Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry
This industry note covers how new players in cloud file sharing and storage (such as Dropbox and Box) are reshaping the overall enterprise content management (ECM) software industry in 2014. The note presents the major incumbent firms in the ECM industry in 2014, and then describes in depth 1) the latest technology, market and business model changes that potentially enable a disruption of that industry, and 2) the key new industry players. It also discusses the implications of the convergence between two industries: Small and medium business (SMB) file sharing and ECM. In addition, the note considers the strategic challenges facing these two categories of players in shaping the future of the converged industry.
Authors :: Robert Siegel, Robert A. Burgelman, Cyril Labidi
Swot Analysis of "Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry" written by Robert Siegel, Robert A. Burgelman, Cyril Labidi includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Ecm Industry facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Growth strategy, IT and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry casestudy better are - – digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, wage bills are increasing, increasing commodity prices, there is backlash against globalization, increasing energy prices, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models,
customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Ecm Industry, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Ecm Industry 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 Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Ecm Industry
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 Ecm Industry
Strengths Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Ecm Industry in Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry Harvard Business Review case study are -
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Ecm Industry 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.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Ecm Industry 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 Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management 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.
Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field
– Ecm Industry 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 Ecm Industry 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
– Ecm Industry is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management 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.
Digital Transformation in Strategy & Execution segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Ecm Industry digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Ecm Industry 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.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Ecm Industry 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.
Analytics focus
– Ecm Industry 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 Robert Siegel, Robert A. Burgelman, Cyril Labidi 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Ecm Industry is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management 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.
Learning organization
- Ecm Industry 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 Ecm Industry is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High brand equity
– Ecm Industry has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Ecm Industry to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Strong track record of project management
– Ecm Industry is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Ecm Industry in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Weaknesses Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry are -
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry 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 Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Ecm Industry is planning to shift buying processes online.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Robert Siegel, Robert A. Burgelman, Cyril Labidi suggests that, Ecm Industry 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Ecm Industry, firm in the HBR case study Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Ecm Industry 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 Ecm Industry is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Ecm Industry needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Ecm Industry to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry, is just above the industry average. Ecm Industry 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.
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 Ecm Industry supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Ecm Industry vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Ecm Industry 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.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Ecm Industry has a very deliberative decision making approach. This approach has resulted in prudent decisions, but it has also resulted in missing opportunities in the industry over the last five years. Ecm Industry even though has strong showing on digital transformation primary two stages, it has struggled to capitalize the power of digital transformation in marketing efforts and new venture efforts.
Need for greater diversity
– Ecm Industry 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Ecm Industry products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Ecm Industry needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Opportunities Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management 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 Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry are -
Loyalty marketing
– Ecm Industry 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
– Ecm Industry 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. Ecm Industry 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. Ecm Industry 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.
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. Ecm Industry can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Ecm Industry 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Ecm Industry can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Ecm Industry 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, Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Ecm Industry to increase its market reach. Ecm Industry 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Ecm Industry 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Ecm Industry 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 Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Ecm Industry to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Ecm Industry 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Ecm Industry has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Ecm Industry to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry case study. Ecm Industry can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, 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, Ecm Industry can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Ecm Industry operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
Threats Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry are -
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. Ecm Industry can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Ecm Industry is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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. Ecm Industry needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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. Ecm Industry 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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Ecm Industry 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.
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.
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.
Increasing wage structure of Ecm Industry
– 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 Ecm Industry.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Ecm Industry with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Ecm Industry 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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Ecm Industry 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.
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 Ecm Industry business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Ecm Industry 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 Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management industry .
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management 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 Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management 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 Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management 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 Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management 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 Cloud Storage and Document Management: How a new generation of companies is shaping the enterprise content management 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 Ecm Industry needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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