KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C)
Supplement to case LBS109. This is part of a case series. The case describes the turnaround of the Belgian bank KBC under the leadership of Johan Thijs in the period 2009-2016. The case is made up of three parts - A, B and C. KBC (A) describes the situation in July 2009 when Johan This was promoted to Managing Director (MD) of the Belgian subsidiary, by far the biggest and most important unit within KBC Group. The timing is a bad one for the bank - it had just been rescued through a multibillion euro bailout by the Belgian government and the bank is on the verge of bankruptcy. Morale is at an all-time low, employees feel betrayed and are demotivated and the euro crisis is about to hit the European banking sector just when banks throughout Europe are trying to respond to the financial crisis of 2008. Johan Thijs inherits a total mess in Belgium and the case describes the facts he faces and asks the question: 'What should he do in the Belgian Unit?' At the same time to becoming MD of Belgium, he becomes member of the Group's Executive Committee (ExCo) and the case also raises the question: 'What can Thijs do as a member of the ExCo to prevent the bankruptcy of KBC Group?'
Authors :: Lisa Duke, Constantinos C. Markides, Daniel Oyon
Swot Analysis of "KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C)" written by Lisa Duke, Constantinos C. Markides, Daniel Oyon includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Kbc Belgian facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Leadership, Recession and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) casestudy better are - – cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, there is backlash against globalization, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing energy prices, increasing household debt because of falling income levels,
increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Kbc Belgian, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Kbc Belgian 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 KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Kbc Belgian
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Strategy & Execution field.
4. Making a Strategy & Execution topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Kbc Belgian
Strengths KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Kbc Belgian in KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Strong track record of project management
– Kbc Belgian 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 KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) 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.
Learning organization
- Kbc Belgian 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 Kbc Belgian is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Kbc Belgian in the sector have low bargaining power. KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Kbc Belgian to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Kbc Belgian in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Kbc Belgian 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 KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Training and development
– Kbc Belgian has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) 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.
Organizational Resilience of Kbc Belgian
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Kbc Belgian does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Diverse revenue streams
– Kbc Belgian is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) case study a diverse revenue stream that has helped it to survive disruptions such as global pandemic in Covid-19, financial disruption of 2008, and supply chain disruption of 2021.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Kbc Belgian is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Kbc Belgian 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 KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
High brand equity
– Kbc Belgian has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Kbc Belgian to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Weaknesses KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) are -
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) 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 KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Kbc Belgian is planning to shift buying processes online.
Lack of clear differentiation of Kbc Belgian products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Kbc Belgian needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) 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 Kbc Belgian has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Kbc Belgian is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Kbc Belgian has some of the most successful products in the industry, this business model has made each new product launch extremely critical for continuous financial growth of the organization. firm in the HBR case study - KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C), it seems that the employees of Kbc Belgian 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 bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Lisa Duke, Constantinos C. Markides, Daniel Oyon suggests that, Kbc Belgian 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.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Kbc Belgian 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. Kbc Belgian 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Kbc Belgian 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Kbc Belgian, firm in the HBR case study KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) 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 KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) 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 Kbc Belgian 's lucrative customers.
Opportunities KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) | 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 KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) are -
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Strategy & Execution industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Kbc Belgian 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. Kbc Belgian 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Kbc Belgian 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 KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Kbc Belgian to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Kbc Belgian can still utilize the low interest rates to borrow money for capital investment. Secondly it can also use the increase of government spending in infrastructure projects to get new business.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Kbc Belgian 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Kbc Belgian 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 Kbc Belgian to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Kbc Belgian has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Kbc Belgian to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) case study. Kbc Belgian can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
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 Kbc Belgian 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Kbc Belgian can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Kbc Belgian operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Kbc Belgian to increase its market reach. Kbc Belgian 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Kbc Belgian 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Kbc Belgian 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, KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C), to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Kbc Belgian 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 Strategy & Execution segment.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Kbc Belgian can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Threats KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) are -
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Kbc Belgian 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 Kbc Belgian business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Kbc Belgian 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C), Kbc Belgian may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Strategy & Execution .
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Kbc Belgian with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Strategy & Execution field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Kbc Belgian can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Regulatory challenges
– Kbc Belgian 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 Strategy & Execution industry regulations.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Kbc Belgian in the Strategy & Execution industry. The Strategy & Execution 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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Kbc Belgian 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.
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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Kbc Belgian 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 KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) .
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. Kbc Belgian needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) 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 KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) 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 KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) 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 KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) 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 KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company (KBC) (C) 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 Kbc Belgian needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
