QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Global Business
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy
QualityKiosk Technologies Private Limited (QualityKiosk) was an information technology company providing software application testing and quality assurance services to banks and insurance companies in India. In 2015, QualityKiosk had over 70 per cent penetration in the insurance sector in terms of numbers of customers, and only 30 per cent penetration in the banking sector. Anuroop Krishna, head of QualityKiosk's banking vertical, must put together a coherent sales strategy for 2016-17, and present his recommendations to QualityKiosk's chief executive officer. Sreeram Sivaramakrishnan is affiliated with NMIMS University.
Swot Analysis of "QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy" written by Sreeram Sivaramakrishnan, Anuroop Krishna includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Sales and Global Business.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy casestudy better are - – increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, geopolitical disruptions, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing commodity prices, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, technology disruption,
cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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 QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Global Business field.
4. Making a Global Business topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's
Strengths QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's in QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy Harvard Business Review case study are -
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Training and development
– Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's in the sector have low bargaining power. QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Global Business industry
– QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Global Business industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Strong track record of project management
– Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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 lead change in Global Business field
– Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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 Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Analytics focus
– Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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 Sreeram Sivaramakrishnan, Anuroop Krishna 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Digital Transformation in Global Business segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's has successfully integrated the four key components of digital transformation – digital integration in processes, digital integration in marketing and customer relationship management, digital integration into the value chain, and using technology to explore new products and market opportunities.
Learning organization
- Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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 Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Weaknesses QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy are -
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Sreeram Sivaramakrishnan, Anuroop Krishna suggests that, Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy, in the dynamic environment Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's, firm in the HBR case study QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Global Business 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 QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy, it seems that the employees of Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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.
Opportunities QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy | 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 QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy are -
Developing new processes and practices
– Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's can develop new processes and procedures in Global Business 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Global Business sector.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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 Global Business segment.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy case study. Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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.
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 Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Global Business 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.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Global Business industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Global Business industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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. Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's to expand its talent hiring zone. According to McKinsey Global Institute, 20% of the high end workforce in fields such as finance, information technology, can continously work from remote local post Covid-19. This presents a really great opportunity for Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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.
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 Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's in the consumer business. Now Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Threats QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy are -
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's can face lack of demand in the market place because of Fed actions to reduce inflation. This can lead to sluggish growth in the economy, lower demands, lower investments, higher borrowing costs, and consolidation in the field.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's is facing in Global Business sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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. Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Global Business industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
New competition
– After the dotcom bust of 2001, financial crisis of 2008-09, the business formation in US economy had declined. But in 2020 alone, there are more than 1.5 million new business applications in United States. This can lead to greater competition for Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's in the Global Business sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Instability in the European markets
– European Union markets are facing three big challenges post Covid – expanded balance sheets, Brexit related business disruption, and aggressive Russia looking to distract the existing security mechanism. Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's in the Global Business industry. The Global Business 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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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 QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy .
Regulatory challenges
– Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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 Global Business industry regulations.
Environmental challenges
– Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's 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. Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Global Business industry.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Global Business industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Global Business 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.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Global Business field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy 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 QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy 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 QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy 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 QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy 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 QualityKiosk: Drawing Up a Sales Strategy 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 Qualitykiosk Qualitykiosk's needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
