American Bank Case Solution

The Harvard Business Review published a case study that primarily focuses on American Bank. The following case solution has been designed to give the reader an overview about the business world along with a clear understanding of its growth dynamics. Recently, American Bank has been subjected to strategic as well as managerial problems that require immediate attention so that they can be resolved to allow future growth, expansion, and competitive edge within the marketplace. This case study solution is being written to provide a strategic solution to American Bank using various appropriate tools and frameworks. Harvard Business Review’s case studies involve a central problem that is faced by a particular company. The problem identified involves strategic and managerial implications for the company. Therefore, it is important for readers to critically identify the problem American Bank faces. Moreover, it is also essential to highlight the key stakeholders that are impacted and influenced by the problem identified.

External Environmental Analysis

The external environment holds significant importance for American Bank to ensure that the company is able to respond to all the changes in the macro-environment. This is because American Bank cannot control the factors and thus can directly influence the company's operations (Indris & Primiana, 2015). The external environment of American Bank will be assessed using PESTLE Analysis.

Political

• A stable political environment provides a favorable market growth trend for American Bank.

• It is important for American Bank to analyze the pressure groups, and social environment activists. The company can make close collaborations with these groups to achieve company goals (Wang, Wang, & Shi, 2022).

• High restrictions on trade and high levels of taxes can contribute to the complex business environment for American Bank by impacting imports and exports.

Economic

• American Bank can benefit from wide-range opportunities in business growth by operating in developing economies (Munro, 2017).

• High GDP can determine the long-term growth strategies of American Bank, signaling the ability of consumers to spend on more products.

• Higher rates of interests can provide American Bank with more investment opportunities.

• The flexibility in the labor market allows American Bank to take advantage of higher workforce productivity.

Social

• The selection of appropriate demographic segments has allowed American Bank to select the right segments of the market that have high growth potential.

• The research on gender roles has helped American Bank to develop and align communication as well as marketing strategies accordingly.

• American Bank has been successful in understanding the norms and cultures of different countries by developing local teams and partnerships (Hueske, Endrikat, & Guenther, 2015).

Technological

• The adoption of innovative marketing techniques that involves communication technologies has allowed American Bank to collaborate successfully with consumers.

• The company has stayed ahead in the market, and can significantly increase its market share by placing its major focus on emerging technologies (Akpoviroro & Owotutu, 2018).

• American Bank should maximize its profits by investing in disruptive technologies.

Environmental

• It is crucial for American Bank to adopt effective waste management practices to reduce environmental pollution (J. K, W. J, & D., 2016).

• American Bank should adopt eco-friendly products to establish better relationships with the stakeholders.

• American Bank can take advantage of subsidies offered in renewable technologies to achieve the long-term goal of sustainability.

Legal

• American Bank should follow proper laws concerning employee health and safety, and anti-discrimination laws to effectively develop HRM.

• Consumer protection laws are also important for American Bank as it involves the consumer protection from fraudulent marketing (S. Samusenko, S. Plaskova, & A. Prodanova, 2020).

• American Bank can gain a competitive advantage, and can position itself strongly in the market by protecting intellectual property laws.

Porter’s Five Forces Analysis

Threat of New Entrants

• It is difficult to achieve economies of scale in American Bank’s industry, making it a weaker force for new entrants.

• There are high capital requirements in the industry. This makes it difficult for new businesses to set up their companies, and compete against American Bank.

• The industry has a strong product differentiation, and heavy investment is needed for customer acquisition. Thus, American Bank can focus on innovation to differentiate itself from its competitors (H. Th. Bruijl, 2018).

• There are strict legal requirements to join the industry in which American Bank operates, making it difficult for new entrants to enter the market.

Bargaining Power of Suppliers

• The bargaining power of suppliers in the industry is weak.

• American Bank operates in an industry with a higher number of suppliers. This means that suppliers do not have much control over their prices.

• Standardized products that have low switching costs are provided by suppliers allowing buyers like American Bank to easily switch their suppliers (Fabbri & F.Klapper, 2016).

• Raw materials can be purchased at lower prices by American Bank. The company can also switch suppliers for more reasonable pricing.

• American Bank can benefit from a variety of suppliers as it can have multiple suppliers for its various geographical areas (Cho, Ke, & Han, 2019).

Bargaining Power of Buyers

• The bargaining power of buyers in the American Bank industry is weak.

• There is a high product differentiation in the industry, making it difficult for buyers to switch to alternative firms.

• American Bank can come with differentiated and innovative products to attract more buyers of the industry (Zhao, Zuo, & Wu, 2016).

• Buyers of this industry has low incomes. This means they prefer to purchase items at lower prices, making them more price sensitive. Organizations like American Bank can offer lower prices to attract customers.

Threat of Substitute Products or Services

• There are few substitute products available in the industry in which American Bank operates.

• Expensive substitutes are available in the industry of American Bank, making it difficult for buyers to switch to those substitutes (Aithal, 2016).

Rivalry Among Existing Firms

• The rivalry among existing firms is moderate to weak.

• There are few competitors in the industry in which American Bank operates.

• A large market share is enjoyed by fewer firms in the industry. This means that more competitive actions will be made to become leaders in the market (Seema, 2016).

• The industry in which American Bank operates has highly differentiated products, making it difficult for companies to win each other customers.

• American Bank can focus on making more differentiated products to gain a strong competitive edge in the market (Zhao, Zuo, & Wu, 2016).

Internal Environmental Analysis

American Bank can use internal environmental analysis to identify and evaluate the competitive positioning of a company in the business environment. This involves conducting a SWOT Analysis that can help American Bank to identify the company’s internal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (Halmaghi, Iancue, & Băcilă, 2017).

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• American Bank has a strong distribution network that has allowed it to make its products available to large customers within the given timeframe.

• A strong presence on social media platforms has allowed American Bank to have a high level of customer engagement (Rizaldi, 2015).

• American Bank has been successful in building a large product portfolio, so unique and distinctive products can be offered to consumers.

• American Bank has a strong brand image in the market.

• A low-cost structure of American Bank has allowed it to manufacture products at lower costs, so they become affordable for consumers to purchase.

• The financial position of American Bank is strong as the company has generated higher profits over the past years (Phadermrod, M.Crowder, & B.Wills, 2019).

• American Bank has invested in the training and development of its employees to keep them motivates, leading to higher efficiency and productivity.

Weaknesses

• The expenditure of American Bank on its research and development is comparatively less to other competitors of the market.

• American Bank uses a centralized decision-making process that takes time and reduces operational efficiency (Ahmadi, Dileepan, & K. Wheatley, 2016).

• There are high rental costs because American Bank operates on more of the rental properties rather than purchasing them.

• There is no workforce diversification in American Bank. This makes it difficult for the employees to adjust with the different workers who belong to different backgrounds.

Opportunities

• Since the online shopping has increased significantly, American Bank can take it as an opportunity to expand its online presence.

• American Bank can make use of social media platforms to market its products, with more customers interactions.

• Due to more technological developments, American Bank can make its operations more automated so that overall company costs can be reduced (Ahmadi, Dileepan, & K. Wheatley, 2016).

• Globalization provides an opportunity to American Bank to expand its operations in multiple countries.

• American Bank can enter in a niche market and sell distinctive products to gain a competitive advantage.

• The increase in the demand of environmentally friendly goods, American Bank, can place its major focus on making such products (E.Quezada, A.Reinao, & I.Palominos, 2019).

Threats

• In recent times, there has been an increase in the bargaining power of suppliers, making it difficult for American Bank to buy raw materials at lower costs.

• Numerous players are entering the industry, posing a major threat to American Bank.

• There has been constant pressure on American Bank to conduct frequent research to understand the changing customer tastes and preferences (Kolbina, 2015).

• Technological advancements require workforce training. This adds to the costs of American Bank.

VRIO Analysis

American Bank uses VRIO Analysis to assess and evaluate the company resources to determine the competitiveness, and strategic advantage.

Valuable

• American Bank has a strong brand image and engages in corporate social responsibility.

• American Bank has a high brand recognition because of the quality of products it offers to its customers (Ariyani & Daryanto, 2018).

• The distribution system of American Bank is valued all round the world. The company has been able to successfully establish strong relationships with its suppliers.

• American Bank focuses on continuous innovation in its business. The company has expanded this innovation in its multiple functional areas.

• There are potential growth opportunities in the market, and American Bank has been able to penetrate the market through its ability to raise large funds.

Rare

• American Bank operates globally. This global presence has allowed the company to increase its customer base (Miethlich & G. Oldenburg, 2019).

• American Bank has an organizational culture that promotes more teamwork, innovation, and creativity among its employees, that leads to a competitive advantage.

• Since American Bank has a global presence, it allows the company to easily adapt to different cultures, norms and values.

• The risk-taking ability of American Bank is strong. This provides more opportunities to the company to penetrate different markets.

Inimitable

• The inimitable resource for American Bank is its high-quality products. These products have allowed consumers to make repeat purchases.

• American Bank operates through multiple locations of stores in different companies, allowing easy access to products.

• Strong marketing communications have been used by American Bank to attract more customers.

• American Bank has been using integrated technology that has allowed it to offer competitive pricing to its customers (Ariwibowo, Saputro, & Haryanto, 2021).

• American Bank maintains an excellent customer service that has enabled it to have a high brand engagement.

Organization

• Strong financial position has allowed American Bank to explore more product development opportunities.

• American Bank is successfully maintaining the efficiency and effectiveness of its business operations with the help of more integrated and advanced technology.

• Employees are given both in-house and off-the-job training opportunities by American Bank that allow more skills development (Adnan, Abdulhamid, & Sohail, 2018).

• The strong value chain and distribution network has enabled American Bank to increase its revenue through the sale of its products.

Marketing Mix

Marketing Mix is needed by American Bank to formulate effective strategies to achieve the company objectives.

Product

• American Bank has five product categories. Each of these categories has a product line that involves more variety of products (Išoraitė, 2016).

• Highly differentiated products are offered by American Bank to its customers. These distinctive products are not easily available at competitors.

• The products of American Bank are of higher quality, and thus, customers pay more prices for these products.

• American Bank designs products with traditional designs giving customers more product variety.

• American Bank offers multiple sizes for its every product to make it easy for its customers to select the right product.

• Warranty and same-day delivery option if also provided by American Bank to its customers.

Price

• American Bank follows a competitive pricing strategy.

• To attract more customers, bundle pricing has also been used by the company.

• Little higher prices are charged for products that are sold online because of the delivery costs (Thabit & Raewf, 2018).

• Optional product pricing strategy is also adopted by American Bank for some of its products, such as a base product is offered for a certain price, and there are separate prices for its accessories.

• Regular promotional prices are also offered by American Bank to its customers.

Place

• American Bank uses two channels for its product distribution. This includes online selling and through own stores.

• There are more than multiple stores owned by American Bank globally. This ensures easy product availability to customers (Pogorelova, Yakhneeva, & Agafonova, 2016).

• American Bank has partnered with delivery service companies to distribute its products effectively to consumers.

• American Bank has also adopted an omni-channel distribution system.

Promotion

• American Bank uses a traditional promotional strategy that involves TV advertisements (Fan, Y.K.Lau, & Zhao, 2015).

• Social media advertisements are also adopted by American Bank to increase brand awareness.

• American Bank takes part in various events and exhibitions as a way of promoting its products.

• Large sales force is used to provide the customers with a more personal experience.

• American Bank also makes use of influencer marketing to increase the demand for its products.

• Regular content and deals are posted on the social media pages of American Bank to attract and retain customers.

Value Chain Analysis

American Bank can use Value Chain Analysis to identify and assess inter-relationships as well as interdependencies.

Primary Activities

• American Bank’s primary activities involves the production and selling of products to the final consumers (Mintz, J.Gilbride, & Lenk, 2021).

• American Bank has a strong relationship with the suppliers. This ensures that the product is received, stored, and distributed in a timely manner.

• Operational activities of American Bank are effectively aligned.

• For inbound logistics, after the arrival of raw material, the company processes it to manufacture the final product (Hasan, Nekmahmud, & Yajuan, 2019).

• In terms of outbound logistics, American Bank has been able to set up optimal costs as well as efficient delivery processes to deliver the product on time.

• American Bank invests in its sales and marketing activities to build relationships with customers.

• Marketing funnel approach is used by American Bank to effectively devise and build sales and marketing activities.

• American Bank offers both pre-sale and post-sales services to its customers.

Secondary Activities

• American Bank has an effective infrastructure that has allowed the company to successfully optimize its value chain.

• The competitive pressure in terms of employee skill development, motivation, and commitment is reduced as American Bank has developed a strong HRM (Linkov, Carluccio, Pritchard, & Bhreasail, 2020).

• American Bank uses a cost minimization approach to reduce its costs by analyzing the costs associated with training and hiring the employees.

• American Bank has been using integrated technology in its value chain activities. This includes technological customer support, research and data analytics concerning product design, and automated software.

• The procurement activities of American Bank are effectively optimized with its inbound, outbound, and operational activities (Maheswari, Yudoko, & Adhiutama, 2019).

Market Penetration Strategies

• American Bank can increase the capacity of its production so it can reach more of the customers in its existing market.

• American Bank can focus on controlling the overhead costs so that it can offer competitive pricing that can attract customers of the market (Dawes, 2018).

• Investments can be made by American Bank in marketing and sales activities to increase the chances of successful market penetration.

• American Bank can design and develop a content that increases customer engagement within a particular marketplace.

• American Bank can assess and identify more enhanced distribution networks (Radpour, Mondal, & Kumar, 2017).

• Improved distribution systems and supply chains can improve the product accessibility for the customers, making it easier for American Bank to penetrate the market.

• American Bank can adopt price cuts in its products to compete in the market. This will give a company a competitive edge over its competitors.

• American Bank can plan strategies where it can focus on acquiring the leading players of the market. Such acquisitions will give the company an opportunity to reach more customer segments.

• Strategic partnerships and joint ventures agreements can be signed by American Bank to mitigate the risk factors, and to gain customer groups of the market.

• American Bank can come up with new and innovative features in its already existing product for the market (Daouda, Barth, & T. M. Ingenbleek, 2019).

Market Development Strategies

• It is important for American Bank to invest in the research and development department so potential markets can be identified (Hilman, Bohari, & Abdullah, 2018).

• Regional expansion strategy can be used by American Bank for growth purposes. This will also take into consideration the cultural differences.

• American Bank should also consider to expand its business operations in the international market. This will allow access to a larger customer base.

• New customer groups and segments should be explored by American Bank.

• American Bank should also invest in brand-building activities as it will give an opportunity to reach more potential customers (C. Koks & M. Kilika, 2016).

• American Bank should consider the market education in terms of its product. The company can significantly increase its sales by giving product awareness to new segments.

Product Development Strategies

• American Bank can come up with new improvements and modifications in the existing products to attract the market.

• American Bank should undergo the NPD process, so the company is able to assess and identify new points for its customers.

• Regular investments in the research and development will help American Bank to develop something new and innovative that can give a competitive advantage (Kalogiannidis & Mavratzas, 2020).

• American Bank can develop new products by getting into more strategic partnerships.

Diversification Strategies

• American Bank can adopt vertical diversification to develop business. This can be done by adding more products to the existing portfolio (Kalogiannidis & Mavratzas, 2020).

• Horizontal integration can also be adopted by American Bank, where the company can enter into a completely new product development phase that does not exist in the current product line.

• American Bank can also consider to conglomerate by starting a different business.

Conclusion

Based on all the models and frameworks discussed above, it is concluded that American Bank should focus on widening the existing product portfolio. Moreover, the psychological pricing strategy can be adopted. American Bank should also maintain close relationships with its suppliers to benefit from lower prices. Similarly, American Bank should develop more integrated outbound logistics for its perishable items. It is also important to continue producing quality and innovative products, so American Bank is less affected by the new emerging competition in the industry.

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