Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Finance & Accounting
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version
The general manager of a local gasoline/distillate sales and distribution business unit must communicate a new strategy to the unit's 300 employees. An initial strategic planning exercise identified a high-priority list of opportunities that blended the parent division's national strategy with a customized, local strategy. But for the new strategy to be effective, the old measurement system, which stressed only sales volume and cost reduction, had to be replaced. The manager led the development of a local Balanced Scorecard (BSC), derived from the division scorecard (described in the (A) case). To communicate the critical features of the local BSC, the unit's senior managers established a Super Bowl competition in which all employees were challenged to achieve stretch targets on five BSC measures. This case describes the communication and management processes for the Super Bowl measures.
Swot Analysis of "Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version" written by Robert S. Kaplan includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Bsc Bowl facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Assessing performance, Balanced scorecard, Boards, Business processes, Financial analysis, Growth strategy, Motivating people, Sales, Strategic planning, Strategy execution and Finance & Accounting.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version casestudy better are - – challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, wage bills are increasing, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation,
competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Bsc Bowl, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Bsc Bowl 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 Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Bsc Bowl
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Finance & Accounting field.
4. Making a Finance & Accounting topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Bsc Bowl
Strengths Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Bsc Bowl in Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version Harvard Business Review case study are -
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Bsc Bowl in the sector have low bargaining power. Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Bsc Bowl to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Bsc Bowl 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 Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Bsc Bowl is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Bsc Bowl has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Bsc Bowl has effective processes in place that helps in exploring new product needs, doing quick pilot testing, and then launching the products quickly using its extensive distribution network.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Bsc Bowl 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.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Bsc Bowl in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Analytics focus
– Bsc Bowl 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 S. Kaplan 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
– Bsc Bowl is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version 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.
Ability to lead change in Finance & Accounting field
– Bsc Bowl 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 Bsc Bowl in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Bsc Bowl 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 brand equity
– Bsc Bowl has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Bsc Bowl to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Weaknesses Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version are -
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version, is just above the industry average. Bsc Bowl 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Bsc Bowl 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.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version 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 Bsc Bowl has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version 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 Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Bsc Bowl is planning to shift buying processes online.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Bsc Bowl 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Bsc Bowl is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Finance & Accounting segment. Bsc Bowl needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Bsc Bowl to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version, in the dynamic environment Bsc Bowl has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Bsc Bowl has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version HBR case study mentions - Bsc Bowl 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 Bsc Bowl 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 - Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
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 Bsc Bowl supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Bsc Bowl vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version 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 Bsc Bowl 's lucrative customers.
Opportunities Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version | 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 Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version are -
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Bsc Bowl to increase its market reach. Bsc Bowl 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Bsc Bowl can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Finance & Accounting industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Bsc Bowl 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. Bsc Bowl 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 Bsc Bowl 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Bsc Bowl can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Bsc Bowl operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Finance & Accounting sector.
Buying journey improvements
– Bsc Bowl can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Bsc Bowl 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 Finance & Accounting segment.
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 Bsc Bowl 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, Bsc Bowl 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Bsc Bowl 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Bsc Bowl has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Bsc Bowl to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version case study. Bsc Bowl can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Bsc Bowl is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Bsc Bowl in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Finance & Accounting segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Threats Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version are -
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 Bsc Bowl.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Bsc Bowl 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.
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. Bsc Bowl needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Finance & Accounting industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Bsc Bowl 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 Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version .
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Bsc Bowl with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Finance & Accounting field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Bsc Bowl can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Bsc Bowl 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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Bsc Bowl in the Finance & Accounting industry. The Finance & Accounting 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Bsc Bowl has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Finance & Accounting industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Bsc Bowl needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Finance & Accounting 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 Bsc Bowl business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Increasing wage structure of Bsc Bowl
– 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 Bsc Bowl.
Regulatory challenges
– Bsc Bowl 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 Finance & Accounting industry regulations.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version, Bsc Bowl may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Finance & Accounting .
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version 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 Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version 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 Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version 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 Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version 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 Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, Spanish Version 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 Bsc Bowl needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
