Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Sales & Marketing
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity
In May 2017, The White Dog Cafe (White Dog) had been under new ownership for seven years, had opened two new locations, and had continued most of the initiatives that had made it one of the most well-respected and sustainably run restaurants in the United States. But the restaurant was still relatively unknown. How could White Dog's director of marketing convince owner Marty Grims that a brand management agency could help the White Dog brand evolve to meet the expectations of an increasingly sophisticated marketplace? Diane M. Phillips is affiliated with Saint Joseph's University. Jason Keith Phillips is affiliated with West Chester University.
Swot Analysis of "Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity" written by Diane Phillips, Jason Keith Phillips includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Dog White facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Sustainability and Sales & Marketing.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity casestudy better are - – customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies,
wage bills are increasing, increasing energy prices, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Dog White, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Dog White 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 Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Dog White
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Sales & Marketing field.
4. Making a Sales & Marketing topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Dog White
Strengths Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Dog White in Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity Harvard Business Review case study are -
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Dog White in the sector have low bargaining power. Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Dog White to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Organizational Resilience of Dog White
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Dog White does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Dog White 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.
Analytics focus
– Dog White 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 Diane Phillips, Jason Keith Phillips 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.
Ability to lead change in Sales & Marketing field
– Dog White 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 Dog White in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Dog White is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Digital Transformation in Sales & Marketing segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Dog White digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Dog White 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
- Dog White 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 Dog White is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Dog White 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Dog White is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Training and development
– Dog White has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity 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.
High brand equity
– Dog White has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Dog White to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Weaknesses Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity are -
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Dog White 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 dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity 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 Dog White has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity HBR case study mentions - Dog White 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity, it seems that the employees of Dog White 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 operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity 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 Dog White 's lucrative customers.
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 Dog White supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Dog White vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Dog White 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. Dog White 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity 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 Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Dog White is planning to shift buying processes online.
Need for greater diversity
– Dog White 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, Dog White 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, Dog White 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.
Opportunities Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity | 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 Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity are -
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Dog White 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 Dog White to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Dog White can leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the production process, customer analytics to get better insights into consumer behavior, realtime digital dashboards to get better sales tracking, logistics and transportation, product tracking, etc.
Loyalty marketing
– Dog White 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Dog White 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Dog White 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 Sales & Marketing segment.
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. Dog White can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Dog White 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 Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Dog White 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, Dog White 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 Sales & Marketing industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Dog White can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Dog White in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Sales & Marketing segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Dog White is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Dog White has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Dog White to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity case study. Dog White 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, Dog White 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, Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Threats Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity are -
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Sales & Marketing field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Dog White can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Increasing wage structure of Dog White
– 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 Dog White.
Regulatory challenges
– Dog White 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 Sales & Marketing industry regulations.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Dog White 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Dog White with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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.
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 Dog White business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Environmental challenges
– Dog White 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. Dog White can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Dog White 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 Dog White is facing in Sales & Marketing sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Dog White demand
– There is a high probability of declining consumer confidence, given – high inflammation rate, rise of gig economy, lower job stability, increasing cost of living, higher interest rates, and aging demography. All the factors contribute to people saving higher rate of their income, resulting in lower consumer demand in the industry and other sectors.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Dog White has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Sales & Marketing industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Dog White needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Sales & Marketing 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity, Dog White may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Sales & Marketing .
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity 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 Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity 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 Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity 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 Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity 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 Next Generation Green: White Dog Cafe and Its Evolving Brand Identity 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 Dog White needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
