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Scotts Miracle-Gro 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 Scotts Miracle-Gro to do better resource allocation and build a defensible value and supply chain.
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What is a Valuable Resource for Scotts Miracle-Gro? Defining Valuable in VRIO
A resource or capability is considered valuable for Scotts Miracle-Gro , if it allows the
Scotts Miracle-Gro to exploit opportunities or negate threats
emerging out of both the micro business environment and the macro environment. If a resource does not allow Scotts Miracle-Gro to minimize threats or exploit opportunities, than it doesn't contribute signficantly to building a sustainable competitive advantage for Scotts Miracle-Gro.
What are Rare Resources for Scotts Miracle-Gro? Defining Rare in VRIO
In an industry that Scotts Miracle-Gro operates in, valuable resources are held by number of competitors. So valuable resources themselves don’t provide a sustainable competitive advantage. Scotts Miracle-Gro require rare resources to compete in the industry. If Scotts Miracle-Gro don’t have rare resources that are required to succeed in the industry then Scotts Miracle-Gro won’t be able to compete successfully in the marketplace. Secondly holding rare resources can provide Scotts Miracle-Gro competitive advantage against players that don’t have those rare resources. HBR Case Study Solution
What is a Inimitable (Difficult to Immitate) Resource for Scotts Miracle-Gro? Defining Inimitable in VRIO
A valuable and rare resource can provide a competitive advantage to Scotts Miracle-Gro 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. Scotts Miracle-Gro 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 Scotts Miracle-Gro
What is a Organization for Scotts Miracle-Gro? Defining Organization in VRIO
Even if the Scotts Miracle-Gro 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 Scotts Miracle-Gro 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scotts Miracle-Gro 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 Scotts Miracle-Gro | Scotts Miracle-Gro is leveraging the customer loyalty to good effect | Provide Scotts Miracle-Gro medium term competitive advantage |
Successful Implementation of Digital Strategy at Scotts Miracle-Gro | 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 |
Alignment of Activities with Scotts Miracle-Gro 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 |
Intellectual Property Rights, Copyrights, and Trademarks | Yes, they are extremely valuable for Scotts Miracle-Gro to thwart competition | Yes, IPR and other rights are rare and competition of Scotts Miracle-Gro 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 |
Global and Local Presence of Scotts Miracle-Gro | Yes, as it diversify the revenue streams and isolate company's balance sheet from economic cycles | Yes | Can be imitated by competitors of Scotts Miracle-Gro but at a relatively high cost | Yes, it is one of the most diversified companies in its industry | Providing Strong Competitive Advantage |
Opportunities in the E-Commerce Space for Scotts Miracle-Gro - using Present IT Capabilities | Yes, the e-commerce space is rapidly growing and Scotts Miracle-Gro 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 |
Product Portfolio and Synergy among Various Product Lines of Scotts Miracle-Gro | 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 |
Track Record of Leadership Team at Scotts Miracle-Gro | Yes | Yes | Can't be imitated by competitors | Yes | Providing Strong Competitive Advantage |
Vision of the Leadership for Next Set of Challenges | Yes | No | Can't be imitated by competitors of Scotts Miracle-Gro | Not based on information provided in the case | Can Lead to Strong Competitive Advantage |
Brand Positioning of Scotts Miracle-Gro 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 |
Distribution and Logistics Costs Competitiveness | Yes, as it helps Scotts Miracle-Gro in delivering lower costs | No | Can be imitated by competitors of Scotts Miracle-Gro but it is difficult | Yes | Medium to Long Term Competitive Advantage |
Track Record of Project Execution | Yes, especially in an industry where there are frequent cost overun | Yes, especially in the segment that Scotts Miracle-Gro operates in | No, none of the competitors so far has able to imitate this expertise | Yes, Scotts Miracle-Gro is successful at it | Providing Strong Competitive Advantage |
Brand awareness of Scotts Miracle-Gro products and services | Yes, the brand awareness of Scotts Miracle-Gro products are high | Yes, Scotts Miracle-Gro has one of the leading brand in the industry | No | Scotts Miracle-Gro has utilized its leading brand position in various segments | Sustainable Competitive Advantage |
Talent to Manage Regulatory and Legal Obligations | Yes | No | Can be imitated by competitors | Yes | Not critical factor |
Scotts Miracle-Gro 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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