Swot Analysis of "Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue" written by Cynthia A. Ingols, James L. Mueller includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Leviton Universal facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Marketing, Product development, Social responsibility and Sales & Marketing.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue casestudy better are - – competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, there is backlash against globalization, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs,
supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Leviton Universal, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Leviton Universal 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 Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Leviton Universal
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Sales & Marketing field.
4. Making a Sales & Marketing topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Leviton Universal
Strengths Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Leviton Universal in Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue Harvard Business Review case study are -
High brand equity
– Leviton Universal has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Leviton Universal to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue 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.
Analytics focus
– Leviton Universal is putting a lot of focus on utilizing the power of analytics in business decision making. This has put it among the leading players in the industry. The technology infrastructure suggested by Cynthia A. Ingols, James L. Mueller can also help it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Leviton Universal has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Leviton Universal has effective processes in place that helps in exploring new product needs, doing quick pilot testing, and then launching the products quickly using its extensive distribution network.
Innovation driven organization
– Leviton Universal is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue 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)
– Leviton Universal 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 Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Digital Transformation in Sales & Marketing segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Leviton Universal digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Leviton Universal 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.
Organizational Resilience of Leviton Universal
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Leviton Universal does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Sales & Marketing industry
– Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Leviton Universal to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Leviton Universal to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Leviton Universal 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.
Training and development
– Leviton Universal has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue Harvard Business Review case study by analyzing – employees retention, in-house promotion, loyalty, new venture initiation, lack of conflict, and high level of both employees and customer engagement.
Ability to lead change in Sales & Marketing field
– Leviton Universal 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 Leviton Universal in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Weaknesses Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue are -
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue 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 Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Leviton Universal is planning to shift buying processes online.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Leviton Universal 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Leviton Universal is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Leviton Universal, firm in the HBR case study Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue 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 Leviton Universal has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue has high operating costs in the. This can be harder to sustain given the new emerging competition from nimble players who are using technology to attract Leviton Universal 's lucrative customers.
Lack of clear differentiation of Leviton Universal products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Leviton Universal needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Leviton Universal has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Leviton Universal has a very deliberative decision making approach. This approach has resulted in prudent decisions, but it has also resulted in missing opportunities in the industry over the last five years. Leviton Universal even though has strong showing on digital transformation primary two stages, it has struggled to capitalize the power of digital transformation in marketing efforts and new venture efforts.
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 Leviton Universal supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Leviton Universal vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Leviton Universal needs to come up with a strategy to reduce the workers concern regarding automation. Without a clear strategy, it could lead to disruption and uncertainty within the organization.
Opportunities Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue | 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 Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue are -
Manufacturing automation
– Leviton Universal can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Sales & Marketing 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
– Leviton Universal 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Leviton Universal can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue suggest that firm can provide automated chats to help consumers solve their own problems, provide online suggestions to get maximum out of the products and services, and help consumers to build a community where they can interact with each other to develop new features and uses.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Leviton Universal can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Leviton Universal operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Sales & Marketing sector.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Leviton Universal to increase its market reach. Leviton Universal 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Leviton Universal can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Leviton Universal 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.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Sales & Marketing industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Leviton Universal can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Leviton Universal 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Leviton Universal 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Leviton Universal can build a diversified supply chain model across various countries in - South East Asia, India, and other parts of the world. This reconfiguration of global supply chain can help, as suggested in case study, Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Sales & Marketing industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Leviton Universal 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. Leviton Universal 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Leviton Universal can develop new processes and procedures in Sales & Marketing 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.
Threats Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue are -
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Leviton Universal has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Sales & Marketing industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Leviton Universal needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Sales & Marketing 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Leviton Universal needs to prepare for regulatory challenges as consumer protection groups and other pressure groups are vigorously advocating for more regulations on big business - to reduce inequality, to create a level playing field, to product data privacy and consumer privacy, to reduce the influence of big money on democratic institutions, etc. This can lead to significant changes in the Sales & Marketing industry regulations.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Leviton Universal with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Environmental challenges
– Leviton Universal 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. Leviton Universal can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue, Leviton Universal may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Sales & Marketing .
Capital market disruption
– During the Covid-19, Dow Jones has touched record high. The valuations of a number of companies are way beyond their existing business model potential. This can lead to capital market correction which can put a number of suppliers, collaborators, value chain partners in great financial difficulty. It will directly impact the business of Leviton Universal.
Increasing wage structure of Leviton Universal
– Post Covid-19 there is a sharp increase in the wages especially in the jobs that require interaction with people. The increasing wages can put downward pressure on the margins of Leviton Universal.
Technology disruption because of hacks, piracy etc
– The colonial pipeline illustrated, how vulnerable modern organization are to international hackers, miscreants, and disruptors. The cyber security interruption, data leaks, etc can seriously jeopardize the future growth of the organization.
Instability in the European markets
– European Union markets are facing three big challenges post Covid – expanded balance sheets, Brexit related business disruption, and aggressive Russia looking to distract the existing security mechanism. Leviton Universal will face different problems in different parts of Europe. For example it will face inflationary pressures in UK, France, and Germany, balance sheet expansion and demand challenges in Southern European countries, and geopolitical instability in the Eastern Europe.
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 Leviton Universal business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
New competition
– After the dotcom bust of 2001, financial crisis of 2008-09, the business formation in US economy had declined. But in 2020 alone, there are more than 1.5 million new business applications in United States. This can lead to greater competition for Leviton Universal in the Sales & Marketing sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Leviton Universal 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.
High level of anxiety and lack of motivation
– the Great Resignation in United States is the sign of broader dissatisfaction among the workforce in United States. Leviton Universal needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Sales & Marketing industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue 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 Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue 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 Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue 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 Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue 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 Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Universal Design Marketing Strategy, Epilogue 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 Leviton Universal needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
