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Just Dial's IPO SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Just Dial's IPO


Just Dial was the largest phone and Internet based local search provider in India. The company started providing services in 1996, but the revenues of the company shot up in 2004 with the penetration of telecoms in the Indian market. Several private equity investors funded the growth of Just Dial. Almost 90% of Just Dial revenues came from Tier I cities in India. In order to mark its presence and expand its network to Tier II cities, Just Dial required funds. With funds already raised from private equity investors, Just Dial planned to take the IPO route for further fundraising. In March 2013, Just Dial's IPO was approved by SEBI after five previous unsuccessful attempts - twice on NASDAQ, two aborted filings in India in the last two years and one on a smaller exchange. The case is positioned in May 2013, just a few days before the IPO's launch, when there was a great deal of negative news in the market regarding Just Dial's overvaluation. The business model was completely new and there were no industry comparables in order to do a fair valuation. Analysts in the market repeatedly warned investors, suggesting they avoid the IPO because it was overvalued. Furthermore, they said that it was only meant to provide an exit option for the PE investors. Consequently, investors were sceptical of Just Dial's valuation. With this negative perception prevailing in the market, should Just Dial consider delaying the IPO or lowering the price range (thus reconsidering its valuation)?

Authors :: Shailendra Kumar Raii, Shelly Singhal

Topics :: Strategy & Execution

Tags :: Financial analysis, Financial management, Growth strategy, IPO, Technology, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Just Dial's IPO" written by Shailendra Kumar Raii, Shelly Singhal includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Dial Dial's facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Just Dial's IPO case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Financial analysis, Financial management, Growth strategy, IPO, Technology and Strategy & Execution.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Just Dial's IPO casestudy better are - – central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, technology disruption, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing commodity prices, wage bills are increasing, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Just Dial's IPO


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




Strengths Just Dial's IPO | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Dial Dial's in Just Dial's IPO Harvard Business Review case study are -

Ability to recruit top talent

– Dial Dial's is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Just Dial's IPO are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.

Highly skilled collaborators

– Dial Dial's 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 Just Dial's IPO HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

Learning organization

- Dial Dial's 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 Dial Dial's is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Just Dial's IPO Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field

– Dial Dial's 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 Dial Dial's in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.

Diverse revenue streams

– Dial Dial's is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Just Dial's IPO 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.

Organizational Resilience of Dial Dial's

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

Operational resilience

– The operational resilience strategy in the Just Dial's IPO 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.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– Dial Dial's 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 Just Dial's IPO - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.

Training and development

– Dial Dial's has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Just Dial's IPO 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.

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry

– Just Dial's IPO firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Dial Dial's to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Dial Dial's to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Cross disciplinary teams

– Horizontal connected teams at the Dial Dial's 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.

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Dial Dial's 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.






Weaknesses Just Dial's IPO | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Just Dial's IPO are -

Skills based hiring

– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Dial Dial's 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.

Workers concerns about automation

– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Dial Dial's 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.

Increasing silos among functional specialists

– The organizational structure of Dial Dial's is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Dial Dial's needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Dial Dial's to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.

Capital Spending Reduction

– Even during the low interest decade, Dial Dial's 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.

No frontier risks strategy

– After analyzing the HBR case study Just Dial's IPO, 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.

Slow to strategic competitive environment developments

– As Just Dial's IPO HBR case study mentions - Dial Dial's 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.

Products dominated business model

– Even though Dial Dial's 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 - Just Dial's IPO should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Shailendra Kumar Raii, Shelly Singhal suggests that, Dial Dial's 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.

Compensation and incentives

– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Just Dial's IPO, is just above the industry average. Dial Dial's 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.

Interest costs

– Compare to the competition, Dial Dial's 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.

Ability to respond to the competition

– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Just Dial's IPO, in the dynamic environment Dial Dial's has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Dial Dial's has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.




Opportunities Just Dial's IPO | 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 Just Dial's IPO are -

Finding new ways to collaborate

– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Strategy & Execution industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Dial Dial's can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

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

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Dial Dial's has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Dial Dial's to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Just Dial's IPO case study. Dial Dial's can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

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 Dial Dial's in the consumer business. Now Dial Dial's 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, Dial Dial's 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, Just Dial's IPO, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

Developing new processes and practices

– Dial Dial's 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.

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Dial Dial's 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.

Buying journey improvements

– Dial Dial's can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Just Dial's IPO 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.

Loyalty marketing

– Dial Dial's 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.

Increase in government spending

– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Dial Dial's can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Dial Dial's operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Dial Dial's is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Just Dial's IPO 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.

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. Dial Dial's 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. Dial Dial's 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 Dial Dial's 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.




Threats Just Dial's IPO External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Just Dial's IPO are -

Shortening product life cycle

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

Increasing wage structure of Dial Dial's

– 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 Dial Dial's.

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.

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Dial Dial's 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.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Dial Dial's 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.

Environmental challenges

– Dial Dial's 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. Dial Dial's can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution 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 Dial Dial's in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.

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. Dial Dial's 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. Dial Dial's 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 acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

– Dial Dial's has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Dial Dial's 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.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Dial Dial's 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 Just Dial's IPO .

Regulatory challenges

– Dial Dial's 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 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.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of Just Dial's IPO 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 Just Dial's IPO 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 Just Dial's IPO 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 Just Dial's IPO 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 Just Dial's IPO 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 Dial Dial's needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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