BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
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Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements
Dr. John Anderson plans to license a technology that will be used to develop a device that would help physicians detect early-stage cancers. Patients would breathe directly into the device, which would analyze a user's breath for traces of key compounds associated with the most common cancers. In addition to eliminating the need for invasive biopsy procedures, the screening tool would also be inexpensive, easy to use, and provide immediate results. This case describes a hypothetical entrepreneur who must navigate and analyze a year of transactions including establishing a corporation, establishing a licensing agreement, purchasing machinery, and taking out a bank loan, in addition to preparing financial reports for the year.
Authors :: Anne Beyer, Madhav V. Rajan, Jaclyn C. Foroughi
Swot Analysis of "BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements" written by Anne Beyer, Madhav V. Rajan, Jaclyn C. Foroughi includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Cancers Device facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Budgeting, Business law, Corporate governance, Performance measurement and Finance & Accounting.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements casestudy better are - – challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, there is backlash against globalization, increasing energy prices, increasing commodity prices, geopolitical disruptions, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google,
increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Cancers Device, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Cancers Device 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 BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Cancers Device
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Finance & Accounting field.
4. Making a Finance & Accounting topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Cancers Device
Strengths BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Cancers Device in BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements Harvard Business Review case study are -
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Cancers Device in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Digital Transformation in Finance & Accounting segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Cancers Device digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Cancers Device 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.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Cancers Device 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 BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Organizational Resilience of Cancers Device
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Cancers Device does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Cancers Device in the sector have low bargaining power. BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Cancers Device to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Cancers Device is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Strong track record of project management
– Cancers Device is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Cancers Device has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Cancers Device 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Cancers Device is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements 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.
Ability to lead change in Finance & Accounting field
– Cancers Device 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 Cancers Device in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
High brand equity
– Cancers Device has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Cancers Device to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Cancers Device 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.
Weaknesses BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements are -
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Anne Beyer, Madhav V. Rajan, Jaclyn C. Foroughi suggests that, Cancers Device 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements, it seems that the employees of Cancers Device 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Cancers Device has created an environment where the organization is dominated by functional specialists rather than management generalist. This has resulted into product oriented approach rather than marketing oriented approach or consumers oriented approach.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Cancers Device 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 - BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements, in the dynamic environment Cancers Device has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Cancers Device has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Finance & Accounting 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Cancers Device, firm in the HBR case study BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Cancers Device 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.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements 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 Cancers Device 's lucrative customers.
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 Cancers Device supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Cancers Device vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements 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 Cancers Device has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Opportunities BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements | 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 BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements are -
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Cancers Device 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 Finance & Accounting segment.
Buying journey improvements
– Cancers Device can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements suggest that firm can provide automated chats to help consumers solve their own problems, provide online suggestions to get maximum out of the products and services, and help consumers to build a community where they can interact with each other to develop new features and uses.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Cancers Device is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Cancers Device 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Cancers Device 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 Cancers Device to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Cancers Device 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 BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Cancers Device to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Cancers Device 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, BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Cancers Device 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
– Cancers Device can develop new processes and procedures in Finance & Accounting 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Cancers Device can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Cancers Device operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Finance & Accounting sector.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Cancers Device can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Finance & Accounting industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Cancers Device can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
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 Cancers Device 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.
Threats BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements are -
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 Cancers Device.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements, Cancers Device may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Finance & Accounting .
Consumer confidence and its impact on Cancers Device 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.
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.
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 Cancers Device business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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. Cancers Device 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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Cancers Device 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.
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. Cancers Device needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Finance & Accounting industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Cancers Device 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 BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements .
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Finance & Accounting field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Cancers Device can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Environmental challenges
– Cancers Device 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. Cancers Device can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Finance & Accounting industry.
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 Cancers Device in the Finance & Accounting sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements 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 BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements 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 BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements 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 BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements 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 BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements 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 Cancers Device needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
