Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Finance & Accounting
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version
The Brazilian oil company, Petrobras, is evaluating the acquisition of an Argentine oil company, the Perez Companc Group (Pecom). The acquisition would increase Petrobras' oil reserves and expand its interests outside Brazil, a significant step for the largest company in Brazil. Pecom is for sale because it has been severely affected by the financial crisis in Argentina. Students have the opportunity to assess the impact of a severe devaluation on a company. There is also considerable uncertainty about how to value Pecom, and students must weigh the importance of country risk in determining the appropriate discount rate to use in the valuation. Finally, there is also uncertainty about Petrobras's own future as the Brazilian government has controlled it. Students are allowed to review the efficacy of changes in corporate governance implemented by Petrobras, despite its ongoing link to the Brazilian state and the associated political uncertainties of that affiliation. Students will consider different methods of valuation and the impact of politics on cross-border acquisitions. To obtain executable spreadsheets (courseware), please contact our customer service department at custserv@hbsp.harvard.edu.
Authors :: Mihir A. Desai, Ricardo Reisen de Pinho
Swot Analysis of "Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version" written by Mihir A. Desai, Ricardo Reisen de Pinho includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Pecom Petrobras facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Currency, Emerging markets, Financial analysis, Government, Mergers & acquisitions, Risk management and Finance & Accounting.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version casestudy better are - – central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, there is backlash against globalization, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy,
increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Pecom Petrobras, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Pecom Petrobras 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 Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Pecom Petrobras
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 Pecom Petrobras
Strengths Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Pecom Petrobras in Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version Harvard Business Review case study are -
Digital Transformation in Finance & Accounting segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Pecom Petrobras digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Pecom Petrobras 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.
Ability to lead change in Finance & Accounting field
– Pecom Petrobras 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 Pecom Petrobras 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 Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Finance & Accounting industry
– Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Pecom Petrobras to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Finance & Accounting industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Pecom Petrobras to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Organizational Resilience of Pecom Petrobras
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Pecom Petrobras does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Training and development
– Pecom Petrobras has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Pecom Petrobras is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Strong track record of project management
– Pecom Petrobras 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 Pecom Petrobras in the sector have low bargaining power. Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Pecom Petrobras to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Diverse revenue streams
– Pecom Petrobras is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version case study a diverse revenue stream that has helped it to survive disruptions such as global pandemic in Covid-19, financial disruption of 2008, and supply chain disruption of 2021.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Pecom Petrobras is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
High brand equity
– Pecom Petrobras has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Pecom Petrobras to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Weaknesses Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version are -
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version, in the dynamic environment Pecom Petrobras has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Pecom Petrobras has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Pecom Petrobras is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Finance & Accounting segment. Pecom Petrobras needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Pecom Petrobras to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Pecom Petrobras 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Pecom Petrobras 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 - Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Pecom Petrobras 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Pecom Petrobras, firm in the HBR case study Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Mihir A. Desai, Ricardo Reisen de Pinho suggests that, Pecom Petrobras 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version 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 Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Pecom Petrobras is planning to shift buying processes online.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version, is just above the industry average. Pecom Petrobras 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version, it seems that the employees of Pecom Petrobras 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version HBR case study mentions - Pecom Petrobras 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.
Opportunities Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version | 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 Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version are -
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. Pecom Petrobras can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
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 Pecom Petrobras 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Pecom Petrobras to increase its market reach. Pecom Petrobras 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
– Pecom Petrobras 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Pecom Petrobras 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 Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Pecom Petrobras to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Pecom Petrobras 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, Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Pecom Petrobras 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Pecom Petrobras 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 Pecom Petrobras to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Pecom Petrobras 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Pecom Petrobras 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Pecom Petrobras 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Pecom Petrobras 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Pecom Petrobras is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version 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.
Threats Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version are -
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Pecom Petrobras 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, Pecom Petrobras 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 Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version .
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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Pecom Petrobras demand
– There is a high probability of declining consumer confidence, given – high inflammation rate, rise of gig economy, lower job stability, increasing cost of living, higher interest rates, and aging demography. All the factors contribute to people saving higher rate of their income, resulting in lower consumer demand in the industry and other sectors.
Aging population
– As the populations of most advanced economies are aging, it will lead to high social security costs, higher savings among population, and lower demand for goods and services in the economy. The household savings in US, France, UK, Germany, and Japan are growing faster than predicted because of uncertainty caused by pandemic.
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 Pecom Petrobras in the Finance & Accounting 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 Pecom Petrobras business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version, Pecom Petrobras 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 .
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Pecom Petrobras 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Pecom Petrobras has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Finance & Accounting industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Pecom Petrobras 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Pecom Petrobras with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Finance & Accounting field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Pecom Petrobras 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 Pecom Petrobras
– 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 Pecom Petrobras.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version 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 Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version 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 Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version 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 Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version 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 Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom, Chinese Version 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 Pecom Petrobras needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.