Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed
Fournier rejected Carlos' request to re-implement Wave II. Carlos visited Colombia and Dubai to determine whether to apply their telephone selling approach ("Telemarketing") elsewhere. Carlos had to decide whether to tell Fournier of Dubai's revolutionary tool that could transform Rank Xerox's sales operations or put the idea aside. Condensed version of INS598.
Swot Analysis of "Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed" written by Michael Casaburi, Gabriel Szulanski includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Carlos Fournier facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Competitive strategy, Cross-cultural management, Knowledge management and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed casestudy better are - – supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, increasing energy prices, geopolitical disruptions, increasing commodity prices,
increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Carlos Fournier, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Carlos Fournier 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 Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Carlos Fournier
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 Carlos Fournier
Strengths Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Carlos Fournier in Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed Harvard Business Review case study are -
Training and development
– Carlos Fournier has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed 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.
Analytics focus
– Carlos Fournier 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 Michael Casaburi, Gabriel Szulanski 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.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Carlos Fournier 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 Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Strong track record of project management
– Carlos Fournier is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Digital Transformation in Strategy & Execution segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Carlos Fournier digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Carlos Fournier 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.
Learning organization
- Carlos Fournier 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 Carlos Fournier is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed 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)
– Carlos Fournier 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 Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Carlos Fournier 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.
Organizational Resilience of Carlos Fournier
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Carlos Fournier does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
High brand equity
– Carlos Fournier has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Carlos Fournier to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Carlos Fournier in the sector have low bargaining power. Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Carlos Fournier to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Weaknesses Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed are -
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Carlos Fournier is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed 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 Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Carlos Fournier is planning to shift buying processes online.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed, it seems that the employees of Carlos Fournier 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed HBR case study mentions - Carlos Fournier 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Carlos Fournier products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Carlos Fournier needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Carlos Fournier 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. Carlos Fournier 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Carlos Fournier 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Carlos Fournier 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Carlos Fournier 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed, in the dynamic environment Carlos Fournier has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Carlos Fournier has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed 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 Carlos Fournier 's lucrative customers.
Opportunities Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed | 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 Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed are -
Loyalty marketing
– Carlos Fournier 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
– Carlos Fournier 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Carlos Fournier 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Carlos Fournier 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 Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Carlos Fournier to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Carlos Fournier can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Carlos Fournier operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
Buying journey improvements
– Carlos Fournier can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed 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.
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 Carlos Fournier in the consumer business. Now Carlos Fournier can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Identify volunteer opportunities
– Covid-19 has impacted working population in two ways – it has led to people soul searching about their professional choices, resulting in mass resignation. Secondly it has encouraged people to do things that they are passionate about. This has opened opportunities for businesses to build volunteer oriented socially driven projects. Carlos Fournier can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
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. Carlos Fournier can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Carlos Fournier is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Carlos Fournier can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Manufacturing automation
– Carlos Fournier 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.
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 Carlos Fournier 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.
Threats Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed are -
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Carlos Fournier 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 Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed .
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. Carlos Fournier can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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. Carlos Fournier needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Carlos Fournier 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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Carlos Fournier 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.
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 Carlos Fournier in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Regulatory challenges
– Carlos Fournier 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.
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 Carlos Fournier.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Carlos Fournier has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Carlos Fournier 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 Carlos Fournier business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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.
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. Carlos Fournier 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 Carlos Fournier
– 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 Carlos Fournier.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed 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 Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed 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 Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed 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 Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed 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 Rank Xerox : Is "Telemarketing" the Answer?, Condensed 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 Carlos Fournier needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
