Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C) 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 (C)
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 (C)" 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 (C) 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 (C) casestudy better are - – challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, increasing energy prices, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings,
wage bills are increasing, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C)
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 (C) 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 (C) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C) 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 (C) | 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 (C) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C) 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.
Ability to lead change in Sales & Marketing field
– Kmbs Swanson 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 Kmbs Swanson in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
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 (C) 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.
Organizational Resilience of Kmbs Swanson
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Kmbs Swanson does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Kmbs Swanson 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 Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C) - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Sales & Marketing industry
– Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Kmbs Swanson to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Kmbs Swanson to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
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.
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.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Kmbs Swanson 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.
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 (C) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
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.
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 (C) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Weaknesses Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C) | 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 (C) are -
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C), 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, Kmbs Swanson 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Kmbs Swanson is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C) can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
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.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C) 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 Kmbs Swanson 's lucrative customers.
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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C), it seems that the employees of Kmbs Swanson don’t have comprehensive understanding of the firm’s strategy. This is reflected in number of promotional campaigns over the last few years that had mixed messaging and competing priorities. Some of the strategic activities and services promoted in the promotional campaigns were not consistent with the organization’s strategy.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C), 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Kmbs Swanson 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 Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C) 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.
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.
Opportunities Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C) | 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 (C) are -
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Kmbs Swanson can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Developing new processes and practices
– Kmbs Swanson can develop new processes and procedures in Sales & Marketing industry using technology such as automation using artificial intelligence, real time transportation and products tracking, 3D modeling for concept development and new products pilot testing etc.
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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Kmbs Swanson 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 Kmbs Swanson to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
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.
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.
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 (C) - 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Kmbs Swanson 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.
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.
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 (C) case study. Kmbs Swanson 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, Kmbs Swanson is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C) 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Kmbs Swanson can build a diversified supply chain model across various countries in - South East Asia, India, and other parts of the world. This reconfiguration of global supply chain can help, as suggested in case study, Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C), to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
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.
Threats Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C) 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 (C) are -
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.
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 Kmbs Swanson in the Sales & Marketing sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Kmbs Swanson with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Kmbs Swanson 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 Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C) .
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.
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. Kmbs Swanson can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Konica Minolta Business Solutions: A Professional Approach to Selling (C) 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 (C) 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 (C) 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 (C) 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 (C) 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.
