Florida Department of Citrus SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Sales & Marketing
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Florida Department of Citrus
The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) is a state agency responsible for the welfare of the Florida citrus industry. This case describes the FDOC's efforts to turn around grapefruit juice consumption. Using a health message, Dan Santangelo, the FDOC's new director, adopted a marketing-driven rather than supply-driven solution to oversupply and falling demand for grapefruit, .
Authors :: Ray A. Goldberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop, Ben Pearcy
Swot Analysis of "Florida Department of Citrus" written by Ray A. Goldberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop, Ben Pearcy includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Citrus Fdoc's facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Florida Department of Citrus case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Sales & Marketing.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Florida Department of Citrus casestudy better are - – increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, geopolitical disruptions, wage bills are increasing, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , technology disruption, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs,
increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing commodity prices, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Florida Department of Citrus
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Florida Department of Citrus case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Citrus Fdoc's, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Citrus Fdoc's 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 Florida Department of Citrus can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Florida Department of Citrus case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Citrus Fdoc's
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 Citrus Fdoc's
Strengths Florida Department of Citrus | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Citrus Fdoc's in Florida Department of Citrus Harvard Business Review case study are -
Learning organization
- Citrus Fdoc's 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 Citrus Fdoc's is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Florida Department of Citrus Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Citrus Fdoc's in the sector have low bargaining power. Florida Department of Citrus has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Citrus Fdoc's to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
High brand equity
– Citrus Fdoc's has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Citrus Fdoc's to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Citrus Fdoc's 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 Florida Department of Citrus HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Citrus Fdoc's has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Citrus Fdoc's 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.
Organizational Resilience of Citrus Fdoc's
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Citrus Fdoc's does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Digital Transformation in Sales & Marketing segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Citrus Fdoc's digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Citrus Fdoc's 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Citrus Fdoc's is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Florida Department of Citrus 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Sales & Marketing industry
– Florida Department of Citrus firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Citrus Fdoc's to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Citrus Fdoc's to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Ability to lead change in Sales & Marketing field
– Citrus Fdoc's 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 Citrus Fdoc's in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Strong track record of project management
– Citrus Fdoc's is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Citrus Fdoc's is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Florida Department of Citrus are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Weaknesses Florida Department of Citrus | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Florida Department of Citrus are -
Need for greater diversity
– Citrus Fdoc's 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 Citrus Fdoc's products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Citrus Fdoc's needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Citrus Fdoc's 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 Florida Department of Citrus 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 Citrus Fdoc's has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Florida Department of Citrus 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 Citrus Fdoc's 's lucrative customers.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Citrus Fdoc's is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Florida Department of Citrus can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Florida Department of Citrus, 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Citrus Fdoc's is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Sales & Marketing segment. Citrus Fdoc's needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Citrus Fdoc's to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Florida Department of Citrus, it seems that the employees of Citrus Fdoc's 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.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Citrus Fdoc's 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. Citrus Fdoc's 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Florida Department of Citrus, in the dynamic environment Citrus Fdoc's has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Citrus Fdoc's has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Opportunities Florida Department of Citrus | 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 Florida Department of Citrus are -
Developing new processes and practices
– Citrus Fdoc's 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Citrus Fdoc's 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Citrus Fdoc's in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Sales & Marketing segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Citrus Fdoc's has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Citrus Fdoc's to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Florida Department of Citrus case study. Citrus Fdoc's can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Citrus Fdoc's can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Citrus Fdoc's operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Sales & Marketing sector.
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. Citrus Fdoc's can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Buying journey improvements
– Citrus Fdoc's can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Florida Department of Citrus 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Citrus Fdoc's is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Florida Department of Citrus 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Citrus Fdoc's can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Citrus Fdoc's 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Citrus Fdoc's to increase its market reach. Citrus Fdoc's 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Citrus Fdoc's 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 Florida Department of Citrus - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Citrus Fdoc's to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
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 Citrus Fdoc's 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.
Threats Florida Department of Citrus External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Florida Department of Citrus are -
Environmental challenges
– Citrus Fdoc's 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. Citrus Fdoc's can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry.
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 Citrus Fdoc's.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Citrus Fdoc's is facing in Sales & Marketing sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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 Citrus Fdoc's business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Citrus Fdoc's demand
– There is a high probability of declining consumer confidence, given – high inflammation rate, rise of gig economy, lower job stability, increasing cost of living, higher interest rates, and aging demography. All the factors contribute to people saving higher rate of their income, resulting in lower consumer demand in the industry and other sectors.
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
– Citrus Fdoc's 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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Citrus Fdoc's 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 Citrus Fdoc's
– 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 Citrus Fdoc's.
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 Citrus Fdoc's in the Sales & Marketing sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
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. Citrus Fdoc's 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Florida Department of Citrus, Citrus Fdoc's 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 .
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. Citrus Fdoc's needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Sales & Marketing industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Florida Department of Citrus 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 Florida Department of Citrus 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 Florida Department of Citrus 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 Florida Department of Citrus 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 Florida Department of Citrus 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 Citrus Fdoc's needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
