Swot Analysis of "KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER" written by Benoit Leleux, Kurt Verweire, Miguel Meuleman includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Imd512 Kipling facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Globalization, Marketing and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER casestudy better are - – technology disruption, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, increasing commodity prices, increasing energy prices, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, there is backlash against globalization,
cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Imd512 Kipling, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Imd512 Kipling 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 KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Imd512 Kipling
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 Imd512 Kipling
Strengths KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Imd512 Kipling in KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER Harvard Business Review case study are -
Highly skilled collaborators
– Imd512 Kipling 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 KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Imd512 Kipling in the sector have low bargaining power. KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Imd512 Kipling to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Innovation driven organization
– Imd512 Kipling is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER 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 Imd512 Kipling 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Imd512 Kipling in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field
– Imd512 Kipling 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 Imd512 Kipling in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Training and development
– Imd512 Kipling has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER 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.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER Harvard Business Review case study comprises – understanding the underlying the factors in the industry, building diversified operations across different geographies so that disruption in one part of the world doesn’t impact the overall performance of the firm, and integrating the various business operations and processes through its digital transformation drive.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Imd512 Kipling has innovation driven culture where significant part of the revenues are spent on the research and development activities. This has resulted in, as mentioned in case study KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Imd512 Kipling is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
High brand equity
– Imd512 Kipling has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Imd512 Kipling to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Analytics focus
– Imd512 Kipling 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 Benoit Leleux, Kurt Verweire, Miguel Meuleman 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.
Weaknesses KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER are -
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER 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 KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Imd512 Kipling is planning to shift buying processes online.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER, it seems that the employees of Imd512 Kipling 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Imd512 Kipling is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. Imd512 Kipling needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Imd512 Kipling to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER HBR case study mentions - Imd512 Kipling 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Imd512 Kipling, firm in the HBR case study KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Imd512 Kipling 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 - KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Imd512 Kipling 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.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Benoit Leleux, Kurt Verweire, Miguel Meuleman suggests that, Imd512 Kipling 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER, is just above the industry average. Imd512 Kipling 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Imd512 Kipling is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Need for greater diversity
– Imd512 Kipling 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.
Opportunities KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER | 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 KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER are -
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Imd512 Kipling 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Imd512 Kipling can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Imd512 Kipling to increase its market reach. Imd512 Kipling 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Imd512 Kipling can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Imd512 Kipling operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Imd512 Kipling is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Imd512 Kipling 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.
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. Imd512 Kipling can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Imd512 Kipling 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Imd512 Kipling in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Leadership & Managing People segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Imd512 Kipling 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 Imd512 Kipling to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Leadership & Managing People industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Imd512 Kipling can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
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 Imd512 Kipling in the consumer business. Now Imd512 Kipling can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Imd512 Kipling has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Imd512 Kipling to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER case study. Imd512 Kipling can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Threats KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER are -
Increasing wage structure of Imd512 Kipling
– 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 Imd512 Kipling.
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. Imd512 Kipling needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Imd512 Kipling has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Imd512 Kipling 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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Imd512 Kipling 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 KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER .
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. Imd512 Kipling 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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Imd512 Kipling 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.
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 Imd512 Kipling business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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 Imd512 Kipling in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Regulatory challenges
– Imd512 Kipling 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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Imd512 Kipling 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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Imd512 Kipling is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Imd512 Kipling 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 KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER 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 KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER 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 KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER 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 KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER 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 KIPLING (B): AN ENTREPRENEUR IN STORMY WEATHER 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 Imd512 Kipling needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
