Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite
While internationalization may present growth opportunities for Canadian small businesses, the challenges involved can be daunting. In August 2013 the founder and president of Maynooth Natural Granite was trying to decide whether he should expand his small business internationally. He was satisfied that he was able to turn his gravel pit into a well-recognized supplier of washed decorative rock in Ontario. However, the president was concerned that his success could be short-lived, as Ontario had a saturated gardening market. As he explored new international opportunities he must decide whether he would be able to replicate his success in the new markets while balancing the responsibilities of his Canadian business interests and his family life.
Swot Analysis of "Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite" written by Christopher Williams, Carolyn Burns includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Maynooth Granite facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Strategy and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite casestudy better are - – there is backlash against globalization, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, wage bills are increasing, technology disruption, increasing commodity prices,
increasing energy prices, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Maynooth Granite, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Maynooth Granite 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 Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Maynooth Granite
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Strategy & Execution field.
4. Making a Strategy & Execution topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Maynooth Granite
Strengths Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Maynooth Granite in Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite Harvard Business Review case study are -
Organizational Resilience of Maynooth Granite
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Maynooth Granite does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Maynooth Granite in the sector have low bargaining power. Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Maynooth Granite to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Diverse revenue streams
– Maynooth Granite is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite 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 Strategy & Execution industry
– Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Maynooth Granite to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Maynooth Granite to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Maynooth Granite 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 Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Maynooth Granite 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.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Maynooth Granite 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
– Maynooth Granite has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Maynooth Granite is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Maynooth Granite 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 Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite 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
– Maynooth Granite has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Maynooth Granite 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.
Learning organization
- Maynooth Granite 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 Maynooth Granite is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Weaknesses Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite are -
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Strategy & Execution strategy. But it has very little resources allocation to manage the risks emerging from events such as natural disasters, climate change, melting of permafrost, tacking the rise of artificial intelligence, opportunities and threats emerging from commercialization of space etc.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Maynooth Granite 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. Maynooth Granite 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite 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 Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Maynooth Granite is planning to shift buying processes online.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite, it seems that the employees of Maynooth Granite 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite, in the dynamic environment Maynooth Granite has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Maynooth Granite has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite 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 Maynooth Granite has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Maynooth Granite is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Maynooth Granite, firm in the HBR case study Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Maynooth Granite 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Maynooth Granite has created an environment where the organization is dominated by functional specialists rather than management generalist. This has resulted into product oriented approach rather than marketing oriented approach or consumers oriented approach.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Maynooth Granite 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.
Opportunities Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite | 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 Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite are -
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Maynooth Granite 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 Strategy & Execution segment.
Buying journey improvements
– Maynooth Granite can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Maynooth Granite 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 Maynooth Granite to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Maynooth Granite 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Maynooth Granite 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 Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Maynooth Granite to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Maynooth Granite to increase its market reach. Maynooth Granite will be able to reach out to new customers. Secondly 5G will also provide technology framework to build new tools and products that can help more immersive consumer experience and faster consumer journey.
Reconfiguring business model
– The expansion of digital payment system, the bringing down of international transactions costs using Bitcoin and other blockchain based currencies, etc can help Maynooth Granite 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Maynooth Granite can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Maynooth Granite has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Maynooth Granite to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite case study. Maynooth Granite can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Strategy & Execution industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Maynooth Granite can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Maynooth Granite 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.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Strategy & Execution industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Maynooth Granite 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. Maynooth Granite 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
– Maynooth Granite can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Strategy & Execution 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.
Threats Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite are -
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Maynooth Granite in the Strategy & Execution industry. The Strategy & Execution 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Maynooth Granite with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Maynooth Granite 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 acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Maynooth Granite has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Maynooth Granite needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Strategy & Execution sector. According to Mckinsey study top managers believe that the adoption of technology in operations, communications is 20-25 times faster than what they planned in the beginning of 2019.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Maynooth Granite 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 Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite .
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. Maynooth Granite 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Maynooth Granite 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 Strategy & Execution industry regulations.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite, Maynooth Granite may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Strategy & Execution .
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 Maynooth Granite.
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 Maynooth Granite business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Strategy & Execution field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Maynooth Granite can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Maynooth Granite is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite 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 Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite 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 Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite 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 Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite 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 Readiness to Internationalize at Maynooth Natural Granite 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 Maynooth Granite needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
