Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Organizational Development
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A)
A student takes a position on a case which is in conflict with the other students' conclusions. The professor believes the student's answer is correct but does not indicate so in class. As a result, the student withdraws from further class participation.
Swot Analysis of "Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A)" written by C. Roland Christensen includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Professor Withdraws facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Collaboration, Conflict, Psychology and Organizational Development.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) casestudy better are - – increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing energy prices, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs,
competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Professor Withdraws, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Professor Withdraws operates in.
According to Harvard Business Review, 75% of the managers use SWOT analysis for various purposes such as – evaluating current scenario, strategic planning, new venture feasibility, personal growth goals, new market entry, Go To market strategies, portfolio management and strategic trade-off assessment, organizational restructuring, etc.
SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix
SWOT analysis of Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Professor Withdraws
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Organizational Development field.
4. Making a Organizational Development topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Professor Withdraws
Strengths Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Professor Withdraws in Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Professor Withdraws are driving operational speed, building greater agility, and keeping the organization nimble to compete with new competitors. It helps are organization to ideate new ideas, and execute them swiftly in the marketplace.
Digital Transformation in Organizational Development segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Professor Withdraws digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Professor Withdraws has successfully integrated the four key components of digital transformation – digital integration in processes, digital integration in marketing and customer relationship management, digital integration into the value chain, and using technology to explore new products and market opportunities.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Professor Withdraws has built up over years in its products and services combo offer has resulted in high retention of customers, lower marketing costs, and greater ability of the firm to focus on its customers.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Organizational Development industry
– Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Professor Withdraws to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Organizational Development industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Professor Withdraws to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Professor Withdraws in the sector have low bargaining power. Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Professor Withdraws to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Professor Withdraws has innovation driven culture where significant part of the revenues are spent on the research and development activities. This has resulted in, as mentioned in case study Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Professor Withdraws is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Innovation driven organization
– Professor Withdraws is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Professor Withdraws in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Diverse revenue streams
– Professor Withdraws is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) case study a diverse revenue stream that has helped it to survive disruptions such as global pandemic in Covid-19, financial disruption of 2008, and supply chain disruption of 2021.
Organizational Resilience of Professor Withdraws
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Professor Withdraws does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Training and development
– Professor Withdraws has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) Harvard Business Review case study by analyzing – employees retention, in-house promotion, loyalty, new venture initiation, lack of conflict, and high level of both employees and customer engagement.
Weaknesses Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) are -
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A), it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Organizational Development strategy. But it has very little resources allocation to manage the risks emerging from events such as natural disasters, climate change, melting of permafrost, tacking the rise of artificial intelligence, opportunities and threats emerging from commercialization of space etc.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Professor Withdraws is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, C. Roland Christensen suggests that, Professor Withdraws is facing high bargaining power of the channel partners. So far it has not able to streamline the operations to reduce the bargaining power of the value chain partners in the industry.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Professor Withdraws has a very deliberative decision making approach. This approach has resulted in prudent decisions, but it has also resulted in missing opportunities in the industry over the last five years. Professor Withdraws even though has strong showing on digital transformation primary two stages, it has struggled to capitalize the power of digital transformation in marketing efforts and new venture efforts.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Professor Withdraws, firm in the HBR case study Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Professor Withdraws has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.
Need for greater diversity
– Professor Withdraws has taken concrete steps on diversity, equity, and inclusion. But the efforts so far has resulted in limited success. It needs to expand the recruitment and selection process to hire more people from the minorities and underprivileged background.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A), is just above the industry average. Professor Withdraws needs to redesign the compensation structure and incentives to increase the revenue per employees. Some of the steps that it can take are – hiring more specialists on project basis, etc.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Professor Withdraws has borrowed money from the capital market at higher rates. It needs to restructure the interest payment and costs so that it can compete better and improve profitability.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) has high operating costs in the. This can be harder to sustain given the new emerging competition from nimble players who are using technology to attract Professor Withdraws 's lucrative customers.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Professor Withdraws needs to come up with a strategy to reduce the workers concern regarding automation. Without a clear strategy, it could lead to disruption and uncertainty within the organization.
Opportunities Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) | External Strategic Factors
What are Opportunities in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The opportunities highlighted in the Harvard Business Review case study Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) are -
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Organizational Development industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Professor Withdraws can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Professor Withdraws can build a diversified supply chain model across various countries in - South East Asia, India, and other parts of the world. This reconfiguration of global supply chain can help, as suggested in case study, Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A), to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Professor Withdraws can make experimentation a productive activity and build a culture of innovation using approaches such as – mining transaction data, A/B testing of websites and selling platforms, engaging potential customers over various needs, and building on small ideas in the Organizational Development segment.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Professor Withdraws can leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the production process, customer analytics to get better insights into consumer behavior, realtime digital dashboards to get better sales tracking, logistics and transportation, product tracking, etc.
Developing new processes and practices
– Professor Withdraws can develop new processes and procedures in Organizational Development industry using technology such as automation using artificial intelligence, real time transportation and products tracking, 3D modeling for concept development and new products pilot testing etc.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Professor Withdraws has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Professor Withdraws to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) case study. Professor Withdraws can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Professor Withdraws has spent a significant amount of money and effort to integrate analytics and machine learning into its operations in the sector. This continuous investment in analytics has enabled, as illustrated in the Harvard case study Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Professor Withdraws to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Professor Withdraws can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Professor Withdraws operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Organizational Development sector.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Professor Withdraws can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Professor Withdraws to conduct training and development for its employees across the world. This will result in not only reducing the cost of training but also help employees in different part of the world to integrate with the headquarter work culture, ethos, and standards.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Professor Withdraws can still utilize the low interest rates to borrow money for capital investment. Secondly it can also use the increase of government spending in infrastructure projects to get new business.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Professor Withdraws is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) case study suggests that firm can utilize new technology to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Professor Withdraws in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Organizational Development segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Threats Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) are -
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Professor Withdraws can face downward pressure on margins from increasing competition from international players. The international players have stable revenue in their home market and can use those resources to penetrate prominent markets illustrated in HBR case study Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) .
Aging population
– As the populations of most advanced economies are aging, it will lead to high social security costs, higher savings among population, and lower demand for goods and services in the economy. The household savings in US, France, UK, Germany, and Japan are growing faster than predicted because of uncertainty caused by pandemic.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A), Professor Withdraws may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Organizational Development .
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Professor Withdraws has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Organizational Development industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Professor Withdraws needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Organizational Development sector. According to Mckinsey study top managers believe that the adoption of technology in operations, communications is 20-25 times faster than what they planned in the beginning of 2019.
Increasing wage structure of Professor Withdraws
– Post Covid-19 there is a sharp increase in the wages especially in the jobs that require interaction with people. The increasing wages can put downward pressure on the margins of Professor Withdraws.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Organizational Development field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Professor Withdraws can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Professor Withdraws with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Technology disruption because of hacks, piracy etc
– The colonial pipeline illustrated, how vulnerable modern organization are to international hackers, miscreants, and disruptors. The cyber security interruption, data leaks, etc can seriously jeopardize the future growth of the organization.
Instability in the European markets
– European Union markets are facing three big challenges post Covid – expanded balance sheets, Brexit related business disruption, and aggressive Russia looking to distract the existing security mechanism. Professor Withdraws will face different problems in different parts of Europe. For example it will face inflationary pressures in UK, France, and Germany, balance sheet expansion and demand challenges in Southern European countries, and geopolitical instability in the Eastern Europe.
New competition
– After the dotcom bust of 2001, financial crisis of 2008-09, the business formation in US economy had declined. But in 2020 alone, there are more than 1.5 million new business applications in United States. This can lead to greater competition for Professor Withdraws in the Organizational Development sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Professor Withdraws is facing in Organizational Development sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Professor Withdraws can face lack of demand in the market place because of Fed actions to reduce inflation. This can lead to sluggish growth in the economy, lower demands, lower investments, higher borrowing costs, and consolidation in the field.
Backlash against dominant players
– US Congress and other legislative arms of the government are getting tough on big business especially technology companies. The digital arm of Professor Withdraws business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) Template, Example
Not all factors mentioned under the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants in the SWOT Analysis are equal. Managers in the HBR case study Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) needs to zero down on the relative importance of each factor mentioned in the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants.
We can provide the relative importance to each factor by assigning relative weights. Weighted SWOT analysis process is a three stage process –
First stage for doing weighted SWOT analysis of the case study Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) is to rank the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. This will help you to assess the most important strengths and weaknesses of the firm and which one of the strengths and weaknesses mentioned in the initial lists are marginal and can be left out.
Second stage for conducting weighted SWOT analysis of the Harvard case study Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) is to give probabilities to the external strategic factors thus better understanding the opportunities and threats arising out of macro environment changes and developments.
Third stage of constructing weighted SWOT analysis of Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A) is to provide strategic recommendations includes – joining likelihood of external strategic factors such as opportunities and threats to the internal strategic factors – strengths and weaknesses. You should start with external factors as they will provide the direction of the overall industry. Secondly by joining probabilities with internal strategic factors can help the company not only strategic fit but also the most probably strategic trade-off that Professor Withdraws needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
