Securian Financial Group 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 Securian Financial Group to do better resource allocation and build a defensible value and supply chain.

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VRIO / VRIN Analysis

What is a Valuable Resource for Securian Financial Group? Defining Valuable in VRIO


A resource or capability is considered valuable for Securian Financial Group , if it allows the Securian Financial Group to exploit opportunities or negate threats emerging out of both the micro business environment and the macro environment. If a resource does not allow Securian Financial Group to minimize threats or exploit opportunities, than it doesn't contribute signficantly to building a sustainable competitive advantage for Securian Financial Group.

What are Rare Resources for Securian Financial Group? Defining Rare in VRIO


In an industry that Securian Financial Group operates in, valuable resources are held by number of competitors. So valuable resources themselves don’t provide a sustainable competitive advantage. Securian Financial Group require rare resources to compete in the industry. If Securian Financial Group don’t have rare resources that are required to succeed in the industry then Securian Financial Group won’t be able to compete successfully in the marketplace. Secondly holding rare resources can provide Securian Financial Group competitive advantage against players that don’t have those rare resources. HBR Case Study Solution

What is a Inimitable (Difficult to Immitate) Resource for Securian Financial Group? Defining Inimitable in VRIO


A valuable and rare resource can provide a competitive advantage to Securian Financial Group 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. Securian Financial Group 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 Securian Financial Group

What is a Organization for Securian Financial Group? Defining Organization in VRIO


Even if the Securian Financial Group 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 Securian Financial Group 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
Alignment of Activities with Securian Financial Group 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
Access to Cheap Capital for Securian Financial Group Yes, as a leading player in the industry and current macro economic conditions, Securian Financial Group has access to cheap capital No Can be imitated by the competitors of Securian Financial Group Not been totally exploited Not significant in creating competitive advantage
Opportunities in the Adjacent Industries that Securian Financial Group can exploit & New Resources Required to Enter those Industries Can be valuable as they will create new revenue streams No Can be imitated by competitors All the capabilities of the organization are not fully utilized yet Has potential
Talent to Manage Regulatory and Legal Obligations Yes No Can be imitated by competitors Yes Not critical factor
Global and Local Presence of Securian Financial Group Yes, as it diversify the revenue streams and isolate company's balance sheet from economic cycles Yes Can be imitated by competitors of Securian Financial Group but at a relatively high cost Yes, it is one of the most diversified companies in its industry Providing Strong Competitive Advantage
Position among Retailers and Wholesalers – Securian Financial Group retail strategy Yes, Securian Financial Group has strong relationship with retailers and wholesalers Yes, Securian Financial Group has dedicated channel partners Difficult to imitate though not impossible Yes, over the years company has used it successfully Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Marketing Expertise within Securian Financial Group 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 Securian Financial Group are often matched by competitors Yes, Securian Financial Group is leveraging both its inhouse marketing department and external expertise Temporary Competitive Advantage
Sales Force and Channel Management of Securian Financial Group Yes No Can be imitated by competitors Still there is lot of potential to utilize the excellent sales force Can provide Securian Financial Group sustainable competitive advantage. Potential is certainly there.
Intellectual Property Rights, Copyrights, and Trademarks Yes, they are extremely valuable for Securian Financial Group to thwart competition Yes, IPR and other rights are rare and competition of Securian Financial Group 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
Access to Critical Raw Material for Successful Execution Yes Yes, as other competitors have to come to terms with Securian Financial Group dominant market position Can be imitated by competitors Yes Providing Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Brand awareness of Securian Financial Group products and services Yes, the brand awareness of Securian Financial Group products are high Yes, Securian Financial Group has one of the leading brand in the industry No Securian Financial Group has utilized its leading brand position in various segments Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Successful Implementation of Digital Strategy at Securian Financial Group 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
Track Record of Project Execution Yes, especially in an industry where there are frequent cost overun Yes, especially in the segment that Securian Financial Group operates in No, none of the competitors so far has able to imitate this expertise Yes, Securian Financial Group is successful at it Providing Strong Competitive Advantage
Product Portfolio and Synergy among Various Product Lines of Securian Financial Group Yes, it is valuable in the industry given the various segmentations & consumer preferences. Most of the competitors are trying to enter the lucrative segments Can be imitated by the competitors The firm has used it to good effect, details can be found in case exhibit Provide short term competitive advantage but requires constant innovation to sustain


Securian Financial Group 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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