Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market
mfish is a case about global partnerships which target the bottom of the pyramid. This case focuses on mobile penetration and using a local partner to gain access to consumers, however this is not specific to mobile or fishing and can be applied across industries. One of Tone's main successes here was focusing on their core competencies, mobile app development, and using key partnerships to fill in their knowledge and competency gaps. Tone/mfish were able to monetize a solution, despite targeting this very low income sector by making a product that greatly increased the livelihood of it's consumers, which customers were willing to pay for. This case challenges students to think creatively about solving a problem in a low cost way, while also maintaining a customer centric focus. If the product doesn't solve problems for consumers, then there won't be high demand for it, so keeping a customer centric focus is key. In addition, a low cost solution is important when targeting this segment since their willingness to pay might be low on an absolute scale given their low level of income.
Swot Analysis of "Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market" written by Philip Parker, Katelyn Atherton includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Mfish Low facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Emerging markets, Joint ventures, Marketing, Technology and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market casestudy better are - – central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing energy prices, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , technology disruption,
cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Mfish Low, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Mfish Low 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 Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Mfish Low
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 Mfish Low
Strengths Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Mfish Low in Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market Harvard Business Review case study are -
Innovation driven organization
– Mfish Low is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Mfish Low in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Mfish Low is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
High brand equity
– Mfish Low has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Mfish Low to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field
– Mfish Low 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 Mfish Low in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Mfish Low 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 Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Organizational Resilience of Mfish Low
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Mfish Low does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Diverse revenue streams
– Mfish Low is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market 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
– Mfish Low 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 Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Mfish Low 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Mfish Low in the sector have low bargaining power. Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Mfish Low to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Analytics focus
– Mfish Low is putting a lot of focus on utilizing the power of analytics in business decision making. This has put it among the leading players in the industry. The technology infrastructure suggested by Philip Parker, Katelyn Atherton can also help it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.
Weaknesses Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market are -
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Mfish Low 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Mfish Low is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Mfish Low needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Mfish Low to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market 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 Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Mfish Low is planning to shift buying processes online.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market 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 Mfish Low has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Mfish Low, firm in the HBR case study Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Mfish Low 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Mfish Low 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market HBR case study mentions - Mfish Low 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market, it seems that the employees of Mfish Low 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.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Mfish Low 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 Mfish Low supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Mfish Low vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Opportunities Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market | 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 Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market are -
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 Mfish Low 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Mfish Low 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Mfish Low can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Mfish Low operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Mfish Low has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Mfish Low to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market case study. Mfish Low can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Mfish Low 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 Mfish Low to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
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 Mfish Low in the consumer business. Now Mfish Low can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Mfish Low 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, Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Mfish Low 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Mfish Low 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Mfish Low to increase its market reach. Mfish Low 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Mfish Low can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Mfish Low 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Mfish Low is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market case study suggests that firm can utilize new technology to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.
Threats Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market are -
High level of anxiety and lack of motivation
– the Great Resignation in United States is the sign of broader dissatisfaction among the workforce in United States. Mfish Low needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Mfish Low is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Regulatory challenges
– Mfish Low 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Mfish Low has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Mfish Low 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.
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 Mfish Low business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Environmental challenges
– Mfish Low 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. Mfish Low can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry.
Increasing wage structure of Mfish Low
– 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 Mfish Low.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market, Mfish Low 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 .
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Mfish Low with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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. Mfish Low 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.
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. Mfish Low can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Mfish Low 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market 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 Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market 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 Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market 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 Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market 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 Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market 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 Mfish Low needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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You can download Excel Template of Case Study Solution & Analysis of Tone and mfish (A): Targeting Fishermen at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia's Mobile Market