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Ashland VRIO / VRIN Analysis | Assignment Help
What is VRIO / VRIN Analysis ?
VRIO stands for – Value of the resource, Rareness of the resource, Imitation Risk, and Organizational Competence.
VRIO is a resource focused strategic analysis tool.
To build a sustainable competitive advantage the resources that –casename— needs to be valuable, rare, and difficult to imitate. Secondly the –casename— needs to possess capabilities, organizational structure, and culture to optimize the available resources usage. VRIO analysis can help organizations such as Ashland to do better resource allocation and build a defensible value and supply chain.
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What is a Valuable Resource for Ashland? Defining Valuable in VRIO
A resource or capability is considered valuable for Ashland , if it allows the
Ashland to exploit opportunities or negate threats
emerging out of both the micro business environment and the macro environment. If a resource does not allow Ashland to minimize threats or exploit opportunities, than it doesn't contribute signficantly to building a sustainable competitive advantage for Ashland.
What are Rare Resources for Ashland? Defining Rare in VRIO
In an industry that Ashland operates in, valuable resources are held by number of competitors. So valuable resources themselves don’t provide a sustainable competitive advantage. Ashland require rare resources to compete in the industry. If Ashland don’t have rare resources that are required to succeed in the industry then Ashland won’t be able to compete successfully in the marketplace. Secondly holding rare resources can provide Ashland competitive advantage against players that don’t have those rare resources. HBR Case Study Solution
What is a Inimitable (Difficult to Immitate) Resource for Ashland? Defining Inimitable in VRIO
A valuable and rare resource can provide a competitive advantage to Ashland for certain period of time as all the competitors are going to try to imitate or replicate that resource. A sustained competitive advantage emerges, if the resource is difficult to imitate by the competitors. Ashland can create inmitability by innovating on the product side, reducing pain points on service delivery, and having an effective post sales servicing strategy.
Check out the SWOT analysis of Ashland
What is a Organization for Ashland? Defining Organization in VRIO
Even if the Ashland has all the valuable resources that are both rare and difficult to imitate, it won’t automatically result into a sustainable competitive advantage. The key to build the sustainable competitive advantage is to have organizational capabilities, expertise, and structure to exploit the resources. If Ashland is not organized based on its strengths then it won’t able to exploit all the resources that it possesses.
Resources | Value | Rare | Imitation | Organization | Competitive Advantage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Opportunities for Brand Extensions for Ashland products | Yes, new niches are emerging in the market | No, as most of the competitors are also targeting those niches | Yes can be imitated by the competitors | Brand extensions will require higher marketing budget | Temporary Competitive Advantage |
Customer Community of Ashland | Yes, as customers are co-creating products | Yes, the Ashland has able to build a special relationship with its customers | It is very difficult for Ashland competitors to imitate the culture and community dedication | Going by the data, there is still a lot of upside in building on Ashland customers community ecosystem | Providing Strong Competitive Advantage |
Track Record of Project Execution | Yes, especially in an industry where there are frequent cost overun | Yes, especially in the segment that Ashland operates in | No, none of the competitors so far has able to imitate this expertise | Yes, Ashland is successful at it | Providing Strong Competitive Advantage |
Position among Retailers and Wholesalers – Ashland retail strategy | Yes, Ashland has strong relationship with retailers and wholesalers | Yes, Ashland has dedicated channel partners | Difficult to imitate though not impossible | Yes, over the years company has used it successfully | Sustainable Competitive Advantage |
Brand Positioning of Ashland in Comparison to the Competitors | Yes | No | Can be imitated by competitors but it will require big marketing budget | Yes, the firm has positioned its brands based on consumer behavior | Temporary Competitive Advantage |
Successful Implementation of Digital Strategy at Ashland | Yes, without a comprehensive digital strategy it is extremely difficult to compete | No, as most of the firms are investing into digitalizing operations | Can be imitated by competitors | One of the leading player in the industry | Digital strategy has become critical in the industry but it can't provide sustainable competitive advantage to |
Marketing Expertise within Ashland | Yes, firms are competing based on differentiation in the industry | No, as most of the competitors also have good marketing departments and expertise | Pricing strategies of Ashland are often matched by competitors | Yes, Ashland is leveraging both its inhouse marketing department and external expertise | Temporary Competitive Advantage |
Intellectual Property Rights, Copyrights, and Trademarks | Yes, they are extremely valuable for Ashland to thwart competition | Yes, IPR and other rights are rare and competition of Ashland will find it extremely difficult to copy | Risk of imitation is low but given the margins in the industry disruption chances are high | So far the firm has not utilized the full extent of its IPR & other properties | Providing Strong Competitive Advantage |
Opportunities in the E-Commerce Space for Ashland - using Present IT Capabilities | Yes, the e-commerce space is rapidly growing and Ashland can exploit the emerging opportunities | No, most of the competitors are investing in IT to enter the space | The AI and inhouse analytics can be difficult to imitate | It is just the start for the organization | In the long run it can provide sustainable competitive advantage |
Ashland Customer Network and Loyalty | Yes, 23% of the customers contribute to more than 84% of the sales revenue | Yes, firm has invested to build a strong customer loyalty | Has been tried by competitors but none of them are as successful as Ashland | Ashland is leveraging the customer loyalty to good effect | Provide Ashland medium term competitive advantage |
Global and Local Presence of Ashland | Yes, as it diversify the revenue streams and isolate company's balance sheet from economic cycles | Yes | Can be imitated by competitors of Ashland but at a relatively high cost | Yes, it is one of the most diversified companies in its industry | Providing Strong Competitive Advantage |
Vision of the Leadership for Next Set of Challenges | Yes | No | Can't be imitated by competitors of Ashland | Not based on information provided in the case | Can Lead to Strong Competitive Advantage |
Alignment of Activities with Ashland Corporate Strategy | Yes | No | Each of the firm has its own strategy | Yes, company has organizational skills to extract the maximum out of it. | Still lots of potential to build on it |
Pricing Strategies of Ashland | Yes, Ashland has sound pricing strategies | No | Pricing strategies are regularly imitated in the industry | Yes, firm has a pricing analytics engine | It can only provide Ashland with a Temporary Competitive Advantage |
Ashland SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, Weighted SWOT Case Study Solution & Analysis
Books and References
Ahir Gopaldas and Anton Siebert (2022 July August) "What You’re Getting Wrong About Customer Journeys",
Harvard Business Review , 92
Linda A. Hill, Emily Tedards, and Taran Swan (2021) "Drive Innovation with Better Decision-Making", Harvard Business Review 86
Dyer, J. H., & Hatch, N. (2004). Using Supplier Networks to Learn Faster. Sloan Management Review, 45(3), 57–63
Barney, J. B. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17, 99–120
Dyer, J. H., Kale, P., & Singh, H. (2004, July–August). When to ally and when to acquire. Harvard Business Review, 109–115
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