Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
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Case Study Description of Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come?
In the summer of 2008, Nipissing University announced their intent to launch a men's varsity hockey team. Since that time, excitement had been mounting throughout the halls of Nipissing University and within the local community of North Bay, Ontario. It had been a long and at times, challenging journey to bring this team to fruition but with the help of a private group of investors, the Nipissing University Lakers men's varsity hockey team would finally hit the ice in September 2009 and kick-off a much anticipated inaugural season. In January 2009 the Lakers Hockey marketing committee gathered to discuss how best to promote this new team. The Lakers would be playing in North Bay's largest recreational facility - Memorial Gardens, which had a total building capacity of 4,048. Their objectives were clear - the coveted Lakers varsity hockey team would have to garner widespread support and maximize fan attendance. With approximately nine months until the opening game, the marketing team focused on developing the most effective marketing plan to realize these objectives. On March 2nd, they would present their recommendations to the Lakers ownership group for final approval and implementation.
Swot Analysis of "Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come?" written by Denyse Lafrance-Horning includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Lakers Nipissing facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Sales & Marketing.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? casestudy better are - – digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, wage bills are increasing,
increasing commodity prices, technology disruption, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come?
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Lakers Nipissing, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Lakers Nipissing 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 Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Lakers Nipissing
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Sales & Marketing field.
4. Making a Sales & Marketing topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Lakers Nipissing
Strengths Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Lakers Nipissing in Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? Harvard Business Review case study are -
Learning organization
- Lakers Nipissing 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 Lakers Nipissing is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High brand equity
– Lakers Nipissing has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Lakers Nipissing to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Diverse revenue streams
– Lakers Nipissing is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? 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.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Lakers Nipissing 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Lakers Nipissing in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Analytics focus
– Lakers Nipissing 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 Denyse Lafrance-Horning 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
– Lakers Nipissing is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Lakers Nipissing 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 Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Lakers Nipissing has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Lakers Nipissing 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.
Organizational Resilience of Lakers Nipissing
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Lakers Nipissing does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Digital Transformation in Sales & Marketing segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Lakers Nipissing digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Lakers Nipissing 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.
Weaknesses Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? are -
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? HBR case study mentions - Lakers Nipissing 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Lakers Nipissing, firm in the HBR case study Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Lakers Nipissing 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.
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 Lakers Nipissing supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come?, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Lakers Nipissing vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Lakers Nipissing is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Lakers Nipissing is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Sales & Marketing segment. Lakers Nipissing needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Lakers Nipissing to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Lakers Nipissing 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
– Lakers Nipissing 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Lakers Nipissing 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come?, it seems that the employees of Lakers Nipissing don’t have comprehensive understanding of the firm’s strategy. This is reflected in number of promotional campaigns over the last few years that had mixed messaging and competing priorities. Some of the strategic activities and services promoted in the promotional campaigns were not consistent with the organization’s strategy.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Lakers Nipissing has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Opportunities Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? | 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 Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? are -
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Lakers Nipissing 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.
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 Lakers Nipissing in the consumer business. Now Lakers Nipissing can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Lakers Nipissing to expand its talent hiring zone. According to McKinsey Global Institute, 20% of the high end workforce in fields such as finance, information technology, can continously work from remote local post Covid-19. This presents a really great opportunity for Lakers Nipissing to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Lakers Nipissing is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Lakers Nipissing 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.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Sales & Marketing industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Lakers Nipissing 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. Lakers Nipissing 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Lakers Nipissing to increase its market reach. Lakers Nipissing will be able to reach out to new customers. Secondly 5G will also provide technology framework to build new tools and products that can help more immersive consumer experience and faster consumer journey.
Developing new processes and practices
– Lakers Nipissing can develop new processes and procedures in Sales & Marketing 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Lakers Nipissing 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Lakers Nipissing 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Lakers Nipissing has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Lakers Nipissing to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? case study. Lakers Nipissing can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Lakers Nipissing can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Lakers Nipissing in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Sales & Marketing segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Threats Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? are -
Consumer confidence and its impact on Lakers Nipissing 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.
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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come?, Lakers Nipissing may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Sales & Marketing .
Increasing wage structure of Lakers Nipissing
– 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 Lakers Nipissing.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Lakers Nipissing with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Capital market disruption
– During the Covid-19, Dow Jones has touched record high. The valuations of a number of companies are way beyond their existing business model potential. This can lead to capital market correction which can put a number of suppliers, collaborators, value chain partners in great financial difficulty. It will directly impact the business of Lakers Nipissing.
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 Lakers Nipissing business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Environmental challenges
– Lakers Nipissing needs to have a robust strategy against the disruptions arising from climate change and energy requirements. EU has identified it as key priority area and spending 30% of its 880 billion Euros European post Covid-19 recovery funds on green technology. Lakers Nipissing can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Lakers Nipissing has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Sales & Marketing industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Lakers Nipissing needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Sales & Marketing 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.
High level of anxiety and lack of motivation
– the Great Resignation in United States is the sign of broader dissatisfaction among the workforce in United States. Lakers Nipissing needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Sales & Marketing industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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 Lakers Nipissing in the Sales & Marketing sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Lakers Nipissing 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 Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? .
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Sales & Marketing field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Lakers Nipissing can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? 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 Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? 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 Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? 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 Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? 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 Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? 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 Lakers Nipissing needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.