1. Chapter 4 Assessing Strengths and Weaknesses: Internal Analysis
Instructor: Moses Acquaah, Ph.D.
377 Bryan Building
Phone: (336)

2. Lecture Objectives
(1) Define internal analysis and discuss why it is important.
(2) Describe the relationship between organizational resources, organizational capabilities, core competencies, and distinctive organizational capabilities.
(3) Explain what organizational strengths and weaknesses are.
(4) Define the value chain and describe the primary and support activities on the value chain.
(5) Explain the strategic options for correcting cost competitiveness on the value chain system.
(6) Discuss the steps in conducting a competitive strength assessment
(7) Explain how to use the internal audit process
(8) Discuss the features of an internal environmental analysis process
(9) Describe the steps in capabilities assessment profile

3. What is Internal Analysis?
The process of identifying and evaluating an organization’s specific characteristics
Resources, capabilities, and core competencies
Looks at organization’s
Current vision
Mission(s)
Strategic & financial objectives
Strategies

4. Why Do an Internal Analysis?
Enables a firm to identify its strengths and weaknesses.
Enables a firm to make good strategic decisions.
Information from internal environment provides basis for developing strategic alternatives.

5. A Quick Review of Organizational Resources
Organizational resources are assets an organization has for carrying out work activities and processes
Financial resources
Current debt, credit lines, equity, cash reserves, etc.
Physical resources
Plant & equipment, inventories, supplies, fixtures, etc.
Human resources
Management & employee skills, training, experiences, etc

6. A Quick Review of Organizational Resources
Intangible resources
Brand names, patents, trademarks, copyrights, etc.
Structural-cultural resources
Culture, history, work systems policies, formal reporting structures, etc
Human, intangible, and structural-cultural resources can be a source of competitive advantage
Play important role in determining capabilities or competencies and core competencies

7. Organizational Capabilities
Organizational capabilities/competencies
The complex and coordinated network of company routines and processes that determines how efficiently and effectively the organization transforms its resources into products (goods & services)
Involves complex pattern of coordination between people, & between people and resources
It’s an internal activity that a company performs better than other internal activities

8. Organizational Capabilities
Organizational routines & processes:
Regular, predictable, and sequential patterns of work activity by organizational members
Sustainable Competitive Advantage (CA):
The prolonged maintenance of competitive advantage
Capabilities that are capable of leading to CA today may not continue to do so as conditions & rivals change
Dynamic capabilities
An organization’s ability to build, integrate and reconfigure capabilities to address rapidly changing environments over time.

9. Core Competencies Core competencies
A well-performed internal activity that is central, not peripheral, to a company’s strategy, competitiveness, and profitability
Major value-creating skills and capabilities that
are shared across multiple product lines or multiple businesses
Results from the collaboration among different parts of an organization
Gives a company a potentially valuable competitive capability

10. Core Competencies Types of Capabilities/Core Competencies
Skills in manufacturing a high quality product
System to fill customer orders accurately and swiftly
Fast development of new products
Better after-sale service capability
Superior know-how in selecting good retail locations
Innovativeness in developing popular product features
Merchandising and product display skills
Expertise in an important technology
Expertise in integrating multiple technologies to create whole families of new products

11. From Core Competencies to Distinctive Capabilities
Special and unique capabilities that distinguish the organization from its competitors
A competitively valuable activity that a company performs better than its rivals
Allow a company to develop a sustainable competitive advantage and outperform its competition

12. From Core Competencies to Distinctive Capabilities
Characteristics of distinctive capabilities:
(1) Contribute to superior customer value and offers real benefits to customers
(2) Difficult for competitors to imitate
(3) Allow the organization to use that capability in a variety of ways
What’s the relationship between organizational capabilities, core competencies and distinctive capabilities?

13. Examples of Distinctive Capabilities
Sharp Corporation
Expertise in flat-panel display technology
Toyota
Low-cost, high-quality manufacturing capability and short design-to-market cycles
Intel Corporation
Ability to design and manufacture ever more powerful microprocessors for PCs
Motorola
Defect-free manufacture (six-sigma quality) of cell phones

14. Strengths and Weaknesses
Resources that an organization possesses and capabilities that the organization has developed
Both can be exploited and developed into a sustainable competitive advantage
Weaknesses
Resources and capabilities that are lacking or deficient; and that
Prevents an organization from developing a sustainable competitive advantage

15. How to Do an Internal Analysis
Approaches to internal analysis
(1) Value Chain Analysis
(2) Competitive Strength Assessment
(3) An Internal Audit
(4) Internal Environmental Analysis Process
(5) Capabilities Assessment Profile

16. (1) Value Chain Analysis
Customers want (demand) some type of value from the goods and services they purchase or obtain
Customer value arises from
(1) Uniqueness of product or service
(2) Low-priced product/service
(3) Quick response to specific or distinctive customer needs
Allow assessment of cost competitiveness of organization with those of its rivals

17. The Value Chain
The value chain identifies the separate activities and business processes performed to design, produce, market, deliver, and support a product/service and how well they create customer value.
Consists of two types of activities
Primary activities : create customer value
Inbound logistics, Operations; Outboard logistics; Sales & Marketing; & Customer Service
Support activities: Support primary activities
Procurement; Technological development; HRM; General Administration (Firm infrastructure)

18. A Typical Value Chain Primary Activities and Costs
Outbound
Logistics
Operations
Inbound
Sales and
Marketing
Service
Profit
Margin
Procurement; Product R&D, Technology
Human Resources Management
General Administration (Firm Infrastructure)
Primary Activities and Costs
Support
Activities
and Costs

19. Downstream Value Chains
The Value Chain System
Upstream
Value Chain
Firm’s Own
Value Chain
Downstream Value Chains
Activities,
Costs, &
Margins of
Suppliers
Internally
Performed
Activities,
Costs, &
Margins
Activities,
Costs, &
Margins of
Forward
Channel
Allies &
Strategic
Partners
Buyer/User
Value
Chains

20. Examples of Key Value Chain Activities
Soft Drinks Industry
Processing of basic ingredients
Syrup manufacture
Bottling & can filling
Wholesale distribution
Retailing
Computer Software Industry
Programming
Disk Loading
Marketing
Distribution

21. The Value Chain System
A company’s cost competitiveness depends on how well it manages its value chain relative to competitors
Three areas contribute to cost differences
1. Suppliers’ activities
2. The company’s own internal activities
3. Forward channel activities

22. The Value Chain System
Assessing a company’s cost competitiveness involves comparing costs along the industry’s value chain
Suppliers’ value chains are relevant because
Costs, quality, and performance of inputs provided by suppliers influence a firm’s own costs and product performance
Forward channel allies’ value chains are relevant because
Forward channel allies’ costs and margins are part of price paid by ultimate end-user
Activities performed affect end-user satisfaction

23. Strategic Options for Correcting Costs Competitiveness
Supplier-related costs disadvantages:
Negotiate more favorable prices with suppliers
Work with suppliers to achieve lower costs
Integrate backward
Use lower-priced substitute inputs
Do a better job of managing linkages between suppliers’ value chains and firm’s own chain
Make up difference by initiating cost savings in other areas of value chain

24. Strategic Options for Correcting Costs Competitiveness
Forward channel allies’ costs disadvantages:
Push for more favorable terms with distributors and other forward channel allies
Work closely with forward channel allies and customers to identify win-win opportunities to reduce costs
Change to a more economical distribution strategy
Make up difference by initiating cost savings earlier in value chain

25. Strategic Options for Correcting Costs Competitiveness
Firm’s own internal cost disadvantages:
Reengineer performance of high-cost activities or business processes
Eliminate some cost-producing activities altogether by revamping value chain system (VCS)
Relocate high-cost activities to lower-cost geographic areas
See if high-cost activities can be performed cheaper by outside vendors/suppliers
Invest in cost-saving technology
Simplify product design
Achieving savings in backward or forward portions of VCS

26. From Value Chain Analysis to Competitive Advantage
A company can create competitive advantage by managing its value chain so as to
Integrate the knowledge and skills of employees in competitively valuable ways
Leverage economies of learning or experience curve effects
Coordinate related activities in ways that build valuable capabilities
Build dominating expertise in a value chain activity critical to customer satisfaction or market success

27. From Value Chain Analysis to Competitive Advantage
The strategy-making lesson of value chain analysis is that sustainable competitive advantage can be created by:
(1). Managing the value chain activities better than competitors; and
(2). Developing distinctive capabilities to serve the needs of customers better

28. (2) Assessing Organization’s Competitive Strength
How does the firm rank relative to key rivals on each industry KSF and relevant measure of competitive strength (capabilities or core competencies)?
Does the firm have a sustainable competitive advantage or disadvantage
What is the ability of the firm to defend its position in light of
Industry driving forces
Competitive pressures
Anticipated moves of rivals

29. Assessing Organization’s Competitive Strength
1. List industry key success factors and other relevant measures of competitive strength
2. Rate firm and key rivals on each factor using rating scale of (1 = weak; 10 = strong)
3. Decide whether to use a weighted or unweighted rating system
4. Sum individual ratings to get overall measure of competitive strength for each rival
5. Determine whether the firm enjoys a competitive advantage or suffers from competitive disadvantage

30. Assessing Organization’s Competitive Strength
A weighted competitive strength analysis is conceptually stronger than an unweighted competitive strength analysis because
All the strength measures are not equally important.
E.g., in an industry with strong product differentiation, the significant strength measures may be
Brand awareness
Reputation for quality
Amount of advertising
Distribution capability, etc.

31. Some KSF/Strength Measures
Quality/product performance
Reputation/image
Manufacturing capability
Technological skills
Dealer network/Distribution channels
New product innovation
Financial resources
Relative cost position
Customer service capability

32. Assessing Organization’s Competitive Strength
What does a high competitive strength rating relative to rivals mean?
Strong competitive position & possession of competitive advantages
Opportunity for company to improve its long-term market position
Good strategy entails
Looking for opportunities to leverage company strengths into competitive advantage
Using company strengths to attack the competitive weaknesses of rivals

33. Why Do a Competitive Strength Assessment?
Reveals strength of firm’s competitive position
Shows how firm stacks up against rivals, measure-by-measure -- pinpoints the company’s competitive strengths and competitive weaknesses
Indicates whether firm is at a competitive advantage / disadvantage against each rival
Identifies possible offensive attacks (pit company strengths against rivals’ weaknesses)
Identifies possible defensive actions (a need to correct competitive weaknesses)

34. (3) Using an Internal Audit
A thorough assessment of an organization’s various internal functional areas
Strategic decision makers use the internal audit to assess the organization’s resources and capabilities from the perspectives of its different functions

35. Using an Internal Audit
Six primary functional areas
Production-operations
Marketing
Research & development
Financial and accounting
Management, including HRM
Information System
Depending on products, markets, and industries, individual organizational structures may vary and, therefore, may emphasize different sets of functional areas

36. (4) Using an Internal Environmental Analysis Process
Assesses an organization’s internal activities
Step 1: Survey strengths and weaknesses
Step 2: Categorize these strengths & weaknesses (S&W) in terms of resources & capabilities
Step 3: Investigate the potential of strengths to lead to competitive advantage
Step 4: Evaluate the ability of these competitively resources & capabilities to serve as the basis for an appropriate competitive strategy

37. (5) Capabilities Assessment Profile
Resembles the internal environmental analysis
Similarity: Focuses on deeper evaluation of S&W
Difference: Focuses only on an firm’s capabilities
Analysis of capabilities is complex
Not as easily identified as organization’s function or even the value creating primary & support activities
Complex nature of capabilities makes it hard for competitors to imitate

38. Capabilities Assessment Profile
Analysis Consists of two phases:
Phase I: Identify distinctive capabilities
Phase II: Develop and leverage distinctive capabilities
Identifying Distinctive Organizational Capabilities
Step 1: Prepare current product-market profile
Emphasize organization-customer interactions
What is the organization selling?
Who are the organization selling to?
Is the organization providing superior customer value & desirable benefits?

39. Capabilities Assessment Profile
Step 2: Identify sources of competitive advantage & disadvantage in the main product-market segment
Determine why customers choose the organization’s products vs. those of competitors
Involves information on cost, product, and service attributes
When customers purchase
What they’re actually purchasing
What bundle of attributes satisfies their needs

40. Capabilities Assessment Profile
Step 3: Describe all organizational capabilities & competencies
Examine resources, skills, & abilities of the various divisions
Determine which resources, skills, & abilities lead to a competitive advantage
Step 4: Sort the core capabilities/competencies according to strategic importance
Can capability provide wide access to a number of different markets?
Does the capability provide tangible customer benefits?
Is the capability difficult for competitors to imitate?

41. Capabilities Assessment Profile
Step 5: Identify and agree on the key capabilities or competencies
Provide basis for resource allocation
Classifying an Organization’s S&W
Past performance trends
Measures such as financial ratios, operations efficiency, etc,
Specific goal or targets
Organization’s goals are statements of desired outcomes
Comparison against competitors
How are competitors doing?
Personal opinions of decision makers & consultants