Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Technology & Operations
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO
The mobile app market, particularly the app game sector, is a multibillion-dollar space. I conducted in-depth interviews and two large-scale surveys with a total 1,437 respondents to investigate the consumer behavior of mobile app game players. The app game PokA?mon GO became a worldwide phenomenon not only as a social sensation but also as a high profitable business model. Taking the theoretical lens of telepresence theory and social capital theory, I develop a framework to explicate the success factors of PokA?mon GO. The theoretical framework also provides guidelines for practitioners who plan to enter the lucrative app game market.
Swot Analysis of "Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO" written by Ailie K.Y. Tang includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that App Mon facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, IT and Technology & Operations.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO casestudy better are - – supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, increasing energy prices, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, technology disruption, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, there is increasing trade war between United States & China,
increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the App Mon, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which App Mon 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 Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of App Mon
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 App Mon
Strengths Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of App Mon in Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO Harvard Business Review case study are -
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– App Mon 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 Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of App Mon in the sector have low bargaining power. Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps App Mon to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Strong track record of project management
– App Mon is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– App Mon is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Diverse revenue streams
– App Mon is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO 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.
Innovation driven organization
– App Mon is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Successful track record of launching new products
– App Mon has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. App Mon 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of App Mon in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Analytics focus
– App Mon 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 Ailie K.Y. Tang 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.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that App Mon 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.
Learning organization
- App Mon 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 App Mon is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Weaknesses Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO are -
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of App Mon, firm in the HBR case study Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO 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 App Mon 's lucrative customers.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, App Mon has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at App Mon 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 Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO, in the dynamic environment App Mon has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. App Mon has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of App Mon is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Technology & Operations segment. App Mon needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help App Mon to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO, it seems that the employees of App Mon 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Technology & Operations 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of App Mon products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, App Mon needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
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 App Mon supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left App Mon vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO HBR case study mentions - App Mon 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.
Opportunities Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO | 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 Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO are -
Buying journey improvements
– App Mon can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of App Mon has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help App Mon to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO case study. App Mon 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, App Mon is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help App Mon to increase its market reach. App Mon 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– App Mon can develop new processes and procedures in Technology & Operations industry using technology such as automation using artificial intelligence, real time transportation and products tracking, 3D modeling for concept development and new products pilot testing etc.
Loyalty marketing
– App Mon 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.
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 App Mon in the consumer business. Now App Mon can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
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. App Mon 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. App Mon 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.
Manufacturing automation
– App Mon 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– App Mon 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 Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help App Mon to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for App Mon 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, App Mon 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, Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects App Mon can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Threats Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO are -
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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– App Mon has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Technology & Operations industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, App Mon needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Technology & Operations 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 App Mon business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– App Mon 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.
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 App Mon.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents App Mon with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Consumer confidence and its impact on App Mon 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. App Mon needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Technology & Operations industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Instability in the European markets
– European Union markets are facing three big challenges post Covid – expanded balance sheets, Brexit related business disruption, and aggressive Russia looking to distract the existing security mechanism. App Mon 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 App Mon
– 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 App Mon.
Environmental challenges
– App Mon 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. App Mon can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Technology & Operations industry.
Regulatory challenges
– App Mon 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO 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 Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO 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 Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO 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 Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO 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 Key Factors in the Triumph of Pokemon GO 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 App Mon needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
