Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh)
As the smallest of 4 partners in a unique wireless telephony venture in Bangladesh that he initiated and helped grow, Iqbal Quadir is trying to acquire a larger stake in the venture when one of the partners wants to sell his shares. However, Quadir faces stiff resistance from the other two partners, who also want to acquire the shares.
Authors :: Daniel J. Isenberg, David Lane, Carin-Isabel Knoop
Swot Analysis of "Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh)" written by Daniel J. Isenberg, David Lane, Carin-Isabel Knoop includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Quadir Iqbal facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Entrepreneurial finance, Entrepreneurial management, International business, Negotiations and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) casestudy better are - – central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, technology disruption, increasing transportation and logistics costs, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, there is increasing trade war between United States & China,
there is backlash against globalization, wage bills are increasing, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Quadir Iqbal, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Quadir Iqbal 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 Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Quadir Iqbal
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Innovation & Entrepreneurship field.
4. Making a Innovation & Entrepreneurship topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Quadir Iqbal
Strengths Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Quadir Iqbal in Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Ability to lead change in Innovation & Entrepreneurship field
– Quadir Iqbal 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 Quadir Iqbal in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Analytics focus
– Quadir Iqbal 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 Daniel J. Isenberg, David Lane, Carin-Isabel Knoop 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.
Strong track record of project management
– Quadir Iqbal is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Diverse revenue streams
– Quadir Iqbal is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) 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.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Quadir Iqbal 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.
Learning organization
- Quadir Iqbal 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 Quadir Iqbal is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High brand equity
– Quadir Iqbal has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Quadir Iqbal to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Training and development
– Quadir Iqbal has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Quadir Iqbal has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Quadir Iqbal 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Quadir Iqbal is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry
– Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Quadir Iqbal to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Quadir Iqbal to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Quadir Iqbal in the sector have low bargaining power. Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Quadir Iqbal to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Weaknesses Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) are -
Lack of clear differentiation of Quadir Iqbal products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Quadir Iqbal needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Quadir Iqbal 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. Quadir Iqbal 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) HBR case study mentions - Quadir Iqbal 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Quadir Iqbal 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 - Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Need for greater diversity
– Quadir Iqbal 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh), is just above the industry average. Quadir Iqbal 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.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Daniel J. Isenberg, David Lane, Carin-Isabel Knoop suggests that, Quadir Iqbal 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Quadir Iqbal is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment. Quadir Iqbal needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Quadir Iqbal to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
High dependence on existing supply chain
– The disruption in the global supply chains because of the Covid-19 pandemic and blockage of the Suez Canal illustrated the fragile nature of Quadir Iqbal supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh), it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Quadir Iqbal vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Quadir Iqbal 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 Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) 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 Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Quadir Iqbal is planning to shift buying processes online.
Opportunities Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) | 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 Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) are -
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Quadir Iqbal 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 Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Quadir Iqbal 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. Quadir Iqbal 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.
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 Quadir Iqbal in the consumer business. Now Quadir Iqbal can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Quadir Iqbal 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Quadir Iqbal 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Quadir Iqbal can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Quadir Iqbal 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, Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh), to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Quadir Iqbal is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Quadir Iqbal in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Quadir Iqbal can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Quadir Iqbal 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 Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Quadir Iqbal to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Quadir Iqbal has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Quadir Iqbal to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) case study. Quadir Iqbal can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Quadir Iqbal 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.
Threats Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) are -
Environmental challenges
– Quadir Iqbal 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. Quadir Iqbal can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Innovation & Entrepreneurship field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Quadir Iqbal can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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.
Increasing wage structure of Quadir Iqbal
– 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 Quadir Iqbal.
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 Quadir Iqbal.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Quadir Iqbal 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 Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) .
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 Quadir Iqbal business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Quadir Iqbal in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. The Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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
– Quadir Iqbal has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Quadir Iqbal needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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.
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. Quadir Iqbal 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.
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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh), Quadir Iqbal may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Innovation & Entrepreneurship .
Consumer confidence and its impact on Quadir Iqbal 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) 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 Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) 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 Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) 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 Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) 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 Iqbal Quadir, Gonofone, and the Creation of GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) 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 Quadir Iqbal needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
