PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A)
The management of PlanetFeedback in proposes a merger with Intelliseek. Their goal is to create a comprehensive C2B and B2B business focused on the generation and analysis for business clients of consumer feedback data via the Internet, Planet Feedback's board of directors insists that management decide between two basic business strategies: corporate customer service and market analysis support or information generation and analysis.
Swot Analysis of "PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A)" written by James L. Heskett includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Planetfeedback C2b facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Corporate governance, Entrepreneurial management, Internet, Marketing, Mergers & acquisitions and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) casestudy better are - – increasing energy prices, technology disruption, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, geopolitical disruptions, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing transportation and logistics costs,
there is increasing trade war between United States & China, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Planetfeedback C2b, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Planetfeedback C2b 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 PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Planetfeedback C2b
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 Planetfeedback C2b
Strengths PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Planetfeedback C2b in PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) Harvard Business Review case study are -
High brand equity
– Planetfeedback C2b has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Planetfeedback C2b to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Digital Transformation in Strategy & Execution segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Planetfeedback C2b digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Planetfeedback C2b 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Planetfeedback C2b in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Planetfeedback C2b 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Planetfeedback C2b is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Learning organization
- Planetfeedback C2b 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 Planetfeedback C2b is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Planetfeedback C2b 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 PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Planetfeedback C2b is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Planetfeedback C2b 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
– Planetfeedback C2b has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Planetfeedback C2b is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) 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
– PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Planetfeedback C2b to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Planetfeedback C2b to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Weaknesses PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) are -
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Planetfeedback C2b, firm in the HBR case study PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A), in the dynamic environment Planetfeedback C2b has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Planetfeedback C2b has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
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 Planetfeedback C2b supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A), it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Planetfeedback C2b vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A), 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.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Planetfeedback C2b 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 operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) 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 Planetfeedback C2b 's lucrative customers.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Planetfeedback C2b 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) 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 PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Planetfeedback C2b is planning to shift buying processes online.
Need for greater diversity
– Planetfeedback C2b 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.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) 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 Planetfeedback C2b has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Planetfeedback C2b 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.
Opportunities PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) | 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 PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) are -
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Planetfeedback C2b 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 Planetfeedback C2b to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Planetfeedback C2b can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Planetfeedback C2b operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
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. Planetfeedback C2b 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. Planetfeedback C2b 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Planetfeedback C2b 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Planetfeedback C2b 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Planetfeedback C2b 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, PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A), 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 Planetfeedback C2b 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 Planetfeedback C2b can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Planetfeedback C2b 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Planetfeedback C2b 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 PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Planetfeedback C2b to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
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 Planetfeedback C2b in the consumer business. Now Planetfeedback C2b can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Loyalty marketing
– Planetfeedback C2b 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Planetfeedback C2b 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.
Threats PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) 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.
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. Planetfeedback C2b 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.
Increasing wage structure of Planetfeedback C2b
– 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 Planetfeedback C2b.
Environmental challenges
– Planetfeedback C2b 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. Planetfeedback C2b can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry.
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 Planetfeedback C2b business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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 Planetfeedback C2b.
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. Planetfeedback C2b can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Planetfeedback C2b high dependence on third party suppliers can disrupt its processes and delivery mechanism. For example -the current troubles of car makers because of chip shortage is because the chip companies started producing chips for electronic companies rather than car manufacturers.
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 Planetfeedback C2b in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Planetfeedback C2b with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Planetfeedback C2b has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Planetfeedback C2b 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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Planetfeedback C2b is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A), Planetfeedback C2b 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 .
Weighted SWOT Analysis of PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) 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 PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) 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 PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) 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 PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) 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 PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One...The Power of Many (A) 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 Planetfeedback C2b needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
