Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Sales & Marketing
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations?
The emerging concept of corporate citizenship entails membership in a global community where citizens have duties to respond to the needs of their fellow citizens. The author puts forth a 'statement of a minimal moral obligation' (SMMO) for firms in industries such as pharmaceuticals, who have the ability to address rampant health risks in developing countries. He defines corporate obligation as consisting of three elements, and argues that the emerging concept of corporate and business citizenship supports recognition of the duty established in his SMMO. By supporting the global community, he argues, firms will be helping to maintain a supportive environment for business activity.
Swot Analysis of "Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations?" written by Thomas W. Dunfee includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Smmo Obligation facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Emerging markets, Ethics, Leadership, Social responsibility and Sales & Marketing.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? casestudy better are - – increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, there is backlash against globalization, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, geopolitical disruptions, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models,
wage bills are increasing, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations?
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Smmo Obligation, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Smmo Obligation 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 Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Smmo Obligation
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 Smmo Obligation
Strengths Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Smmo Obligation in Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? Harvard Business Review case study are -
Ability to recruit top talent
– Smmo Obligation is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? 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.
Training and development
– Smmo Obligation has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? 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.
Learning organization
- Smmo Obligation 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 Smmo Obligation is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Smmo Obligation 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.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Smmo Obligation 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Smmo Obligation in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Smmo Obligation in the sector have low bargaining power. Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Smmo Obligation to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
High brand equity
– Smmo Obligation has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Smmo Obligation to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Smmo Obligation 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 Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Smmo Obligation has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Smmo Obligation 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.
Analytics focus
– Smmo Obligation 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 Thomas W. Dunfee 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.
Weaknesses Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? are -
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? 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 Smmo Obligation has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations?, in the dynamic environment Smmo Obligation has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Smmo Obligation has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Lack of clear differentiation of Smmo Obligation products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Smmo Obligation needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Smmo Obligation is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? 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 Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? 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 Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Smmo Obligation is planning to shift buying processes online.
Need for greater diversity
– Smmo Obligation 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations?, 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations?, it seems that the employees of Smmo Obligation 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations?, is just above the industry average. Smmo Obligation 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Smmo Obligation is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Sales & Marketing segment. Smmo Obligation needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Smmo Obligation to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
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 Smmo Obligation supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations?, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Smmo Obligation vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Opportunities Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? | 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 Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? are -
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Smmo Obligation can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Smmo Obligation operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Sales & Marketing sector.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Smmo Obligation 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.
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 Smmo Obligation in the consumer business. Now Smmo Obligation can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Smmo Obligation 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Smmo Obligation in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Sales & Marketing segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Smmo Obligation 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 Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Smmo Obligation to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Developing new processes and practices
– Smmo Obligation 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Smmo Obligation 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.
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 Smmo Obligation 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.
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. Smmo Obligation can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Smmo Obligation is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? 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.
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. Smmo Obligation 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. Smmo Obligation 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Smmo Obligation can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? 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.
Threats Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? are -
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. Smmo Obligation can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Smmo Obligation 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Smmo Obligation has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Sales & Marketing industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Smmo Obligation 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
– Smmo Obligation 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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Smmo Obligation 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.
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 Smmo Obligation business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Increasing wage structure of Smmo Obligation
– 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 Smmo Obligation.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Smmo Obligation with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Smmo Obligation 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 Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? .
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. Smmo Obligation 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.
Environmental challenges
– Smmo Obligation 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. Smmo Obligation can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? 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 Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? 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 Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? 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 Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? 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 Do Firms with Unique Competencies Have Special Obligations? 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 Smmo Obligation needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.