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 - – there is backlash against globalization, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing commodity prices, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, technology disruption, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation,
increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, 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 -
Strong track record of project management
– Uv7587 Imation is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
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.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Uv7587 Imation 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 Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
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.
Ability to lead change in Finance & Accounting field
– Uv7587 Imation 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 Uv7587 Imation in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) 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.
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.
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.
Digital Transformation in Finance & Accounting segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Uv7587 Imation digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Uv7587 Imation 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.
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.
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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Uv7587 Imation is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
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 -
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1), in the dynamic environment Uv7587 Imation has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Uv7587 Imation has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Uv7587 Imation, firm in the HBR case study Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
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 to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) HBR case study mentions - Uv7587 Imation 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.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) 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 Uv7587 Imation has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Uv7587 Imation products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Uv7587 Imation needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Uv7587 Imation is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Finance & Accounting segment. Uv7587 Imation needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Uv7587 Imation to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
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.
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 -
Loyalty marketing
– Uv7587 Imation 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.
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 Uv7587 Imation 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Uv7587 Imation 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 Finance & Accounting segment.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Uv7587 Imation can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Uv7587 Imation operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Finance & Accounting sector.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Uv7587 Imation 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, Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1), to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Uv7587 Imation is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) 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.
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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Uv7587 Imation 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 Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Uv7587 Imation to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
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 -
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. Uv7587 Imation 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.
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.
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.
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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Uv7587 Imation 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.
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.
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.
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 Uv7587 Imation in the Finance & Accounting sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Uv7587 Imation has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Finance & Accounting industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Uv7587 Imation needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Finance & Accounting 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.
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.
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.
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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Imation Corp.: An Activist Proxy Battle (Handout 1), Uv7587 Imation may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Finance & Accounting .
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.