Case Study Description of "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors
Molson Coors' chief corporate responsibility officer has been tasked to use the company's efforts toward global corporate responsibility to drive its global competitiveness. He must roll out new corporate responsibility initiatives to engage employees across the company's range of geographic locations.
Swot Analysis of ""Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors" written by Mary Weil, Chitra P. Reddin includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Coors Molson facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Sales & Marketing.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors casestudy better are - – geopolitical disruptions, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, wage bills are increasing, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , there is backlash against globalization, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies,
talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Coors Molson, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Coors Molson 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 "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Coors Molson
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 Coors Molson
Strengths "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Coors Molson in "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors Harvard Business Review case study are -
Learning organization
- Coors Molson is a learning organization. It has inculcated three key characters of learning organization in its processes and operations – exploration, creativity, and expansiveness. The work place at Coors Molson is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Strong track record of project management
– Coors Molson is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Innovation driven organization
– Coors Molson is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
High brand equity
– Coors Molson has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Coors Molson to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Coors Molson has highly efficient outsourcing and offshoring strategy. It has resulted in greater operational flexibility and bringing down the costs in highly price sensitive segment. Secondly the value chain collaborators of the firm in "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Coors Molson 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 "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Diverse revenue streams
– Coors Molson is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors case study a diverse revenue stream that has helped it to survive disruptions such as global pandemic in Covid-19, financial disruption of 2008, and supply chain disruption of 2021.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Coors Molson has built up over years in its products and services combo offer has resulted in high retention of customers, lower marketing costs, and greater ability of the firm to focus on its customers.
Analytics focus
– Coors Molson 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 Mary Weil, Chitra P. Reddin 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Coors Molson is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Ability to lead change in Sales & Marketing field
– Coors Molson 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 Coors Molson in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Organizational Resilience of Coors Molson
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Coors Molson does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Weaknesses "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors are -
Products dominated business model
– Even though Coors Molson has some of the most successful products in the industry, this business model has made each new product launch extremely critical for continuous financial growth of the organization. firm in the HBR case study - "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors, in the dynamic environment Coors Molson has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Coors Molson has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Coors Molson 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Coors Molson, firm in the HBR case study "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors, is just above the industry average. Coors Molson needs to redesign the compensation structure and incentives to increase the revenue per employees. Some of the steps that it can take are – hiring more specialists on project basis, etc.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Coors Molson is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors 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 "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Coors Molson is planning to shift buying processes online.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Coors Molson 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors HBR case study mentions - Coors Molson 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors, it seems that the employees of Coors Molson don’t have comprehensive understanding of the firm’s strategy. This is reflected in number of promotional campaigns over the last few years that had mixed messaging and competing priorities. Some of the strategic activities and services promoted in the promotional campaigns were not consistent with the organization’s strategy.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Sales & Marketing 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.
Opportunities "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors | 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 "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors are -
Buying journey improvements
– Coors Molson can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors 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.
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 Coors Molson in the consumer business. Now Coors Molson can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
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. Coors Molson can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Coors Molson 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Coors Molson to increase its market reach. Coors Molson 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Coors Molson is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors case study suggests that firm can utilize new technology to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.
Manufacturing automation
– Coors Molson 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Coors Molson 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Coors Molson 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 Sales & Marketing segment.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Coors Molson has spent a significant amount of money and effort to integrate analytics and machine learning into its operations in the sector. This continuous investment in analytics has enabled, as illustrated in the Harvard case study "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Coors Molson to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Coors Molson has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Coors Molson to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors case study. Coors Molson can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Coors Molson 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Coors Molson can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Threats "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors are -
Environmental challenges
– Coors Molson 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. Coors Molson can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Coors Molson in the Sales & Marketing industry. The Sales & Marketing 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Coors Molson with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors, Coors Molson 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 .
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Sales & Marketing field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Coors Molson can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Coors Molson 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.
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. Coors Molson needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Sales & Marketing industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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.
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 Coors Molson in the Sales & Marketing sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
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 Coors Molson business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Coors Molson 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 "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors .
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. Coors Molson 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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Coors Molson 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors 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 "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors 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 "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors 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 "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors 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 "Our Beer Print": Brewing Corporate Responsibility at Molson Coors 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 Coors Molson needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.