Swot Analysis of "Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B)" written by David P. Baron, David S. Barlow, Ann M. Barlow, Erin Yurday includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Rainforest Anatomy facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Ethics, Policy, Social responsibility and Global Business.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) casestudy better are - – challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing commodity prices, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, technology disruption,
increasing household debt because of falling income levels, wage bills are increasing, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Rainforest Anatomy, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Rainforest Anatomy 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 Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Rainforest Anatomy
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Global Business field.
4. Making a Global Business topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Rainforest Anatomy
Strengths Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Rainforest Anatomy in Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Rainforest Anatomy in the sector have low bargaining power. Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Rainforest Anatomy to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) 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.
High brand equity
– Rainforest Anatomy has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Rainforest Anatomy to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Digital Transformation in Global Business segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Rainforest Anatomy digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Rainforest Anatomy 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.
Strong track record of project management
– Rainforest Anatomy is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Learning organization
- Rainforest Anatomy 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 Rainforest Anatomy is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Rainforest Anatomy in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Innovation driven organization
– Rainforest Anatomy is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Analytics focus
– Rainforest Anatomy 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 David P. Baron, David S. Barlow, Ann M. Barlow, Erin Yurday 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 Rainforest Anatomy 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.
Ability to lead change in Global Business field
– Rainforest Anatomy 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 Rainforest Anatomy in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Global Business industry
– Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Rainforest Anatomy to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Global Business industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Rainforest Anatomy to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Weaknesses Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) are -
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Rainforest Anatomy 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Rainforest Anatomy 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) 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 Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Rainforest Anatomy is planning to shift buying processes online.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Rainforest Anatomy 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Rainforest Anatomy 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Rainforest Anatomy, firm in the HBR case study Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B), it seems that the employees of Rainforest Anatomy 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.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) 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 Rainforest Anatomy 's lucrative customers.
Lack of clear differentiation of Rainforest Anatomy products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Rainforest Anatomy needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B), is just above the industry average. Rainforest Anatomy 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Rainforest Anatomy is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Global Business segment. Rainforest Anatomy needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Rainforest Anatomy to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Opportunities Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) | 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 Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) are -
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Rainforest Anatomy can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Rainforest Anatomy operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Global Business sector.
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 Rainforest Anatomy in the consumer business. Now Rainforest Anatomy can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Rainforest Anatomy 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Rainforest Anatomy 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 Rainforest Anatomy to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Loyalty marketing
– Rainforest Anatomy 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Rainforest Anatomy 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.
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 Rainforest Anatomy 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Rainforest Anatomy can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Rainforest Anatomy 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 Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Rainforest Anatomy to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Developing new processes and practices
– Rainforest Anatomy can develop new processes and procedures in Global Business 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Rainforest Anatomy in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Global Business segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Rainforest Anatomy is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Rainforest Anatomy 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, Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B), 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 Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) are -
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Rainforest Anatomy 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 Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) .
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Rainforest Anatomy is facing in Global Business sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Rainforest Anatomy 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.
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. Rainforest Anatomy needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Global Business industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Rainforest Anatomy in the Global Business industry. The Global Business 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Rainforest Anatomy has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Global Business industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Rainforest Anatomy needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Global Business 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.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Global Business field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Rainforest Anatomy can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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 Rainforest Anatomy in the Global Business sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Increasing wage structure of Rainforest Anatomy
– 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 Rainforest Anatomy.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Rainforest Anatomy 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.
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. Rainforest Anatomy 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.
Environmental challenges
– Rainforest Anatomy 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. Rainforest Anatomy can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Global Business industry.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) 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 Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) 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 Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) 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 Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) 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 Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign: Rainforest Action Network and Citigroup (B) 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 Rainforest Anatomy needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
