Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video

CEO of Rakuten, Hiroshi Mikitani, candidly responds to controversial questions about his Englishnization strategy and implementation across 7,100 employees a year and a half later: Did he make an impulsive move when he mandated English as the company language? Why does he enforce a universal mandate? How has he adjusted his stance on how to elicit commitment from his employees over time? Is he imposing the pursuit of being a role model company of a new Japan on his employees?

Authors :: Tsedal Neeley

Topics :: Global Business

Tags :: Collaboration, Communication, Globalization, IT, Leading teams, Organizational culture, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video" written by Tsedal Neeley includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Mikitani Englishnization facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Collaboration, Communication, Globalization, IT, Leading teams, Organizational culture and Global Business.

Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video casestudy better are - – technology disruption, increasing commodity prices, increasing transportation and logistics costs, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, geopolitical disruptions, there is backlash against globalization, etc

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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video

SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Mikitani Englishnization, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Mikitani Englishnization 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.

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SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix

SWOT analysis of Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Mikitani Englishnization
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 Mikitani Englishnization

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Strengths Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Mikitani Englishnization in Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video Harvard Business Review case study are -

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Global Business industry

– Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Mikitani Englishnization to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Global Business industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Mikitani Englishnization to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Strong track record of project management

– Mikitani Englishnization is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.

Analytics focus

– Mikitani Englishnization 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 Tsedal Neeley can also help it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.

Ability to lead change in Global Business field

– Mikitani Englishnization 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 Mikitani Englishnization in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.

Innovation driven organization

– Mikitani Englishnization is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Mikitani Englishnization has built up over years in its products and services combo offer has resulted in high retention of customers, lower marketing costs, and greater ability of the firm to focus on its customers.

Diverse revenue streams

– Mikitani Englishnization is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video 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.

Superior customer experience

– The customer experience strategy of Mikitani Englishnization in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.

Low bargaining power of suppliers

– Suppliers of Mikitani Englishnization in the sector have low bargaining power. Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Mikitani Englishnization to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.

Training and development

– Mikitani Englishnization has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video 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.

Learning organization

- Mikitani Englishnization 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 Mikitani Englishnization is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

High brand equity

– Mikitani Englishnization has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Mikitani Englishnization to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.

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Weaknesses Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video are -

Slow decision making process

– As mentioned earlier in the report, Mikitani Englishnization has a very deliberative decision making approach. This approach has resulted in prudent decisions, but it has also resulted in missing opportunities in the industry over the last five years. Mikitani Englishnization even though has strong showing on digital transformation primary two stages, it has struggled to capitalize the power of digital transformation in marketing efforts and new venture efforts.

High dependence on star products

– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video 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 Mikitani Englishnization has relatively successful track record of launching new products.

Skills based hiring

– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Mikitani Englishnization 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.

Capital Spending Reduction

– Even during the low interest decade, Mikitani Englishnization has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.

Aligning sales with marketing

– It come across in the case study Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video 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 Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Mikitani Englishnization 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, Mikitani Englishnization is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.

Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy

– From the instances in the HBR case study Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video, it seems that the employees of Mikitani Englishnization 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.

Lack of clear differentiation of Mikitani Englishnization products

– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Mikitani Englishnization 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 Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video, is just above the industry average. Mikitani Englishnization 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 Mikitani Englishnization is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Global Business segment. Mikitani Englishnization needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Mikitani Englishnization to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.

No frontier risks strategy

– After analyzing the HBR case study Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Global Business 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.

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Opportunities Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video | 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 Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video are -

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– Mikitani Englishnization 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 Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Mikitani Englishnization to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Mikitani Englishnization 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 Mikitani Englishnization to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.

Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19

– Consumer behavior has changed in the Global Business industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Mikitani Englishnization 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. Mikitani Englishnization 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.

Loyalty marketing

– Mikitani Englishnization 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, Mikitani Englishnization 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.

Manufacturing automation

– Mikitani Englishnization can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Global Business 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.

Better consumer reach

– The expansion of the 5G network will help Mikitani Englishnization to increase its market reach. Mikitani Englishnization 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.

Buying journey improvements

– Mikitani Englishnization can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video 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.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Mikitani Englishnization is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video 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.

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Mikitani Englishnization has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Mikitani Englishnization to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video case study. Mikitani Englishnization can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Mikitani Englishnization 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 Global Business segment.

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. Mikitani Englishnization can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

Developing new processes and practices

– Mikitani Englishnization 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.

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Threats Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video are -

Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

– Mikitani Englishnization has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Global Business industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Mikitani Englishnization 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.

Environmental challenges

– Mikitani Englishnization 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. Mikitani Englishnization can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Global Business industry.

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 Mikitani Englishnization business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Mikitani Englishnization 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 Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video .

Consumer confidence and its impact on Mikitani Englishnization 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.

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 Mikitani Englishnization in the Global Business sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Mikitani Englishnization 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.

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. Mikitani Englishnization can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.

Regulatory challenges

– Mikitani Englishnization 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 Global Business industry regulations.

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. Mikitani Englishnization will face different problems in different parts of Europe. For example it will face inflationary pressures in UK, France, and Germany, balance sheet expansion and demand challenges in Southern European countries, and geopolitical instability in the Eastern Europe.

Barriers of entry lowering

– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Mikitani Englishnization with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.

Learning curve for new practices

– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video, Mikitani Englishnization may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Global Business .

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that Mikitani Englishnization is facing in Global Business sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

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Weighted SWOT Analysis of Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video 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 Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video 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 Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video 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 Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video 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 Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011), Video 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 Mikitani Englishnization needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.

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