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Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A)


Kathy Levinson, the president and COO of ETRADE and a lesbian mother of two children, must decide whether and how to participate in the "No on Knight" campaign. The campaign opposes California ballot proposition 22, which requires California to recognize only marriages between a man and a woman. This case provides background for Levinson's decision, in which she must balance her obligations as an executive with her personal values and commitments.

Authors :: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr., Susan S. Harmeling

Topics :: Leadership & Managing People

Tags :: Ethics, Gender, Internet, Leadership, Marketing, Sexual orientation, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A)" written by Joseph L. Badaracco Jr., Susan S. Harmeling includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Levinson Etrade facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Ethics, Gender, Internet, Leadership, Marketing, Sexual orientation and Leadership & Managing People.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) casestudy better are - – competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing energy prices, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing commodity prices, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A)


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Levinson Etrade, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Levinson Etrade 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 Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Levinson Etrade
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Leadership & Managing People field.
4. Making a Leadership & Managing People topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Levinson Etrade




Strengths Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Levinson Etrade in Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) Harvard Business Review case study are -

Learning organization

- Levinson Etrade 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 Levinson Etrade is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

Low bargaining power of suppliers

– Suppliers of Levinson Etrade in the sector have low bargaining power. Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Levinson Etrade to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.

Training and development

– Levinson Etrade has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) 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.

Ability to recruit top talent

– Levinson Etrade is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.

Diverse revenue streams

– Levinson Etrade is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) 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.

Innovation driven organization

– Levinson Etrade is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

High brand equity

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

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry

– Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Levinson Etrade to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Levinson Etrade to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field

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

Superior customer experience

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

Analytics focus

– Levinson Etrade 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 Joseph L. Badaracco Jr., Susan S. Harmeling 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 Levinson Etrade 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.






Weaknesses Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) are -

Lack of clear differentiation of Levinson Etrade products

– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Levinson Etrade needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.

Slow to strategic competitive environment developments

– As Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) HBR case study mentions - Levinson Etrade 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.

Skills based hiring

– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Levinson Etrade has created an environment where the organization is dominated by functional specialists rather than management generalist. This has resulted into product oriented approach rather than marketing oriented approach or consumers oriented approach.

High operating costs

– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) 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 Levinson Etrade 's lucrative customers.

Slow decision making process

– As mentioned earlier in the report, Levinson Etrade 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. Levinson Etrade 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.

Low market penetration in new markets

– Outside its home market of Levinson Etrade, firm in the HBR case study Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.

Compensation and incentives

– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A), is just above the industry average. Levinson Etrade 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.

Aligning sales with marketing

– It come across in the case study Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) 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 Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Levinson Etrade is planning to shift buying processes online.

Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy

– From the instances in the HBR case study Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A), it seems that the employees of Levinson Etrade 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 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 Levinson Etrade supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A), it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Levinson Etrade vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.

No frontier risks strategy

– After analyzing the HBR case study Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A), it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Leadership & Managing People 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.




Opportunities Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) | 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 Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) are -

Leveraging digital technologies

– Levinson Etrade 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.

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– Levinson Etrade 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 Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Levinson Etrade to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Levinson Etrade 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 Leadership & Managing People segment.

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 Levinson Etrade 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.

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. Levinson Etrade can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

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

Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19

– Consumer behavior has changed in the Leadership & Managing People industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Levinson Etrade 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. Levinson Etrade 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.

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Levinson Etrade has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Levinson Etrade to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) case study. Levinson Etrade can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Better consumer reach

– The expansion of the 5G network will help Levinson Etrade to increase its market reach. Levinson Etrade will be able to reach out to new customers. Secondly 5G will also provide technology framework to build new tools and products that can help more immersive consumer experience and faster consumer journey.

Reforming the budgeting process

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

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

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Levinson Etrade 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, Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A), 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, Levinson Etrade is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) 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.




Threats Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) are -

Consumer confidence and its impact on Levinson Etrade 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.

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. Levinson Etrade 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.

Regulatory challenges

– Levinson Etrade 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 Leadership & Managing People industry regulations.

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. Levinson Etrade needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.

Easy access to finance

– Easy access to finance in Leadership & Managing People field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Levinson Etrade can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.

Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

– Levinson Etrade has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Levinson Etrade needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Leadership & Managing People 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.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Levinson Etrade 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.

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Levinson Etrade in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The Leadership & Managing People 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.

Learning curve for new practices

– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A), Levinson Etrade may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Leadership & Managing People .

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 Levinson Etrade business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.

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.

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.

Barriers of entry lowering

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




Weighted SWOT Analysis of Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) 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 Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) 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 Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) 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 Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) 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 Individual and the Corporation: Kathy Levinson and ETRADE (A) 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 Levinson Etrade needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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