Case Study Description of SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success
Spinal Cord Injury Ontario is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Toronto that assists people with spinal cord injuries to achieve independence, self-reliance and full community participation. In early 2014, the marketing manager is trying to understand how best to assess performance against the organization's crucial but hard-to-measure goal of becoming the expert on living with a spinal cord injury in the province of Ontario. In addition, she wishes to develop a reporting system based on the indicators laid out in the existing balanced scorecard. This monthly dashboard will allow the new chief executive officer to manage the organization using a summary sheet of measures that highlights how it is performing on critical dimensions. She faces two crucial questions: How should internal reporting be performed? What would being successful at community leadership look like and how can performance against this goal be monitored?
Swot Analysis of "SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success" written by Neil Bendle includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Spinal Cord facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Sales & Marketing.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success casestudy better are - – increasing transportation and logistics costs, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , geopolitical disruptions, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing energy prices, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%,
talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Spinal Cord, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Spinal Cord 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 SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Spinal Cord
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 Spinal Cord
Strengths SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Spinal Cord in SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success Harvard Business Review case study are -
Organizational Resilience of Spinal Cord
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Spinal Cord does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Spinal Cord 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 Spinal Cord in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Spinal Cord is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Spinal Cord 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 SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Spinal Cord has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Spinal Cord 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
– Spinal Cord is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Sales & Marketing industry
– SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Spinal Cord to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Spinal Cord to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Innovation driven organization
– Spinal Cord is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Ability to lead change in Sales & Marketing field
– Spinal Cord 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 Spinal Cord in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Digital Transformation in Sales & Marketing segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Spinal Cord digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Spinal Cord 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.
Strong track record of project management
– Spinal Cord is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Weaknesses SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success are -
Need for greater diversity
– Spinal Cord 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 SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success, is just above the industry average. Spinal Cord 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.
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 Spinal Cord supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Spinal Cord 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, Spinal Cord is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success 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, Neil Bendle suggests that, Spinal Cord 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.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Spinal Cord 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success, in the dynamic environment Spinal Cord has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Spinal Cord has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success 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 Spinal Cord has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Spinal Cord is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Sales & Marketing segment. Spinal Cord needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Spinal Cord to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Sales & Marketing 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success 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 SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Spinal Cord is planning to shift buying processes online.
Opportunities SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success | 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 SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success are -
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 Spinal Cord in the consumer business. Now Spinal Cord can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Sales & Marketing industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Spinal Cord can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Buying journey improvements
– Spinal Cord can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Spinal Cord can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Spinal Cord operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Sales & Marketing sector.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Spinal Cord 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Spinal Cord has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Spinal Cord to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success case study. Spinal Cord can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Spinal Cord 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Spinal Cord can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Developing new processes and practices
– Spinal Cord 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Spinal Cord 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, SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Spinal Cord 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Spinal Cord to increase its market reach. Spinal Cord 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Spinal Cord 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.
Threats SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success are -
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. Spinal Cord needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Sales & Marketing industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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 Spinal Cord.
Regulatory challenges
– Spinal Cord needs to prepare for regulatory challenges as consumer protection groups and other pressure groups are vigorously advocating for more regulations on big business - to reduce inequality, to create a level playing field, to product data privacy and consumer privacy, to reduce the influence of big money on democratic institutions, etc. This can lead to significant changes in the Sales & Marketing industry regulations.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Spinal Cord is facing in Sales & Marketing sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Spinal Cord with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Spinal Cord in the Sales & Marketing industry. The Sales & Marketing 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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Spinal Cord 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 SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success .
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success, Spinal Cord 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 .
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. Spinal Cord 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 Spinal Cord in the Sales & Marketing sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Increasing wage structure of Spinal Cord
– 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 Spinal Cord.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success 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 SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success 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 SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success 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 SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success 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 SCI Ontario: Achieving, Measuring and Communicating Strategic Success 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 Spinal Cord needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
