Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Sales & Marketing
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web
Addresses three potential consumer behavior tendencies: perceived time scarcity, competition for consumers' attention, and quest for authenticity. Also reviews prior research results on consumer benefits of the Web, which include convenience, time savings, ease of use, cost savings, and selection of items. The most prevalent consumer concerns are safety, waiting time, and loss of human interaction. Concludes that both time and attention are closely related to measurable attributes of interactive environments, whereas the ideals of authenticity may influence behavior less directly.
Swot Analysis of "Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web" written by Nina Koiso-Kanttila includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Authenticity Consumer facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Internet, Leadership, Personnel policies and Sales & Marketing.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web casestudy better are - – increasing household debt because of falling income levels, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , there is increasing trade war between United States & China, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies,
increasing energy prices, increasing transportation and logistics costs, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Authenticity Consumer, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Authenticity Consumer 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 Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Authenticity Consumer
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 Authenticity Consumer
Strengths Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Authenticity Consumer in Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web Harvard Business Review case study are -
Successful track record of launching new products
– Authenticity Consumer has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Authenticity Consumer 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Authenticity Consumer in the sector have low bargaining power. Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Authenticity Consumer to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Authenticity Consumer 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 Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Ability to lead change in Sales & Marketing field
– Authenticity Consumer 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 Authenticity Consumer in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Innovation driven organization
– Authenticity Consumer is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web 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.
Organizational Resilience of Authenticity Consumer
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Authenticity Consumer does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Authenticity Consumer is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Authenticity Consumer 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
– Authenticity Consumer has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web 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.
Analytics focus
– Authenticity Consumer 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 Nina Koiso-Kanttila 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.
Learning organization
- Authenticity Consumer 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 Authenticity Consumer is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Weaknesses Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web are -
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Authenticity Consumer 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.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Authenticity Consumer 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. Authenticity Consumer 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web, 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Authenticity Consumer 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 operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web 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 Authenticity Consumer 's lucrative customers.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Nina Koiso-Kanttila suggests that, Authenticity Consumer 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.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web 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 Authenticity Consumer 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 Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web, in the dynamic environment Authenticity Consumer has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Authenticity Consumer has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web, is just above the industry average. Authenticity Consumer 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Authenticity Consumer, firm in the HBR case study Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Authenticity Consumer is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Sales & Marketing segment. Authenticity Consumer needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Authenticity Consumer to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Opportunities Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web | 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 Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web are -
Manufacturing automation
– Authenticity Consumer 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Authenticity Consumer 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 Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Authenticity Consumer to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Authenticity Consumer can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
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. Authenticity Consumer 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. Authenticity Consumer 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Authenticity Consumer to increase its market reach. Authenticity Consumer 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Authenticity Consumer 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.
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 Authenticity Consumer 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Authenticity Consumer has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Authenticity Consumer to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web case study. Authenticity Consumer can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Authenticity Consumer 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.
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. Authenticity Consumer can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Authenticity Consumer can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Authenticity Consumer operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Sales & Marketing sector.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Authenticity Consumer 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Authenticity Consumer 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.
Threats Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web are -
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Authenticity Consumer 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 Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web .
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. Authenticity Consumer 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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Authenticity Consumer 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Authenticity Consumer with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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.
Regulatory challenges
– Authenticity Consumer 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.
Environmental challenges
– Authenticity Consumer 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. Authenticity Consumer 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 Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web, Authenticity Consumer 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 .
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.
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. Authenticity Consumer needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Sales & Marketing industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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. Authenticity Consumer can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Increasing wage structure of Authenticity Consumer
– 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 Authenticity Consumer.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Authenticity Consumer 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web 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 Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web 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 Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web 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 Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web 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 Time, Attention, Authenticity and Consumer Benefits of the Web 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 Authenticity Consumer needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
