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The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version


Describes a small, luxury retail chain's operational sophistication achieved through the use of technology and "high-touch" customer service. A family-run business, Mitchells has built its success with a customer service strategy known internally as "hugging." The term is deceptively simple. The firm's true success lies in its blend of a warm, other-oriented corporate culture, sophisticated information technology, and an effective family business structure. It is currently considering further expansion for future generations. A rewritten version of an earlier case.

Authors :: Amy C. Edmondson, Corey Hajim, Kelly Mulderry, John A. Davis

Topics :: Technology & Operations

Tags :: Customers, Growth strategy, IT, Knowledge management, Organizational culture, Supply chain, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version" written by Amy C. Edmondson, Corey Hajim, Kelly Mulderry, John A. Davis includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Mitchells Family facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Customers, Growth strategy, IT, Knowledge management, Organizational culture, Supply chain and Technology & Operations.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version casestudy better are - – supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing commodity prices, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Mitchells Family, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Mitchells Family 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 The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Mitchells Family
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Technology & Operations field.
4. Making a Technology & Operations topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Mitchells Family




Strengths The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Mitchells Family in The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version Harvard Business Review case study are -

Highly skilled collaborators

– Mitchells Family 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 The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

High brand equity

– Mitchells Family has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Mitchells Family to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.

Organizational Resilience of Mitchells Family

– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Mitchells Family 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 The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, 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.

Innovation driven organization

– Mitchells Family is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

Analytics focus

– Mitchells Family 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 Amy C. Edmondson, Corey Hajim, Kelly Mulderry, John A. Davis 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.

Low bargaining power of suppliers

– Suppliers of Mitchells Family in the sector have low bargaining power. The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Mitchells Family to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Technology & Operations industry

– The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Mitchells Family to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Technology & Operations industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Mitchells Family to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– Mitchells Family 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 The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.

Digital Transformation in Technology & Operations segment

- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Mitchells Family digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Mitchells Family 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.

Strong track record of project management

– Mitchells Family is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.

Ability to recruit top talent

– Mitchells Family is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, 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.






Weaknesses The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version are -

Slow to harness new channels of communication

– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Mitchells Family is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Amy C. Edmondson, Corey Hajim, Kelly Mulderry, John A. Davis suggests that, Mitchells Family 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.

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 Mitchells Family supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, 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 Mitchells Family vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.

Aligning sales with marketing

– It come across in the case study The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, 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 The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Mitchells Family is planning to shift buying processes online.

High cash cycle compare to competitors

Mitchells Family 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.

Workers concerns about automation

– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Mitchells Family 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 Mitchells Family is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Technology & Operations segment. Mitchells Family needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Mitchells Family to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.

High dependence on star products

– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, 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 Mitchells Family has relatively successful track record of launching new products.

Low market penetration in new markets

– Outside its home market of Mitchells Family, firm in the HBR case study The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.

Slow decision making process

– As mentioned earlier in the report, Mitchells Family 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. Mitchells Family 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.

High operating costs

– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, 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 Mitchells Family 's lucrative customers.




Opportunities The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, 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 The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version are -

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Mitchells Family 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 Technology & Operations segment.

Reforming the budgeting process

- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Mitchells Family 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

– Mitchells Family can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Technology & Operations 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.

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Mitchells Family 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, The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

Leveraging digital technologies

– Mitchells Family 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.

Loyalty marketing

– Mitchells Family 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.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Mitchells Family is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, 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.

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. Mitchells Family 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 Technology & Operations industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Mitchells Family can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Mitchells Family 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.

Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19

– Consumer behavior has changed in the Technology & Operations industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Mitchells Family 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. Mitchells Family 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.

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 Mitchells Family in the consumer business. Now Mitchells Family can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Mitchells Family has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Mitchells Family to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version case study. Mitchells Family can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.




Threats The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, 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 The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version are -

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Mitchells Family 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.

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 Mitchells Family business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.

Environmental challenges

– Mitchells Family 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. Mitchells Family can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Technology & Operations industry.

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Mitchells Family in the Technology & Operations industry. The Technology & Operations 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.

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. Mitchells Family 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.

Learning curve for new practices

– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, Spanish Version, Mitchells Family may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Technology & Operations .

Easy access to finance

– Easy access to finance in Technology & Operations field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Mitchells Family 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 Mitchells Family is facing in Technology & Operations sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

Barriers of entry lowering

– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Mitchells Family with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.

Regulatory challenges

– Mitchells Family 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 Technology & Operations industry regulations.

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.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Mitchells Family 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.

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 The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, 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 The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, 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 The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, 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 The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, 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 The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards, 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 Mitchells Family needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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