This case focuses on what an entrepreneur who has developed and marketed a soccer board game (KickShot), should do next. The case lays out the approach of the entrepreneur, who at age 59 had considerable previous experience with tech startups, and highlights some of the challenges faced. The focal point of the case is for students to recommend future courses of actions. Specifically, should the entrepreneur continue to market the game in hopes of increasing sales and profitability or should he accept one of the two buyout offers in front of him? Students will need to link these recommended actions to the entrepreneurs' goals and objectives, including his personality. Within this context, the case highlights the need for an entrepreneur to have an exit, or harvest strategy from the very start. Given that the entrepreneur has realized his initial exit strategy by having before him two buyout offers, the case allows students to evaluate two distinct exit strategies that in many ways mirror those common for any startup, a pure cash buyout versus an offer with a smaller amount up front but a royalty on future sales. Finally, the case provides an opportunity for students to wrestle with the margin structure of online retailing via Amazon.com.
Swot Analysis of "KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL!" written by Michael McCollough includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Entrepreneur Kickshot facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Strategic planning and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! casestudy better are - – wage bills are increasing, there is backlash against globalization, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, increasing commodity prices, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing household debt because of falling income levels,
customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL!
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Entrepreneur Kickshot, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Entrepreneur Kickshot 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 KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Entrepreneur Kickshot
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Innovation & Entrepreneurship field.
4. Making a Innovation & Entrepreneurship topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Entrepreneur Kickshot
Strengths KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Entrepreneur Kickshot in KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! Harvard Business Review case study are -
Strong track record of project management
– Entrepreneur Kickshot is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Training and development
– Entrepreneur Kickshot has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry
– KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Entrepreneur Kickshot to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Entrepreneur Kickshot to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Entrepreneur Kickshot is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Diverse revenue streams
– Entrepreneur Kickshot is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! 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.
Organizational Resilience of Entrepreneur Kickshot
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Entrepreneur Kickshot does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Digital Transformation in Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Entrepreneur Kickshot digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Entrepreneur Kickshot 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
- Entrepreneur Kickshot 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 Entrepreneur Kickshot is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Ability to lead change in Innovation & Entrepreneurship field
– Entrepreneur Kickshot 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 Entrepreneur Kickshot in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Entrepreneur Kickshot in the sector have low bargaining power. KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Entrepreneur Kickshot to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Analytics focus
– Entrepreneur Kickshot 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 Michael McCollough 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.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Entrepreneur Kickshot 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.
Weaknesses KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! are -
Lack of clear differentiation of Entrepreneur Kickshot products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Entrepreneur Kickshot needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Need for greater diversity
– Entrepreneur Kickshot 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL!, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Michael McCollough suggests that, Entrepreneur Kickshot 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.
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 Entrepreneur Kickshot supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL!, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Entrepreneur Kickshot vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! 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 Entrepreneur Kickshot has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Entrepreneur Kickshot is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment. Entrepreneur Kickshot needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Entrepreneur Kickshot to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Entrepreneur Kickshot 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 - KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! HBR case study mentions - Entrepreneur Kickshot 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! 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 KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Entrepreneur Kickshot is planning to shift buying processes online.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Entrepreneur Kickshot is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Opportunities KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! | 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 KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! are -
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Entrepreneur Kickshot to increase its market reach. Entrepreneur Kickshot 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
– Entrepreneur Kickshot 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.
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 Entrepreneur Kickshot 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, Entrepreneur Kickshot can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Entrepreneur Kickshot operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Entrepreneur Kickshot can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Manufacturing automation
– Entrepreneur Kickshot can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Entrepreneur Kickshot 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. Entrepreneur Kickshot 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
– Entrepreneur Kickshot can develop new processes and procedures in Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Entrepreneur Kickshot can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! 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.
Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions
– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Entrepreneur Kickshot in the consumer business. Now Entrepreneur Kickshot can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Entrepreneur Kickshot is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! 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. Entrepreneur Kickshot can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Entrepreneur Kickshot 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, KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL!, 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 KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! are -
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Entrepreneur Kickshot is facing in Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, 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 Entrepreneur Kickshot in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector and impact the bottomline 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 Entrepreneur Kickshot business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Regulatory challenges
– Entrepreneur Kickshot 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 Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry regulations.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Entrepreneur Kickshot 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 KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! .
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Entrepreneur Kickshot 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.
Increasing wage structure of Entrepreneur Kickshot
– 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 Entrepreneur Kickshot.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Innovation & Entrepreneurship field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Entrepreneur Kickshot can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Entrepreneur Kickshot 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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Entrepreneur Kickshot 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.
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. Entrepreneur Kickshot 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.
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. Entrepreneur Kickshot needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Environmental challenges
– Entrepreneur Kickshot 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. Entrepreneur Kickshot can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! 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 KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! 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 KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! 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 KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! 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 KickShot: GOOOOOOOOOAL! 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 Entrepreneur Kickshot needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.