Case Study Description of CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies
CoCubes.com, (CoCubes) an entrepreneurial firm, instituted a paradigm change in the way campus recruitment occurred in India. In a paradoxical environment of the high availability of a formally educated yet not readily employable talent pool in a growing economy, CoCubes offered unique value propositions to its dual set of customers (colleges and companies). It was critical for CoCubes to effectively manage engagement with the recruiting companies and attempt to change their mindset regarding recruitment from non-established, non-premier institutes. Conventionally, colleges have not paid to have their students placed. Getting colleges to see the value in this and to pay for it was critical for CoCubes to succeed and grow in the face of increasing competition. Debolina Dutta is affiliated with Indian Institute of Management Indore. D.V.R. Seshadri is affiliated with Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.
Swot Analysis of "CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies" written by Debolina Dutta, D.V.R. Seshadri includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Cocubes Colleges facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Sales & Marketing.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies casestudy better are - – challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, increasing transportation and logistics costs, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%,
technology disruption, there is backlash against globalization, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Cocubes Colleges, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Cocubes Colleges 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 CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Cocubes Colleges
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 Cocubes Colleges
Strengths CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Cocubes Colleges in CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies Harvard Business Review case study are -
Analytics focus
– Cocubes Colleges is putting a lot of focus on utilizing the power of analytics in business decision making. This has put it among the leading players in the industry. The technology infrastructure suggested by Debolina Dutta, D.V.R. Seshadri can also help it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Cocubes Colleges has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Cocubes Colleges 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.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Cocubes Colleges 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Cocubes Colleges in the sector have low bargaining power. CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Cocubes Colleges to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies 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.
Learning organization
- Cocubes Colleges 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 Cocubes Colleges is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Cocubes Colleges is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies 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 Cocubes Colleges digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Cocubes Colleges 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.
High brand equity
– Cocubes Colleges has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Cocubes Colleges to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Cocubes Colleges 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.
Organizational Resilience of Cocubes Colleges
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Cocubes Colleges does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Innovation driven organization
– Cocubes Colleges is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Weaknesses CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies are -
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Cocubes Colleges is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Need for greater diversity
– Cocubes Colleges 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Cocubes Colleges products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Cocubes Colleges needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Cocubes Colleges, firm in the HBR case study CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies, it seems that the employees of Cocubes Colleges 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.
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 Cocubes Colleges supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Cocubes Colleges vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies 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 CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Cocubes Colleges is planning to shift buying processes online.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Debolina Dutta, D.V.R. Seshadri suggests that, Cocubes Colleges 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 Cocubes Colleges 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 - CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Cocubes Colleges 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Cocubes Colleges 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.
Opportunities CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies | 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 CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies are -
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Cocubes Colleges 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 Cocubes Colleges to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
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. Cocubes Colleges can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Cocubes Colleges 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, CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Cocubes Colleges 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Cocubes Colleges has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Cocubes Colleges to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies case study. Cocubes Colleges can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, 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. Cocubes Colleges 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. Cocubes Colleges 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Cocubes Colleges can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
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. Cocubes Colleges can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Cocubes Colleges 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Cocubes Colleges can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies 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.
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 Cocubes Colleges in the consumer business. Now Cocubes Colleges can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Cocubes Colleges can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Cocubes Colleges operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Sales & Marketing sector.
Loyalty marketing
– Cocubes Colleges 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 CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies are -
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Cocubes Colleges 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 Cocubes Colleges business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, 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 Cocubes Colleges in the Sales & Marketing sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Increasing wage structure of Cocubes Colleges
– 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 Cocubes Colleges.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Cocubes Colleges 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 CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies .
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.
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 Cocubes Colleges.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Cocubes Colleges 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.
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. Cocubes Colleges needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Sales & Marketing industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Cocubes Colleges 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.
Instability in the European markets
– European Union markets are facing three big challenges post Covid – expanded balance sheets, Brexit related business disruption, and aggressive Russia looking to distract the existing security mechanism. Cocubes Colleges will face different problems in different parts of Europe. For example it will face inflationary pressures in UK, France, and Germany, balance sheet expansion and demand challenges in Southern European countries, and geopolitical instability in the Eastern Europe.
Environmental challenges
– Cocubes Colleges 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. Cocubes Colleges can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Cocubes Colleges 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 CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies 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 CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies 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 CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies 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 CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies 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 CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies 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 Cocubes Colleges needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
