Swot Analysis of "Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1)" written by Kenneth Eades includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Uv7587 Imation facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Financial management and Finance & Accounting.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) casestudy better are - – digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, technology disruption, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing transportation and logistics costs,
supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , wage bills are increasing, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Uv7587 Imation, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Uv7587 Imation 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 Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Uv7587 Imation
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Finance & Accounting field.
4. Making a Finance & Accounting topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Uv7587 Imation
Strengths Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Uv7587 Imation in Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Learning organization
- Uv7587 Imation 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 Uv7587 Imation is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Organizational Resilience of Uv7587 Imation
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Uv7587 Imation does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Finance & Accounting industry
– Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Uv7587 Imation to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Finance & Accounting industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Uv7587 Imation to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Uv7587 Imation 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 Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Analytics focus
– Uv7587 Imation 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 Kenneth Eades 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Uv7587 Imation in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
High brand equity
– Uv7587 Imation has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Uv7587 Imation to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Uv7587 Imation has built up over years in its products and services combo offer has resulted in high retention of customers, lower marketing costs, and greater ability of the firm to focus on its customers.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Uv7587 Imation in the sector have low bargaining power. Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Uv7587 Imation to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Training and development
– Uv7587 Imation has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Uv7587 Imation is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Uv7587 Imation has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Uv7587 Imation 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.
Weaknesses Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) are -
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1), is just above the industry average. Uv7587 Imation needs to redesign the compensation structure and incentives to increase the revenue per employees. Some of the steps that it can take are – hiring more specialists on project basis, etc.
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 Uv7587 Imation supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1), it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Uv7587 Imation vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) 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 Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Uv7587 Imation is planning to shift buying processes online.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) 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 Uv7587 Imation 's lucrative customers.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1), it seems that the employees of Uv7587 Imation 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 Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1), it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Finance & Accounting 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Uv7587 Imation 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Uv7587 Imation 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 - Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Uv7587 Imation 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. Uv7587 Imation 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.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Kenneth Eades suggests that, Uv7587 Imation 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Uv7587 Imation 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.
Opportunities Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) | 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 Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) are -
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Uv7587 Imation in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Finance & Accounting segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Uv7587 Imation 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.
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. Uv7587 Imation can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Buying journey improvements
– Uv7587 Imation can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Uv7587 Imation to increase its market reach. Uv7587 Imation 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Uv7587 Imation can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Finance & Accounting 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Uv7587 Imation to conduct training and development for its employees across the world. This will result in not only reducing the cost of training but also help employees in different part of the world to integrate with the headquarter work culture, ethos, and standards.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Finance & Accounting industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Uv7587 Imation 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. Uv7587 Imation 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Uv7587 Imation can develop new processes and procedures in Finance & Accounting 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Uv7587 Imation 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 Uv7587 Imation to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Uv7587 Imation has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Uv7587 Imation to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) case study. Uv7587 Imation can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Uv7587 Imation can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Uv7587 Imation 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.
Threats Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) are -
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Uv7587 Imation in the Finance & Accounting industry. The Finance & Accounting 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.
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. Uv7587 Imation needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Finance & Accounting industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Increasing wage structure of Uv7587 Imation
– 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 Uv7587 Imation.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Uv7587 Imation is facing in Finance & Accounting sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Uv7587 Imation 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 Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) .
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Uv7587 Imation 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Uv7587 Imation 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 Finance & Accounting industry regulations.
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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Uv7587 Imation 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 Uv7587 Imation 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 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.
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 Uv7587 Imation business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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 Uv7587 Imation.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) 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 Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) 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 Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) 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 Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) 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 Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) 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 Uv7587 Imation needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.