Key Link to Corporate Reputation Management is to provide strategic recommendations includes – joining likelihood of external strategic factors such as opportunities and threats to the internal strategic factors – strengths and weaknesses. You should start with external factors as they will provide the direction of the overall industry. Secondly by joining probabilities with internal strategic factors can help the company not only strategic fit but also the most probably strategic trade-off that Reputation Corporate needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
