PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers
Accompanied by product #PON386.Two-party, single-issue negotiation between two neighbors regarding the potential sale of a vacant lot. The Parkers and the Gibsons own homes on adjacent plots of land. The homes are separated by a 1/2 lot the Parkers purchased years ago in hopes of building a tennis court, which they never got around to. The Parkers are now moving out of state and are interested in selling the half lot, as the buyer of their home is not interested in it. The Parkers have approached the Gibsons (who have interest in the lot for home improvements they have planned) about purchasing the lot. Neither party knows much about the other's interests. The Parkers and Gibsons are meeting to explore whether a mutually beneficial transaction is possible. This is a role play case.
Swot Analysis of "PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers" written by Program on Negotiation includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Parkers Lot facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Negotiations and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers casestudy better are - – challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, wage bills are increasing, increasing energy prices, there is backlash against globalization, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing commodity prices,
increasing household debt because of falling income levels, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Parkers Lot, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Parkers Lot 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 PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Parkers Lot
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 Parkers Lot
Strengths PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Parkers Lot in PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers Harvard Business Review case study are -
Successful track record of launching new products
– Parkers Lot has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Parkers Lot 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.
Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field
– Parkers Lot 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 Parkers Lot 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 Parkers Lot in the sector have low bargaining power. PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Parkers Lot to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Parkers Lot in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Learning organization
- Parkers Lot 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 Parkers Lot is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers 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.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Parkers Lot 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.
Training and development
– Parkers Lot has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers 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.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Parkers Lot 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.
Organizational Resilience of Parkers Lot
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Parkers Lot does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Parkers Lot to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Parkers Lot to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Parkers Lot is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers 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 PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers are -
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Parkers Lot 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 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 Parkers Lot supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Parkers Lot vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers HBR case study mentions - Parkers Lot takes time to assess the upcoming competitions. This has led to missing out on atleast 2-3 big opportunities in the industry in last five years.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Parkers Lot is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Parkers Lot needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Parkers Lot to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Need for greater diversity
– Parkers Lot 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Parkers Lot 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 - PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers, it seems that the employees of Parkers Lot 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Parkers Lot 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 PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers 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 Parkers Lot 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, Parkers Lot is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers, is just above the industry average. Parkers Lot 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.
Opportunities PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers | 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 PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers are -
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. Parkers Lot can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Parkers Lot 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 Parkers Lot to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Parkers Lot 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, PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
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 Parkers Lot 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.
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. Parkers Lot 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. Parkers Lot 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Parkers Lot has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Parkers Lot to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers case study. Parkers Lot can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Parkers Lot 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.
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. Parkers Lot can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Loyalty marketing
– Parkers Lot 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Parkers Lot 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Parkers Lot can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Parkers Lot operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Parkers Lot in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Strategy & Execution segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Buying journey improvements
– Parkers Lot can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers 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.
Threats PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers are -
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.
Environmental challenges
– Parkers Lot 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. Parkers Lot can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Parkers Lot with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers, Parkers Lot 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 .
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. Parkers Lot 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.
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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Parkers Lot 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.
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 Parkers Lot business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Regulatory challenges
– Parkers Lot 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.
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 Parkers Lot.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Parkers Lot is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Parkers Lot 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 PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers .
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Parkers Lot has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Parkers Lot 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers 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 PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers 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 PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers 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 PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers 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 PARKER - GIBSON - Confidential Instructions for the Parkers 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 Parkers Lot needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.