Cibox Inter A (CIBP) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / MBA Resources
Computer Storage Devices
Strategy / MBA Resources
Introduction to SWOT Analysis
SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix for Cibox Inter A (France)
Based on various researches at Oak Spring University , Cibox Inter A is operating in a macro-environment that has been destablized by – wage bills are increasing, geopolitical disruptions, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, technology disruption,
increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, etc
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University, we believe that Cibox Inter A can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Cibox Inter A, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Cibox Inter A 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 Cibox Inter A can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning of Cibox Inter A
2. Improving business portfolio management of Cibox Inter A
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in France
4. Making a Computer Storage Devices sector specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Cibox Inter A
Strengths of Cibox Inter A | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Cibox Inter A are -
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy of Cibox Inter A comprises – understanding the underlying the factors in the Computer Storage Devices 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.
Training and development
– Cibox Inter A has one of the best training and development program in Technology industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in – employees retention, in-house promotion, loyalty, new venture initiation, lack of conflict, and high level of both employees and customer engagement.
Analytics focus
– Cibox Inter A 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 Computer Storage Devices industry. The technology infrastructure of France is also helping it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Cibox Inter A has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Cibox Inter A 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.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Cibox Inter A has innovation driven culture where significant part of the revenues are spent on the research and development activities. This has resulted in – Cibox Inter A staying ahead in the Computer Storage Devices industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Learning organization
- Cibox Inter A 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 Cibox Inter A is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders at Cibox Inter A emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Strong track record of project management in the Computer Storage Devices industry
– Cibox Inter A is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Ability to lead change in Computer Storage Devices
– Cibox Inter A is one of the leading players in the Computer Storage Devices industry in France. Over the years it has not only transformed the business landscape in the Computer Storage Devices industry in France but also across the existing markets. The ability to lead change has enabled Cibox Inter A in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Cibox Inter A has highly efficient outsourcing and offshoring strategy. It has resulted in greater operational flexibility and bringing down the costs in highly price sensitive Computer Storage Devices industry. Secondly the value chain collaborators of Cibox Inter A have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Cibox Inter A is one of the leading players in the Computer Storage Devices industry in France. It is in a position to attract the best talent available in France. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Digital Transformation in Computer Storage Devices industry
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Cibox Inter A digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Cibox Inter A 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.
High brand equity
– Cibox Inter A has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Cibox Inter A to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Weaknesses of Cibox Inter A | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Cibox Inter A are -
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Cibox Inter A 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 Computer Storage Devices industry using digital technology.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Cibox Inter A is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication can help Cibox Inter A to provide better information regarding Computer Storage Devices products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Employees’ less understanding of Cibox Inter A strategy
– From the outside it seems that the employees of Cibox Inter A 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– From the 10K / annual statement of Cibox Inter A, it seems that company is thinking out the frontier risks that can impact Computer Storage Devices industry. 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.
Skills based hiring in Computer Storage Devices industry
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Cibox Inter A 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee of Cibox Inter A is just above the Computer Storage Devices industry average. It 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Cibox Inter A products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Cibox Inter A needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Cibox Inter A is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Computer Storage Devices industry, but Cibox Inter A needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Cibox Inter A to focus more on services in the Computer Storage Devices industry rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the Computer Storage Devices industry, Cibox Inter A needs to come up with a strategy to reduce the workers concern regarding automation. Without a clear strategy, it could lead to disruption and uncertainty within the organization.
High dependence on Cibox Inter A ‘s star products
– The top 2 products and services of Cibox Inter A still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in Computer Storage Devices industry has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Cibox Inter A has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Need for greater diversity
– Cibox Inter A 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.
Cibox Inter A Opportunities | External Strategic Factors
What are Opportunities in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The opportunities of Cibox Inter A are -
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Cibox Inter A in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Computer Storage Devices industry, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Loyalty marketing
– Cibox Inter A 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.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– consumer behavior has changed in the Computer Storage Devices industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Cibox Inter A 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. Cibox Inter A 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Cibox Inter A can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
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 Cibox Inter A 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Cibox Inter A 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. Cibox Inter A can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Developing new processes and practices
– Cibox Inter A can develop new processes and procedures in Computer Storage Devices 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Cibox Inter A 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Cibox Inter A 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 Cibox Inter A to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Manufacturing automation
– Cibox Inter A can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Computer Storage Devices sector. It can use CAD and 3D printing to build a quick prototype and pilot testing products. It can leverage automation using machine learning and artificial intelligence to do faster production at lowers costs, and it can leverage the growth in satellite and tracking technologies to improve inventory management, transportation, and shipping.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Cibox Inter A has spent a significant amount of money and effort to integrate analytics and machine learning into its operations in Computer Storage Devices sector. This continuous investment in analytics has enabled Cibox Inter A to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Cibox Inter A to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions in Computer Storage Devices industry
– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Cibox Inter A in the Computer Storage Devices industry. Now Cibox Inter A can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Threats Cibox Inter A External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats of Cibox Inter A are -
Consumer confidence and its impact on Cibox Inter A 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 Computer Storage Devices industry and other sectors.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Computer Storage Devices industry will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Cibox Inter A can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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 Cibox Inter A in the Computer Storage Devices sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Increasing wage structure of Cibox Inter A
– 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 Cibox Inter A.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Cibox Inter A has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Computer Storage Devices industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Cibox Inter A needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Computer Storage Devices 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
– Cibox Inter A 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 Computer Storage Devices industry.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Cibox Inter A in Computer Storage Devices industry. The Computer Storage Devices 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 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.
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 Cibox Inter A business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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. Cibox Inter A 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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Cibox Inter A 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 Cibox Inter A prominent markets.
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 to Computer Storage Devices industry are lowering. It can presents Cibox Inter A with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the Computer Storage Devices sector.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Cibox Inter A Template, Example
Not all factors mentioned under the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants in the SWOT Analysis are equal. Managers at Cibox Inter 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 Cibox Inter 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 Cibox Inter 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 Cibox Inter A 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 Cibox Inter A needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.