Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Finance & Accounting
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Jeepers! Inc. in 2000
After the company's IPO is withdrawn, the company enters a period of severe financial distress. The consultants recommend that the company be liquidated. The CEO must convince the board, the lenders, and the landlords that the company can and should be saved.
Swot Analysis of "Jeepers! Inc. in 2000" written by Nabil N. El-Hage includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Jeepers Landlords facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, IPO, Reorganization and Finance & Accounting.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 casestudy better are - – wage bills are increasing, increasing transportation and logistics costs, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, geopolitical disruptions, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion,
technology disruption, there is backlash against globalization, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Jeepers! Inc. in 2000
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Jeepers Landlords, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Jeepers Landlords 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 Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Jeepers Landlords
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 Jeepers Landlords
Strengths Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Jeepers Landlords in Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 Harvard Business Review case study are -
Innovation driven organization
– Jeepers Landlords is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Finance & Accounting industry
– Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Jeepers Landlords to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Finance & Accounting industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Jeepers Landlords to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Jeepers Landlords 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 Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Learning organization
- Jeepers Landlords 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 Jeepers Landlords is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Analytics focus
– Jeepers Landlords 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 Nabil N. El-Hage 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 Jeepers Landlords 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 Jeepers Landlords digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Jeepers Landlords 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Jeepers Landlords has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Jeepers Landlords 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.
Strong track record of project management
– Jeepers Landlords is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Ability to lead change in Finance & Accounting field
– Jeepers Landlords 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 Jeepers Landlords in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Jeepers Landlords 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Jeepers Landlords in the sector have low bargaining power. Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Jeepers Landlords to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Weaknesses Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 are -
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 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 Jeepers Landlords has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 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 Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Jeepers Landlords is planning to shift buying processes online.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Nabil N. El-Hage suggests that, Jeepers Landlords 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Jeepers Landlords 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 - Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Jeepers Landlords is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Finance & Accounting segment. Jeepers Landlords needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Jeepers Landlords to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Jeepers Landlords has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Jeepers Landlords, firm in the HBR case study Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Need for greater diversity
– Jeepers Landlords 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Jeepers Landlords has created an environment where the organization is dominated by functional specialists rather than management generalist. This has resulted into product oriented approach rather than marketing oriented approach or consumers oriented approach.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 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 Jeepers Landlords 's lucrative customers.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 HBR case study mentions - Jeepers Landlords 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 Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 | 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 Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 are -
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Jeepers Landlords has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Jeepers Landlords to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 case study. Jeepers Landlords can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Manufacturing automation
– Jeepers Landlords 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.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Finance & Accounting industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Jeepers Landlords can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Jeepers Landlords 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Jeepers Landlords 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 Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Jeepers Landlords to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Jeepers Landlords can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Jeepers Landlords operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Finance & Accounting sector.
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. Jeepers Landlords 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. Jeepers Landlords 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Jeepers Landlords is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 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.
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 Jeepers Landlords in the consumer business. Now Jeepers Landlords can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Jeepers Landlords 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.
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. Jeepers Landlords can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Jeepers Landlords to increase its market reach. Jeepers Landlords 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Jeepers Landlords can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Threats Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 are -
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Jeepers! Inc. in 2000, Jeepers Landlords 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 .
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. Jeepers Landlords 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
– Jeepers Landlords 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 Jeepers Landlords is facing in Finance & Accounting sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, 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 Jeepers Landlords.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Jeepers Landlords 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Jeepers Landlords 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.
Increasing wage structure of Jeepers Landlords
– 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 Jeepers Landlords.
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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Jeepers Landlords 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.
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. Jeepers Landlords 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.
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 Jeepers Landlords in the Finance & Accounting sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 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 Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 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 Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 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 Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 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 Jeepers! Inc. in 2000 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 Jeepers Landlords needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
