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Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry


Color case includes color exhibits. To maximize their effectiveness, color cases and exhibits should be printed in color.Symantec and McAfee hold 53.6% and 18.8% respectively, of the antivirus software market as of 2006. While the market is concentrated with five firms controlling over 90%, Microsoft is on the eve of releasing a consumer security subscription packed called OneCare Live. Other changes in the industry are also afoot--McAfee has switched its focus to distribute antivirus subscriptions through Internet Service Providers.

Authors :: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Jordan Mitchell

Topics :: Strategy & Execution

Tags :: Decision making, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry" written by Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Jordan Mitchell includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Mcafee Antivirus facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Decision making and Strategy & Execution.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry casestudy better are - – increasing household debt because of falling income levels, wage bills are increasing, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Mcafee Antivirus, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Mcafee Antivirus 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 Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Mcafee Antivirus
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 Mcafee Antivirus




Strengths Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Mcafee Antivirus in Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry Harvard Business Review case study are -

Organizational Resilience of Mcafee Antivirus

– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Mcafee Antivirus does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.

Digital Transformation in Strategy & Execution segment

- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Mcafee Antivirus digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Mcafee Antivirus 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

– Mcafee Antivirus is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry 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.

Highly skilled collaborators

– Mcafee Antivirus 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 Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry 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

– Mcafee Antivirus has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Mcafee Antivirus 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.

Operational resilience

– The operational resilience strategy in the Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry 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.

Strong track record of project management

– Mcafee Antivirus 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 lead change in Strategy & Execution field

– Mcafee Antivirus 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 Mcafee Antivirus in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.

Ability to recruit top talent

– Mcafee Antivirus is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– Mcafee Antivirus 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 Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry - 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 Mcafee Antivirus 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.

Learning organization

- Mcafee Antivirus 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 Mcafee Antivirus is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.






Weaknesses Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry are -

Slow to harness new channels of communication

– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Mcafee Antivirus is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.

High 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 Mcafee Antivirus supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Mcafee Antivirus vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.

High operating costs

– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry 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 Mcafee Antivirus 's lucrative customers.

Lack of clear differentiation of Mcafee Antivirus products

– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Mcafee Antivirus needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.

High dependence on star products

– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry 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 Mcafee Antivirus has relatively successful track record of launching new products.

Interest costs

– Compare to the competition, Mcafee Antivirus 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.

Products dominated business model

– Even though Mcafee Antivirus 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 - Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.

Capital Spending Reduction

– Even during the low interest decade, Mcafee Antivirus has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Jordan Mitchell suggests that, Mcafee Antivirus 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.

Ability to respond to the competition

– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry, in the dynamic environment Mcafee Antivirus has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Mcafee Antivirus has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.

No frontier risks strategy

– After analyzing the HBR case study Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry, 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.




Opportunities Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry | 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 Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry are -

Developing new processes and practices

– Mcafee Antivirus can develop new processes and procedures in Strategy & Execution 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.

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Mcafee Antivirus 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, Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry, 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

– Mcafee Antivirus 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.

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. Mcafee Antivirus 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. Mcafee Antivirus 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.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Mcafee Antivirus 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.

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. Mcafee Antivirus can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Mcafee Antivirus 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.

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 Mcafee Antivirus in the consumer business. Now Mcafee Antivirus can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.

Low interest rates

– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Mcafee Antivirus 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.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Mcafee Antivirus 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 Mcafee Antivirus to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.

Lowering marketing communication costs

– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Mcafee Antivirus 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.

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 Mcafee Antivirus 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.

Loyalty marketing

– Mcafee Antivirus 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 Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry are -

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 Mcafee Antivirus business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that Mcafee Antivirus is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Mcafee Antivirus 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. Mcafee Antivirus 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.

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 Mcafee Antivirus.

Regulatory challenges

– Mcafee Antivirus 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.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Mcafee Antivirus 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 Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry .

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 Mcafee Antivirus in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline 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 Mcafee Antivirus 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.

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.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Mcafee Antivirus 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.

Barriers of entry lowering

– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Mcafee Antivirus with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.

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. Mcafee Antivirus can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry 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 Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry 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 Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry 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 Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry 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 Symantec vs. McAfee: Competing in the Consumer Anti-Virus Industry 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 Mcafee Antivirus needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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