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Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF


In May 2012, private equity firm KKR is considering the buyout of WMF group (WMF), a diversified kitchenware and professional coffee machine manufacturer headquartered in Geislingen, Germany. The deal seems a potentially compelling investment opportunity, with various options for value creation - expanding WMF's well-established brand to other geographies as well as reducing costs. Priorities must be set, however, to generate an attractive return by the end of the investment period. The deal team has to decide which business segments are worth putting more resources into and which to divest, which brands should be kept and which to trim off, and how to take up any operational slack without affecting the overall strategy.

Authors :: Vikas A. Aggarwal, Claudia Zeisberger, Jean Wee

Topics :: Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Tags :: Growth strategy, Mergers & acquisitions, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF" written by Vikas A. Aggarwal, Claudia Zeisberger, Jean Wee includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Wmf Buyout facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Growth strategy, Mergers & acquisitions and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF casestudy better are - – increasing household debt because of falling income levels, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, increasing transportation and logistics costs, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, there is backlash against globalization, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing energy prices, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF


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




Strengths Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Wmf Buyout in Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF Harvard Business Review case study are -

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Wmf Buyout 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.

Low bargaining power of suppliers

– Suppliers of Wmf Buyout in the sector have low bargaining power. Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Wmf Buyout to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry

– Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Wmf Buyout to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Wmf Buyout to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Highly skilled collaborators

– Wmf Buyout 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 Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

Innovation driven organization

– Wmf Buyout is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

Learning organization

- Wmf Buyout 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 Wmf Buyout is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– Wmf Buyout 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 Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.

Ability to recruit top talent

– Wmf Buyout is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.

High brand equity

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

Cross disciplinary teams

– Horizontal connected teams at the Wmf Buyout 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.

Strong track record of project management

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

Training and development

– Wmf Buyout has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF 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.






Weaknesses Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF are -

Skills based hiring

– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Wmf Buyout 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.

High cash cycle compare to competitors

Wmf Buyout 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.

Need for greater diversity

– Wmf Buyout has taken concrete steps on diversity, equity, and inclusion. But the efforts so far has resulted in limited success. It needs to expand the recruitment and selection process to hire more people from the minorities and underprivileged background.

Interest costs

– Compare to the competition, Wmf Buyout 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, Wmf Buyout 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 bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Vikas A. Aggarwal, Claudia Zeisberger, Jean Wee suggests that, Wmf Buyout 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.

Ability to respond to the competition

– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF, in the dynamic environment Wmf Buyout has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Wmf Buyout has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.

Aligning sales with marketing

– It come across in the case study Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF 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 Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Wmf Buyout is planning to shift buying processes online.

No frontier risks strategy

– After analyzing the HBR case study Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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.

Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy

– From the instances in the HBR case study Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF, it seems that the employees of Wmf Buyout 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.

High dependence on star products

– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF 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 Wmf Buyout has relatively successful track record of launching new products.




Opportunities Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF | 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 Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF are -

Low interest rates

– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Wmf Buyout 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.

Finding new ways to collaborate

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

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Wmf Buyout 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 Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment.

Better consumer reach

– The expansion of the 5G network will help Wmf Buyout to increase its market reach. Wmf Buyout 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.

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 Wmf Buyout 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.

Creating value in data economy

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

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Wmf Buyout 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, Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

Increase in government spending

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

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. Wmf Buyout can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Wmf Buyout 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 Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Wmf Buyout 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. Wmf Buyout 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.

Reforming the budgeting process

- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Wmf Buyout can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.

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




Threats Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF are -

Easy access to finance

– Easy access to finance in Innovation & Entrepreneurship field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Wmf Buyout can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Wmf Buyout in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. The Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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.

Learning curve for new practices

– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF, Wmf Buyout may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Innovation & Entrepreneurship .

Increasing wage structure of Wmf Buyout

– 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 Wmf Buyout.

Barriers of entry lowering

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

Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

– Wmf Buyout has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Wmf Buyout needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Wmf Buyout 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.

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.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Wmf Buyout 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.

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that Wmf Buyout is facing in Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

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 Wmf Buyout business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Wmf Buyout 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.

Environmental challenges

– Wmf Buyout 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. Wmf Buyout can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF 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 Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF 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 Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF 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 Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF 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 Finding the Perfect Recipe: KKR's Buyout of WMF 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 Wmf Buyout needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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