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Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation


Case A describes the challenges a multinational corporation, Cisco Systems Inc., faces in an emerging market in developing new products specific to local needs. Case B describes the journey undertaken by Dr Ishwardutt Parulkar and his team in developing the Advanced Services Router (ASR) 901 - from idea to launch in 2011. The case helps to identify key success factors for new product development through a decentralized R&D model in emerging markets and to recognize the importance of the ecosystem for successful innovation. Learning objectives: 1) Identify key challenges in developing a mainstream product from concept to completion in an emerging market. 2) Understand essential factors for building subsidiary R&D capabilities for mainstream product development. 3) Introduce the Technology Champion framework, which serves to bring out innovation aspirations in a subsidiary R&D team.

Authors :: Srivardhini K. Jha, Rishikesha Krishnan, Charles Dhanaraj, Ivy Buche

Topics :: Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Tags :: Networking, Product development, Strategy, Workspaces, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation" written by Srivardhini K. Jha, Rishikesha Krishnan, Charles Dhanaraj, Ivy Buche includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Cisco Mainstream facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Networking, Product development, Strategy, Workspaces and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation casestudy better are - – banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, wage bills are increasing, increasing energy prices, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, increasing transportation and logistics costs, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Cisco Mainstream, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Cisco Mainstream 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 Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Cisco Mainstream
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 Cisco Mainstream




Strengths Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Cisco Mainstream in Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation Harvard Business Review case study are -

High brand equity

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

Cross disciplinary teams

– Horizontal connected teams at the Cisco Mainstream 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.

Highly skilled collaborators

– Cisco Mainstream has highly efficient outsourcing and offshoring strategy. It has resulted in greater operational flexibility and bringing down the costs in highly price sensitive segment. Secondly the value chain collaborators of the firm in Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

Analytics focus

– Cisco Mainstream 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 Srivardhini K. Jha, Rishikesha Krishnan, Charles Dhanaraj, Ivy Buche 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.

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Cisco Mainstream 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.

Innovation driven organization

– Cisco Mainstream is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

Successful track record of launching new products

– Cisco Mainstream has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Cisco Mainstream 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.

Organizational Resilience of Cisco Mainstream

– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Cisco Mainstream does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.

Digital Transformation in Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment

- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Cisco Mainstream digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Cisco Mainstream 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.

Training and development

– Cisco Mainstream has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation 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

- Cisco Mainstream 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 Cisco Mainstream is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

Superior customer experience

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






Weaknesses Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation are -

Compensation and incentives

– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation, is just above the industry average. Cisco Mainstream 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 dependence on star products

– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation 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 Cisco Mainstream has relatively successful track record of launching new products.

Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy

– From the instances in the HBR case study Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation, it seems that the employees of Cisco Mainstream 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.

Skills based hiring

– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Cisco Mainstream 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 cash cycle compare to competitors

Cisco Mainstream 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.

Aligning sales with marketing

– It come across in the case study Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation 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 Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Cisco Mainstream is planning to shift buying processes online.

Products dominated business model

– Even though Cisco Mainstream 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 - Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.

Low market penetration in new markets

– Outside its home market of Cisco Mainstream, firm in the HBR case study Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.

High operating costs

– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation 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 Cisco Mainstream 's lucrative customers.

Need for greater diversity

– Cisco Mainstream 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.

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 Cisco Mainstream supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Cisco Mainstream vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.




Opportunities Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation | 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 Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation are -

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Cisco Mainstream has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Cisco Mainstream to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation case study. Cisco Mainstream can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Reforming the budgeting process

- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Cisco Mainstream can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.

Developing new processes and practices

– Cisco Mainstream can develop new processes and procedures in Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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.

Better consumer reach

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

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Cisco Mainstream 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, Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

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. Cisco Mainstream can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.

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 Cisco Mainstream 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.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

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

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. Cisco Mainstream can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Cisco Mainstream 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.

Buying journey improvements

– Cisco Mainstream can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation 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.

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 Cisco Mainstream in the consumer business. Now Cisco Mainstream can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– Cisco Mainstream 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 Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Cisco Mainstream to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.




Threats Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation are -

Barriers of entry lowering

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

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Cisco Mainstream 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.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Cisco Mainstream 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 Cisco Mainstream is facing in Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

– Cisco Mainstream has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Cisco Mainstream 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.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Cisco Mainstream 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

– Cisco Mainstream 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 Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry regulations.

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 Cisco Mainstream business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.

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. Cisco Mainstream needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.

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 Cisco Mainstream.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Cisco Mainstream 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 Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation .

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.

Increasing wage structure of Cisco Mainstream

– 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 Cisco Mainstream.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation 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 Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation 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 Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation 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 Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation 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 Cisco India (B): Bootstrapping for Innovation 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 Cisco Mainstream needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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