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The body of this report contains 2179 words. April 23, 2012 Hult International Business School London, UK
Contents
Executive summary..........................................................................................................................2 Introduction .....................................................................................................................................3 Brief summary of the cases .........................................................................................................3 External environment: the drivers of change..................................................................................3 Internal factors: the digital muscles ................................................................................................4 Findings summary: key IT issues......................................................................................................5 Recommendations: a matter of value .............................................................................................5 IT transformation as value proposition .......................................................................................6 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................7 Appendix 1: Models and frameworks used .....................................................................................8 PEST analysis ............................................................................................................................8 Porter's Five Forces ..................................................................................................................8 McKinsey 7S model ..................................................................................................................8 Value Matrix .............................................................................................................................9 Venkatraman's IT-driven Transformation Framework ..........................................................10 Appendix 2: External environment................................................................................................11 Macro-environment ...............................................................................................................11 Micro-environment ................................................................................................................11 References .....................................................................................................................................13 Bibliography ...................................................................................................................................14
Executive summary
This report presents an analysis of two cases: Charles Schwab Corporation and Zara. Both companies face substantial challenges regarding IT in their respective businesses: for both, these challenges have profound strategic implications. Charles Schwab is facing a decision concerning the launch of an innovative online trading product; the case of Zara revolves around the upgrade of store terminals. After careful consideration of external environments and internal factors of both companies, this report evaluates the current strategies of the companies and suggests perspectives for future development. In case of Charles Schwab, a new product is revealed to be a step towards an entirely new modular business model. In case of Zara, systems upgrade dramatically strengthens the core competence contained in the value chain. In both cases, IT is shown to be inseparable from business strategy, alignment being the crucial factor of effectiveness.
Introduction
Case studies, business press reports and academic research alike suggest that IT strategies must be aligned with general business strategies in order to be both effective and efficient. The primacy of alignment implies that any business challenge regarding the use of IT should never be treated in isolation, i.e. as a purely technical matter; on the contrary, it is to be addressed with a coherent set of interrelated activities concerned with three aspects of business management: strategy formulation, organisation and control, and technology implementation (Laudon & Laudon, 2012). The cases of Charles Schwab Corporation and Zara further demonstrate that the effectiveness of information systems is inseparable from strong leadership vision, appropriate corporate culture, efficient processes of the company and sustainable, competence-driven strategy. The purpose of this report is to explore the two cases, identify key IT issues faced by the companies currently and provide specific recommendations for future development. This requires an investigation of their respective external environment factors, performed with such tools as PEST and Porters Five Forces model, and the internal factors analysis employing McKinsey 7S framework. The findings are then summarised and certain strategic actions are suggested basing on the Value Matrix model and the IT-driven business transformation typology proposed by Venkatraman. (The description of these methodologies is provided in Appendix 1). This sequence of analytic steps defines the structure of this report; however, due to spatial constraints, external environment analysis is presented in Appendix 2.
In a nutshell, in order to fend off the commoditisation of the internet trading services, Charles Schwab needs a modular business model: it would utilise the modular IT architecture of the company most efficiently, prevent the company from being involved in a price war and most importantly support the core competitive advantages of Charles Schwab. The only bottleneck is flexibility: as noted previously, commission charging systems must be upgraded immediately. The recommended strategy for Zara is more straightforward. As far as lean value chain is the main strategic asset of the company, its demands dictate the way of systems development. In the case of IT in Zara stores, the transition from DOS-based terminals to newer systems is necessary because operational reliability is in evident conflict with strategic reliability (i.e. being able to rely on these systems in the long run) and the latter naturally prevails. Naturally, new systems will add certain functionality, such as in-store networks, constant connection between the store and the distribution centre, inventory optimisation by store-tostore communication and so on. However, the crucial aspect for new IT introduction will be the preservation of what was perceived as crucial functionality of the old systems: their resilience, simplicity and maintenance ease. Single click functionality in main operations turning the terminal on or off, information exchange, setting up and reinstallation can be achieved with web-based applications; more importantly, web platforms will eliminate vendor dependence completely, simplify update procedures and help establish more advanced standards for the retail IT infrastructure. (In terms of standards creation and enforcement, Charles Schwab IT infrastructure could provide a handful of extremely useful examples for Zara IT department).
Price minimiser. The strategy proposed in this report implies that the former value discipline is to be maintained (while forays into unrelated disciplines, e.g. trying to become a Brand manager, would lead to disastrous consequences for the brand). On Venkatraman scale, transition to more advanced POS terminals and retail IT upgrades in general correspond to stage 2, Internal integration, with a very likely expansion to the expansion to stage 3, Business process redesign. At the same time it might be argued that what the new IT, primarily the webbased applications, truly bring is the change in the nature of interaction with technology vendors which effectively is a definition for stage 4 in the model, Business network redesign. However, as discussed previously, the main issue for the company is the clash between old and proven technologies and potential future demands of their agile and fast logistics system; from this point of view, process redesign will be a very narrow endeavour and the entire IT transformation will be mostly confined to stage 2 of Venkatraman model.
Conclusion
The cases of Charles Schwab and Zara show that IT design and implementation are inextricably linked with business strategy development and realisation. For Charles Schwab, an introduction of a new online trading product could herald a transformation of their entire business model towards a modular, radically innovative market proposition; it is a way to avoid the price wars and offer substantial value to the clients. For Zara, an upgrade of POS terminals is inseparable from ensuring their lean distribution network maintains the competitive edge; at the same time the company is essentially changing the architecture of their IT supplier relationships. For both companies, internal pressure for change is the key driver for action despite fairly favourable competitive and macro-environment conditions. The two cases discussed in this report definitely prove that effective IT-driven transformation initiatives require a working, meaningful alignment between strategy and technology.
Porter's Five Forces Five Forces framework was proposed by Michael Porter as a tool for industry analysis and the primary development of business strategy. From the viewpoint of strategic management, this model deals with internal environment of the company by assessing various powers that define the intensity of competition. The forces identified are Suppliers, Customers, New entrants, Substitute products and Competitive rivalry within the industry (also referred to as Existing competition). The former two act through their bargaining power while the latter three represent potential competitive threats to the company. Five Forces model is a typical starting point for industry analysis, widely accepted due to its clarity and methodological rigidity. (Porter, 1980, as cited in Sutherland & Canwell, 2004)
McKinsey 7S model 7S model was developed by McKinsey & Co superstar consultants Tom Peters and Robert Waterman as a framework for analysing internal factors affecting business performance. The model identified seven elements of the organisation: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, skills and staff. The former three are referred to as hard elements since they can be managed by company leadership directly; the latter are thus soft elements, less tangible and less controllable. The primary idea behind the 7S framework is that a company can only be effective if all seven elements are properly aligned. The model is very versatile: it can be used to dissect a company and find misaligned elements as well as for integral assessment and strategic design. (Mindtools, 2012b)
Value Matrix Value Matrix is a conceptual expansion of the Value Disciplines model initially developed by Treacy and Wiersema (1996, as cited in Martinez & Bititci, 2001). The original framework listed three strategic value dimensions: Product leadership, Operating excellence and Customer intimacy. According to the authors, an effective strategy had to be focused around one of these three so that the business would achieve significant advantage over the competitors. The other two dimensions, although requiring considerably less strategic attention and input, cannot be neglected completely: the company has to maintain effective parity with the competition in respective parameters. Value Matrix idea, introduced by Martinez, brings the distinction between hard and soft values to the forefront. For each of the three core value dimensions there exist two dramatically different aspects of existence: see table 1 for the list of six value dimensions as proposed by the new model. Hard values represent business strategies (and essentially businesses themselves) focused on the tangible aspects of technology and product management whereas soft values mean that a company deals with such intangibles as brand perceptions, subcultures, etc.
Table 1. New value dimensions as listed by the value matrix model Value disciplines according to Treacy & Wiersema Product leadership Operational excellence Customer intimacy Hard values Soft values
Although adding new depth to the analysis, the model asserts the same perspective in terms of business strategy: an effective strategy must follow one of the six value disciplines while maintaining parity in the remaining five. However, parity in sister values (e.g. price minimisation for simplifiers) is assuredly easier to achieve than in more distant ones (e.g. innovation in this case). (Martinez & Bititci, 2001)
Venkatraman's IT-driven Transformation Framework Developed by Venkatramanm, it is a tool to assess the degree of business change and potential benefits that underlying IT innovation brings forward. One of the fundamental tenets of the framework is that the degree of business transformation is directly correlated with potential advantages of this transformation for the company. The model can be used to evaluate current activities as well as to design and align future strategic initiatives. The model identifies five potential stages: an IT-driven change project is most likely to exist on any of the five or span neighbouring two. The lowest level is Localised exploitation, followed by Internal integration, Business process redesign, Business network redesign and finally Business scope redefinition. The former two are considered evolutionary stages while the latter three are revolutionary. The higher the stage, the more pronounced the strategic involvement and alignment of IT initiatives. (Venkatraman, 1994)
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typically reliable and present no risk, since they are competing vendors of up-to-date systems (McFarlan & Tempest, 2001). As for customers, Charles Schwab thrives on the growing number of clients interested in selfmanaged investment and internet trading options; online business represents over 25% of the companys portfolio. There are three potential market segments: price seekers, value optimisers and luxury clients (the latter having transferred from offline full-service brokerages); given the market growth dynamics, it is entirely up to Charles Schwab to choose their target (McFarlan & Tempest, 2001). Zara, on the contrary, exists in a much more competitive environment. The competitive rivalry between Zara and such brands as H&M, Gap or Mexx is intense and key factors are geographic expansion, product range and speed of response to market. (Strong financials suggest that Zara is quite good in all three activities; however it is discussed further that their core competence lies in their speed and agility). New entrants are hardly a threat since entry barriers are high and substitute products, e.g. more expensive brands like Hilfiger are typically targeted to a vastly different audience. Suppliers, in contrast to Charles Schwab, might be a significant factor: on one hand, Zara owns some of their suppliers and collaborates intensely with equipment vendors; on the other hand, ancient technologies used in POS terminals translate to vendor dependence (McAfee et al., 2007). Finally, the customers are an unpredictable factor, hard to influence and capricious. Core marketing capabilities in this market are not related to brand management but to being able to respond instantly: something that Zara inherently possesses (McAfee et al., 2007).
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References
Laudon, K. & Laudon, J., 2012. Management Information Systems. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA: Pearson Education Martinez, V. & Bititci, U., 2001. The Value Matrix and its Evolution. In: Blackmon, K., Brown, S. et al. What Really Matters in Operations Management: Proceedings of the European Operations Management Association 8th International Annual Conference. Bath, 3-5 June 2001. [online] Available at: <http://www.som.cranfield.ac.uk/som/dinamiccontent/research/documents/the%20value%20matrix%20and%20its%20evolution.pdf> [accessed 23 April 2012] McAfee, A., Dessain, V. & Sjoman, A., 2007. Zara: IT for Fast Fashion. HBS No. 9-604-081. Boston: Harvard Business School McFarlan, F. & Tempest, N., 2001. Charles Schwab Corporation (A). HBS No. 9-300-024. Boston: Harvard Business School Mindtools, 2012a. PEST Analysis: Understanding Big Picture Forces of Change [online] Available at: <http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_09.htm> [accessed 23 April 2012] Mindtools, 2012b. The McKinsey 7S Framework: Ensuring that All Parts of Your Organization Work in Harmony [online] Available at: <http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_91.htm> [accessed 23 April 2012] Penn, M., 2007. Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrows Big Changes. New York: Twelve Porter, M., 1980. Competitive Strategy. New York: Free Press Sutherland, J. & Canwell, D., 2004. Key Concepts in Management. New York: Palgrave Macmillan Treacy, M. & Wiersema, F., 1996. The Discipline of Market Leaders: Choose Your Customers, Narrow Your Focus, Dominate Your Market. New York: Perseus Books Venkatraman, N., 1994. IT-Enabled Business Transformation: From Automation to Business Scope Redefinition. Sloan Management Review 35 (2), pp. 73-87
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Bibliography
Christensen, C., 2000. The Innovators Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do Business. New York: HarperBusiness Kim, W. & Mauborgne, R., 2005. Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press Volberda, H., Morgan, R., Reinmoeller, P., Hitt, M., Ireland, R. & Hoskisson, R., 2011. Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization, Concepts and Cases. Andover, Hampshire, UK: Cengage Learning EMEA
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