Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Sales & Marketing
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B)
Supplement to case NA0405. Konica Minolta Business Solutions (KMBS) was a leader in advanced document management technologies. Its business solutions were grouped under office systems, print production, and printers. Its business solutions were grouped under office systems, print production, and printers. Peter Daniel, Branch Manager for northern New Jersey at KMBS, recently assigned Bill Swanson to be the sales rep responsible for Bergen and Passaic counties in New Jersey. Swanson was assigned the responsibility of winning an important account away from competitors, namely, NYCG, a large global accounting and consulting firm in Wayne, New Jersey. Swanson had to draft a plan to gather information from the prospect. The sales process can be classified into three key phases: prospecting, needs identification, and proposing a solution and closing the deal. The KMBS cases (A), (B), and (C) primarily focus on needs identification. In KMBS(A), Swanson had to develop the plan of action for planning, preparing, and approaching NYCG. In KMBS(B), Swanson met with the Global Procurement Director at NYCG, Bob Benedict, to understand NYCG's needs. He also met with Peter Daniel to discuss how they should continue to identify NYCG's needs. Finally, in KMBS(C), Swanson met with the heads of the Distributed Print Services and Central Print Services divisions, as well as other users at NYCG, to understand their needs. These efforts should help KMBS create a custom solution for NYCG. Swanson and Daniel thus must decide which solutions to present to NYCG.
Authors :: Prabakar Kothandaraman, Sudha Mani, William J. Healy
Swot Analysis of "Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B)" written by Prabakar Kothandaraman, Sudha Mani, William J. Healy includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Kmbs Swanson facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Manufacturing, Sales, Technology and Sales & Marketing.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) casestudy better are - – increasing energy prices, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, there is backlash against globalization, increasing commodity prices,
technology disruption, geopolitical disruptions, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Kmbs Swanson, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Kmbs Swanson 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 Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Kmbs Swanson
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 Kmbs Swanson
Strengths Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Kmbs Swanson in Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Digital Transformation in Sales & Marketing segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Kmbs Swanson digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Kmbs Swanson 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Kmbs Swanson is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Learning organization
- Kmbs Swanson 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 Kmbs Swanson is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Kmbs Swanson 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.
Training and development
– Kmbs Swanson has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Kmbs Swanson is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Kmbs Swanson has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Kmbs Swanson 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 Kmbs Swanson in the sector have low bargaining power. Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Kmbs Swanson to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Kmbs Swanson 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 Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Strong track record of project management
– Kmbs Swanson is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Kmbs Swanson in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Innovation driven organization
– Kmbs Swanson is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Weaknesses Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) are -
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) 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 Kmbs Swanson has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Kmbs Swanson has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Kmbs Swanson is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Sales & Marketing segment. Kmbs Swanson needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Kmbs Swanson to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Prabakar Kothandaraman, Sudha Mani, William J. Healy suggests that, Kmbs Swanson 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Kmbs Swanson 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 - Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Lack of clear differentiation of Kmbs Swanson products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Kmbs Swanson needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Need for greater diversity
– Kmbs Swanson 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B), is just above the industry average. Kmbs Swanson 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 Kmbs Swanson, firm in the HBR case study Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
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 Kmbs Swanson supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B), it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Kmbs Swanson vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) HBR case study mentions - Kmbs Swanson takes time to assess the upcoming competitions. This has led to missing out on atleast 2-3 big opportunities in the industry in last five years.
Opportunities Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) | 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 Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) 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, Kmbs Swanson can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Kmbs Swanson operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Sales & Marketing sector.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Kmbs Swanson has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Kmbs Swanson to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) case study. Kmbs Swanson can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Kmbs Swanson 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 Kmbs Swanson in the consumer business. Now Kmbs Swanson can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Buying journey improvements
– Kmbs Swanson can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Kmbs Swanson 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 Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Kmbs Swanson to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Kmbs Swanson 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 Kmbs Swanson 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Kmbs Swanson is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) 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. Kmbs Swanson 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. Kmbs Swanson 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Kmbs Swanson 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.
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. Kmbs Swanson can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Kmbs Swanson to increase its market reach. Kmbs Swanson 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.
Threats Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) are -
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Kmbs Swanson 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.
Increasing wage structure of Kmbs Swanson
– 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 Kmbs Swanson.
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.
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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Kmbs Swanson is facing in Sales & Marketing sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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 Kmbs Swanson.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Kmbs Swanson high dependence on third party suppliers can disrupt its processes and delivery mechanism. For example -the current troubles of car makers because of chip shortage is because the chip companies started producing chips for electronic companies rather than car manufacturers.
High level of anxiety and lack of motivation
– the Great Resignation in United States is the sign of broader dissatisfaction among the workforce in United States. Kmbs Swanson needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Sales & Marketing industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Kmbs Swanson in the Sales & Marketing industry. The Sales & Marketing industry is already at various protected from local competition in China, with the rise of trade war the protection levels may go up. This presents a clear threat of current business model in Chinese market.
Environmental challenges
– Kmbs Swanson 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. Kmbs Swanson 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 Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B), Kmbs Swanson 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 .
Regulatory challenges
– Kmbs Swanson 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.
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 Kmbs Swanson business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) 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 Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) 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 Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) 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 Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) 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 Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (B) 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 Kmbs Swanson needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
