Essay: Xerox Corporation SWOT analysis

Strengths:

• Xerox is a technology and services corporation. Xerox has a strong corporate brand, which is synonymous with its products i.e. copiers, printers, fax machines which it provides a range of document equipment, software solutions and services. In addition the company provides paper services offering its customers 100% recycled paper
• They develop efficient working solutions for companies worldwide, both by providing technical support and environmental initiatives helping companies to meet their environmental targets
• The company has a strong environmental focus which it has developed internally into a strategy of operations focused on environmental initiatives which has saved the company hundreds of millions of dollars.
• It invests heavily in Research and Development to keep up with market requirements for ever evolving products featuring both environmental and technological benefits and features
• The organisation has a reputation for innovation and high quality management
• The company has developed an internal policy of recycling copiers and other equipment i.e. toners, paper etc, which it also offers the benefits of these environmental solutions to its customers

Weaknesses:

• The company operates in an ever changing, fast paced market dynamic which puts an increasing pressure on product development focusing on innovative feature design
• As a Group they only invest 1 – 2 % of Research and Development budget on environmental developments on their product line, choosing to focus more on the main driver of the market which is feature advancement

Opportunities:

• Competitive edge could be gained in the marketplace through more focus on research and development centred on the environmental features of products, meeting higher environmental product grade
• Xerox as a Group already offer support for companies to meet their environmental commitments. These could be added more as a benefits package for companies to manage their environmental stratagem.

Threats:

• Growing pressure on companies to become carbon neutral and have efficient and tangible environmental strategies in operation impact on every level of the supply and demand chain in every business. This in turn may lead to Xerox having to invest more in the research and development of environmentally focused products and components which may determine and provide them with greater competitive edge in attracting tomorrow’s customer.
• Due to the economic conditions being experienced in all business sectors at the present and indeed the foreseeable future, companies and corporations are seeking to reassess, realign and streamline their operations, seeking to reduce the operating costs of their practices thus as a consequence reducing budgets across the board, this in turn may impact on the purchase of office solutions, office equipment and technical support. This combined with environmental commitments companies may choose to reuse and recycle as opposed to renewing current products
• Financial constraints due to a downturn in sales and new business may put pressure on and restrict budgets for innovation, design and development of new product features and environmental research and development which are issues and features that are becoming more important to today’s corporate and retail consumer as the emphasis on all products going to market are on both its technical features and its capacity to be recycled and reused.