Swot Analysis of "Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates" written by Mihir A. Desai, Kathleen Luchs, Alberto Moel includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Zelezny Mate facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, International business, Joint ventures, Negotiations, Risk management and Finance & Accounting.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates casestudy better are - – central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, technology disruption, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, there is backlash against globalization,
banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing energy prices, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Zelezny Mate, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Zelezny Mate 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 Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Zelezny Mate
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Finance & Accounting field.
4. Making a Finance & Accounting topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Zelezny Mate
Strengths Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Zelezny Mate in Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates Harvard Business Review case study are -
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Zelezny Mate in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Zelezny Mate is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
High brand equity
– Zelezny Mate has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Zelezny Mate to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Zelezny Mate 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 Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Zelezny Mate in the sector have low bargaining power. Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Zelezny Mate to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Ability to lead change in Finance & Accounting field
– Zelezny Mate 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 Zelezny Mate in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Digital Transformation in Finance & Accounting segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Zelezny Mate digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Zelezny Mate 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Zelezny Mate is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Strong track record of project management
– Zelezny Mate is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Learning organization
- Zelezny Mate 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 Zelezny Mate is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Zelezny Mate 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Zelezny Mate is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates 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.
Weaknesses Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates are -
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Zelezny Mate 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates, is just above the industry average. Zelezny Mate 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.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates 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 Zelezny Mate 's lucrative customers.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Finance & Accounting 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Zelezny Mate is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Zelezny Mate 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.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates 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 Zelezny Mate has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Zelezny Mate 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Zelezny Mate 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates, in the dynamic environment Zelezny Mate has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Zelezny Mate has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates 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 Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Zelezny Mate is planning to shift buying processes online.
Opportunities Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates | 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 Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates are -
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Finance & Accounting industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Zelezny Mate 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. Zelezny Mate 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.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Finance & Accounting industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Zelezny Mate can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Zelezny Mate in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Finance & Accounting segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
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 Zelezny Mate to reconfigure its entire business model. For example it can used blockchain based technologies to reduce piracy of its products in the big markets such as China. Secondly it can use the popularity of e-commerce in various developing markets to build a Direct to Customer business model rather than the current Channel Heavy distribution network.
Developing new processes and practices
– Zelezny Mate can develop new processes and procedures in Finance & Accounting 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Zelezny Mate 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Zelezny Mate to expand its talent hiring zone. According to McKinsey Global Institute, 20% of the high end workforce in fields such as finance, information technology, can continously work from remote local post Covid-19. This presents a really great opportunity for Zelezny Mate to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Zelezny Mate has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Zelezny Mate to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates case study. Zelezny Mate can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Buying journey improvements
– Zelezny Mate can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates 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.
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. Zelezny Mate can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Manufacturing automation
– Zelezny Mate can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Finance & Accounting 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.
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 Zelezny Mate in the consumer business. Now Zelezny Mate can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Loyalty marketing
– Zelezny Mate 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 Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates are -
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 Zelezny Mate business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Zelezny Mate in the Finance & Accounting industry. The Finance & Accounting 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Zelezny Mate 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 Finance & Accounting industry regulations.
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 Zelezny Mate.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Zelezny Mate 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 Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates .
Consumer confidence and its impact on Zelezny Mate 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.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Finance & Accounting field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Zelezny Mate can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Zelezny Mate is facing in Finance & Accounting sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Zelezny Mate has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Finance & Accounting industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Zelezny Mate needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Finance & Accounting 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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Zelezny Mate 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.
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. Zelezny Mate needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Finance & Accounting industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Zelezny Mate 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates, Zelezny Mate may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Finance & Accounting .
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates 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 Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates 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 Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates 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 Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates 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 Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny (B3)--Zelezny Negotiates 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 Zelezny Mate needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
