"Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Sales & Marketing
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea
This case presents points of contention and issues in the brand launch of a new telecommunication service of KTF, one of Korea's mobile telecommunication companies. As the second-place player in the 2G service market, which offered voice and text-messaging services, KTF decided to be the number one player in the new 3G service market, which offered stable video communication and high-speed data transmission as well as voice and text-messaging services. To do so, KTF developed a new brand, called "SHOW," and implemented various integrated marketing communication (IMC) strategies to attract customers. After only four months since its launch, KTF had successfully attracted more than one million members. Several critical points for successfully launching a new brand in the mobile telecommunication service can be determined from this case. The introduction highlights the success of KTF's new brand launch strategy. Then the mobile telecommunication service market situation in South Korea is summarized. The next section provides a brief explanation of KTF and its new brand launch strategy in the 3G service market, covering topics from the market survey for 3G service to the brand-building processes. This is followed by an examination of how KTF used marketing-integrated communication for its new SHOW 3G service brand. Finally, the competitor's reaction to KTF's successful brand launch is summarized.
Swot Analysis of ""Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea" written by Youngchan Kim, Changjo Yoo includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Ktf 3g facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Sales & Marketing.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea casestudy better are - – cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies,
wage bills are increasing, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Ktf 3g, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Ktf 3g 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 It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Ktf 3g
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 Ktf 3g
Strengths "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Ktf 3g in "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea Harvard Business Review case study are -
Organizational Resilience of Ktf 3g
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Ktf 3g does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Ktf 3g has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Ktf 3g 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.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Ktf 3g 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 "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Ability to lead change in Sales & Marketing field
– Ktf 3g 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 Ktf 3g in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Ktf 3g 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Sales & Marketing industry
– "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Ktf 3g to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Ktf 3g to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Diverse revenue streams
– Ktf 3g is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea 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.
Strong track record of project management
– Ktf 3g 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
– Ktf 3g is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Learning organization
- Ktf 3g 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 Ktf 3g is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Training and development
– Ktf 3g has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea 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.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea 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.
Weaknesses "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea are -
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Ktf 3g, firm in the HBR case study "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Ktf 3g 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. Ktf 3g 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Ktf 3g 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 - "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Ktf 3g is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Sales & Marketing segment. Ktf 3g needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Ktf 3g to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea 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 Ktf 3g has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea, 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Ktf 3g is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea, in the dynamic environment Ktf 3g has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Ktf 3g has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Ktf 3g 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Ktf 3g products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Ktf 3g needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea, is just above the industry average. Ktf 3g 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.
Opportunities "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea | 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 It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea are -
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Ktf 3g has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Ktf 3g to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea case study. Ktf 3g can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Ktf 3g is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea 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. Ktf 3g 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. Ktf 3g 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Ktf 3g 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Ktf 3g 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Ktf 3g 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Ktf 3g 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Ktf 3g 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 Ktf 3g to increase its market reach. Ktf 3g 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.
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 Ktf 3g 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Ktf 3g can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Ktf 3g operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Sales & Marketing sector.
Buying journey improvements
– Ktf 3g can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Ktf 3g 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.
Threats "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea are -
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Ktf 3g has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Sales & Marketing industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Ktf 3g 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.
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 Ktf 3g in the Sales & Marketing sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Environmental challenges
– Ktf 3g 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. Ktf 3g can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry.
Regulatory challenges
– Ktf 3g 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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Ktf 3g 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 It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea .
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea, Ktf 3g 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. Ktf 3g 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.
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 Ktf 3g.
Increasing wage structure of Ktf 3g
– 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 Ktf 3g.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Ktf 3g with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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. Ktf 3g needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Sales & Marketing industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Ktf 3g is facing in Sales & Marketing sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of "Do It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea 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 It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea 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 It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea 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 It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea 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 It Show": A New Mobile Communications Service in Korea 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 Ktf 3g needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.