Student Who Was Missing-in-Action SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Organizational Development
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Student Who Was Missing-in-Action
Assistant Professor Sam Benson was about to end the class session portion of his course with only student projects remaining. Then, he received a phone call from a student, George McHenry, who had missed 11 of 20 sessions. McHenry wanted to know what he needed to do to salvage his standing in the section so that he would be given a category-III grade and not a category-IV grade and avoid review by the Academic Performance Committee (perhaps jeopardizing his chances for graduation). In his first year of teaching, Benson didn't know how to handle the situation and received conflicting advice from senior faculty colleagues. Teaching purpose: Presents an actual situation and challenges the reader to arrive at an appropriate solution. The reader will have to consider short-term and long-term consequences of the decision that is chosen, with careful consideration concerning the reader's own philosophy about the division of responsibility in the learning process and the role of punitive measures to motivate and punish.
Swot Analysis of "Student Who Was Missing-in-Action" written by Steven J. Spear includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Benson Mchenry facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Student Who Was Missing-in-Action case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Motivating people and Organizational Development.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Student Who Was Missing-in-Action casestudy better are - – increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , technology disruption, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, increasing commodity prices, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies,
there is backlash against globalization, increasing energy prices, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Student Who Was Missing-in-Action
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Student Who Was Missing-in-Action case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Benson Mchenry, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Benson Mchenry 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 Student Who Was Missing-in-Action can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Student Who Was Missing-in-Action case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Benson Mchenry
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 Benson Mchenry
Strengths Student Who Was Missing-in-Action | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Benson Mchenry in Student Who Was Missing-in-Action Harvard Business Review case study are -
Learning organization
- Benson Mchenry is a learning organization. It has inculcated three key characters of learning organization in its processes and operations – exploration, creativity, and expansiveness. The work place at Benson Mchenry is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Student Who Was Missing-in-Action Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High brand equity
– Benson Mchenry has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Benson Mchenry to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Benson Mchenry has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Benson Mchenry has effective processes in place that helps in exploring new product needs, doing quick pilot testing, and then launching the products quickly using its extensive distribution network.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Benson Mchenry in the sector have low bargaining power. Student Who Was Missing-in-Action has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Benson Mchenry to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Ability to lead change in Organizational Development field
– Benson Mchenry is one of the leading players in its industry. Over the years it has not only transformed the business landscape in its segment but also across the whole industry. The ability to lead change has enabled Benson Mchenry in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Benson Mchenry 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.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Student Who Was Missing-in-Action Harvard Business Review case study comprises – understanding the underlying the factors in the industry, building diversified operations across different geographies so that disruption in one part of the world doesn’t impact the overall performance of the firm, and integrating the various business operations and processes through its digital transformation drive.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Benson Mchenry has highly efficient outsourcing and offshoring strategy. It has resulted in greater operational flexibility and bringing down the costs in highly price sensitive segment. Secondly the value chain collaborators of the firm in Student Who Was Missing-in-Action HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Analytics focus
– Benson Mchenry is putting a lot of focus on utilizing the power of analytics in business decision making. This has put it among the leading players in the industry. The technology infrastructure suggested by Steven J. Spear can also help it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Benson Mchenry is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Student Who Was Missing-in-Action are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Benson Mchenry in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Organizational Development industry
– Student Who Was Missing-in-Action firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Benson Mchenry to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Organizational Development industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Benson Mchenry to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Weaknesses Student Who Was Missing-in-Action | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Student Who Was Missing-in-Action are -
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Benson Mchenry 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Student Who Was Missing-in-Action HBR case study mentions - Benson Mchenry takes time to assess the upcoming competitions. This has led to missing out on atleast 2-3 big opportunities in the industry in last five years.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Student Who Was Missing-in-Action, 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.
High dependence on existing supply chain
– The disruption in the global supply chains because of the Covid-19 pandemic and blockage of the Suez Canal illustrated the fragile nature of Benson Mchenry supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Student Who Was Missing-in-Action, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Benson Mchenry vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Benson Mchenry has some of the most successful products in the industry, this business model has made each new product launch extremely critical for continuous financial growth of the organization. firm in the HBR case study - Student Who Was Missing-in-Action should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Student Who Was Missing-in-Action, is just above the industry average. Benson Mchenry 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.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Benson Mchenry has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Student Who Was Missing-in-Action that the firm needs to have more collaboration between its sales team and marketing team. Sales professionals in the industry have deep experience in developing customer relationships. Marketing department in the case Student Who Was Missing-in-Action can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Benson Mchenry is planning to shift buying processes online.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Steven J. Spear suggests that, Benson Mchenry 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, Benson Mchenry 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. Benson Mchenry 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Benson Mchenry is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Student Who Was Missing-in-Action can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Opportunities Student Who Was Missing-in-Action | 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 Student Who Was Missing-in-Action are -
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Benson Mchenry can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Manufacturing automation
– Benson Mchenry can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Organizational Development segment. It can use CAD and 3D printing to build a quick prototype and pilot testing products. It can leverage automation using machine learning and artificial intelligence to do faster production at lowers costs, and it can leverage the growth in satellite and tracking technologies to improve inventory management, transportation, and shipping.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Benson Mchenry 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Benson Mchenry 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, Student Who Was Missing-in-Action, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions
– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Benson Mchenry in the consumer business. Now Benson Mchenry can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Loyalty marketing
– Benson Mchenry has focused on building a highly responsive customer relationship management platform. This platform is built on in-house data and driven by analytics and artificial intelligence. The customer analytics can help the organization to fine tune its loyalty marketing efforts, increase the wallet share of the organization, reduce wastage on mainstream advertising spending, build better pricing strategies using personalization, etc.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Organizational Development industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Benson Mchenry can take advantage of these changes in consumer behavior to build a far more efficient business model. For example consumer regular ordering of products can reduce both last mile delivery costs and market penetration costs. Benson Mchenry can further use this consumer data to build better customer loyalty, provide better products and service collection, and improve the value proposition in inflationary times.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Benson Mchenry 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Benson Mchenry 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.
Reconfiguring business model
– The expansion of digital payment system, the bringing down of international transactions costs using Bitcoin and other blockchain based currencies, etc can help Benson Mchenry to reconfigure its entire business model. For example it can used blockchain based technologies to reduce piracy of its products in the big markets such as China. Secondly it can use the popularity of e-commerce in various developing markets to build a Direct to Customer business model rather than the current Channel Heavy distribution network.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Benson Mchenry 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Benson Mchenry 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Benson Mchenry can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Benson Mchenry operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Organizational Development sector.
Threats Student Who Was Missing-in-Action External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Student Who Was Missing-in-Action are -
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Benson Mchenry in the Organizational Development industry. The Organizational Development industry is already at various protected from local competition in China, with the rise of trade war the protection levels may go up. This presents a clear threat of current business model in Chinese market.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Benson Mchenry is facing in Organizational Development sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Student Who Was Missing-in-Action, Benson Mchenry 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 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.
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.
Increasing wage structure of Benson Mchenry
– 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 Benson Mchenry.
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. Benson Mchenry can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Benson Mchenry 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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Benson Mchenry high dependence on third party suppliers can disrupt its processes and delivery mechanism. For example -the current troubles of car makers because of chip shortage is because the chip companies started producing chips for electronic companies rather than car manufacturers.
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. Benson Mchenry 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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Benson Mchenry demand
– There is a high probability of declining consumer confidence, given – high inflammation rate, rise of gig economy, lower job stability, increasing cost of living, higher interest rates, and aging demography. All the factors contribute to people saving higher rate of their income, resulting in lower consumer demand in the industry and other sectors.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Benson Mchenry 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 Student Who Was Missing-in-Action .
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Benson Mchenry with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Student Who Was Missing-in-Action 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 Student Who Was Missing-in-Action 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 Student Who Was Missing-in-Action 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 Student Who Was Missing-in-Action 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 Student Who Was Missing-in-Action 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 Benson Mchenry needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
