Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Assessing the Internal Environment of the Firm

Gregory G. Dess
G. T. Lumpkin
Marilyn L. Taylor



The Limitations of SWOT Analysis
•         Strengths may not lead to an advantage
•         SWOT’s focus on the external environment is too narrow
•         SWOT gives a one-shot view of a moving target
•         SWOT overemphasizes a single dimension of strategy
Value-Chain Analysis
•         Sequential process of value-creating activities
•         The amount that buyers are willing to pay for what a firm provides them
•         Value is measured by total revenue
•         Firm is profitable to the extent the value it receives exceeds the total costs involved in creating its product or service
Primary Activities
Associated with receiving, storing and distributing inputs to the product
•         Location of distribution facilities
•         Material and inventory control systems
•         Systems to reduce time to send “returns” to suppliers
•         Warehouse layout and designs
Associated with collecting, storing, and distributing the product or service to buyers
•         Effective shipping processes
•         Efficient finished goods warehousing processes
•         Shipping of goods in large lot sizes
•         Quality material handling equipment
Primary Activities
Associated with purchases of products and services by end users and the inducements used to get them to make purchases
•         Highly motivated and competent sales force
•         Innovative approaches to promotion and advertising
•         Selection of most appropriate distribution channels
•         Proper identification of customer segments and needs
•         Effective pricing strategies
Associated with providing service to enhance or maintain the value of the product
•         Effective use of procedures to solicit customer feedback and to act on information
•         Quick response to customer needs and emergencies
•         Ability to furnish replacement parts
•         Effective management of parts and equipment inventory
•         Quality of service personnel and ongoing training
•         Warranty and guarantee policies
Support Activities
Typically supports the entire value chain and not individual activities
•         Effective planning systems
•         Ability of top management to anticipate and act on key environmental trends and events
•         Ability to obtain low-cost funds for capital expenditures and working capital
•         Excellent relationships with diverse stakeholder groups
•         Ability to coordinate and integrate activities across the value chain
•         Highly visible to inculcate organizational culture, reputation, and values
Support Activities
Activities involved in the recruiting, hiring, training, development, and compensation of all types of personnel
•         Effective recruiting, development, and retention mechanisms for employees
•         Quality relations with trade unions
•         Quality work environment to maximize overall employee performance and minimize absenteeisn
•         Reward and incentive programs to motivate all employees
Support Activities
Related to a wide range of activities and those embodied in processes and equipment and the product itself
•         Effective R&D activities for process and product initiatives
•         Positive collaborative relationships between R&D and other departments
•         State-of-the art facilities and equipment
•         Culture to enhance creativity and innovation
•         Excellent professional qualifications of personnel
•         Ability to meet critical deadlines
Support Activities
Function of purchasing inputs used in the firm’s value chain
•         Procurement of raw material inputs
•         Development of collaborative “win-win” relationships with suppliers
•         Effective procedures to purchase advertising and media services
•         Analysis and selection of alternate sources of inputs to minimize dependence on one supplier
•         Ability to make proper lease versus buy decisions
Interrelationships among Value-Chain Activities within and across Organizations
•         Importance of relationships among value activities
•         Interrelationships among  activities within the firm
•         Relationships among  activities within the firm and with other organizations (e.g., customers and suppliers)
Resource-Based View of the Firm
•         Two perspectives
•         The internal analysis of phenomena within a company
•         An external analysis of the industry and its competitive environment
•         Three key types of resources
•         Tangible resources
•         Intangible resources
•         Organizational capabilities
Types of Resources
Relatively easy to identify, and include physical and financial assets used to create value for customers
•         Financial resources
n  Firm’s cash accounts
n  Firm’s capacity to raise equity
n  Firm’s borrowing capacity
•         Physical resources
n  Modern plant and facilities
n  Favorable manufacturing locations
n  State-of-the-art machinery and equipment
•         Relatively easy to identify, and include physical and financial assets used to create value for customers
•         Technological resources
n  Trade secrets
n  Innovative production processes
n  Patents, copyrights, trademarks
•         Organizational resources
n  Effective strategic planning processes
n  Excellent evaluation and control systems
Difficult for competitors (and the firm itself) to account for or imitate, typically embedded in unique routines and practices that have evolved over time
•         Human
n  Experience and capabilities of employees
n  Trust
n  Managerial skills
n  Firm-specific practices and procedures
Difficult for competitors (and the firm itself) to account for or imitate, typically embedded in unique routines and practices that have evolved over time
•         Innovation and creativity
n  Technical and scientific skills
n  Innovation capacities
•         Reputation
n  Effective strategic planning processes
n  Excellent evaluation and control systems
Competencies or skills that a firm employs to transform inputs to outputs, and capacity to combine tangible and intangible resources to attain desired end
•         Outstanding customer service
•         Excellent product development capabilities
•         Innovativeness of products and services
•         Ability to hire, motivate, and retain human capital
Firm Resources and Sustainable Competitive Advantages
Is the resource or capability…
Valuable
Rare
Difficult to imitate
Difficult to substitute
Implications
•         Neutralize threats and exploit opportunities
•         Not many firms possess
•         Physically unique
•         Path dependency
•         Causal ambiguity
•         Social complexity
•         No equivalent strategic resources or capabilities
Is the Resource Valuable?
Organizational resources can be a source of competitive advantage only when they are valuable
•         Enable a firm to formulate and implement strategies that improve its efficiency or effectiveness
Is the Resource Rare?
Organizational resources also possessed by competitors are not sources of competitive advantage
•         Common strategies based on similar resources give no one firm an advantage
•         Competitive advantages are gained only from uncommon resources, resources that are rare to other competitors
Can the Resource be Imitated?
Difficulty in imitating resources is key to value creation because it constrains competition
•         Profits generated from inimitable resources are more likely to be sustainable
n  Physical uniqueness
n  Path dependency
n  Causal ambiguity
n  Social complexity
Are Substitutes Readily Available?
There must be no strategically equivalent valuable resources that are themselves not rare or inimitable
•         Substitutability may take at least two forms
n  Competitor may be able to substitute a similar resource that enables it to develop and implement the same strategy
n  Very different firm resources can become strategic substitutes (such as e-business as a substitute for physical retail facility)
Evaluating Firm Performance
Two approaches for evaluating firm performance
•         Financial ratio analysis
n  Balance sheet
n  Income statement
•         Balanced scorecard (stakeholder perspective)
n  Employees
n  Customers
n  Owners
Financial Ratio Analysis
•         Five types of financial ratios
•         Short-term solvency or liquidity
•         Long-term solvency measures
•         Asset management (or turnover)
•         Profitability
•         Market value
•         Meaningful ratio analysis must include
•         Analysis of how ratios change over time
•         How ratios are interrelated
The Balanced Scorecard
•         Provides a meaningful integration of many issues that come into evaluating a firm’s performance
•         Four key perspectives
•         How do customers see us? (customer perspective)
•         What must we excel at? (internal perspective)
•         Can we continue to improve and create value? (innovation and learning perspective)
•         How do we look to shareholders? (financial perspective)
The Balanced Scorecard
•         Time
•         Quality
•         Performance and service
•         Cost
The Balanced Scorecard
•         Processes
•         Cycle time
•         Quality
•         Employee skills
•         productivity
•         Decisions
•         Actions
•         Coordination
•         Resources and capabilities
The Balanced Scorecard
•         Introduction of new products and services
•         Greater value for customers
•         Increased operating efficiencies
The Balanced Scorecard
•         Profitability
•         Growth
•         Shareholder value
•         Increased market share
•         Reduced operating expenses
•         Higher asset turnover
 

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