The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow
This series of four brief cases (labeled A through D) illustrates the various dilemmas that can arise in the fundraising arena. The focus is primarily on the academic setting.
Authors :: R. Edward Freeman, Wendy Bolger, Jenny Mead
Swot Analysis of "The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow" written by R. Edward Freeman, Wendy Bolger, Jenny Mead includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Fundraising Chimney facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow casestudy better are - – wage bills are increasing, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing commodity prices, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, there is backlash against globalization,
digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Fundraising Chimney, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Fundraising Chimney 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Fundraising Chimney
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Strategy & Execution field.
4. Making a Strategy & Execution topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Fundraising Chimney
Strengths The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Fundraising Chimney in The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow Harvard Business Review case study are -
Analytics focus
– Fundraising Chimney 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 R. Edward Freeman, Wendy Bolger, Jenny Mead 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.
Learning organization
- Fundraising Chimney 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 Fundraising Chimney is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Fundraising Chimney to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Fundraising Chimney to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Organizational Resilience of Fundraising Chimney
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Fundraising Chimney does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Training and development
– Fundraising Chimney has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow Harvard Business Review case study by analyzing – employees retention, in-house promotion, loyalty, new venture initiation, lack of conflict, and high level of both employees and customer engagement.
Digital Transformation in Strategy & Execution segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Fundraising Chimney digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Fundraising Chimney 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Fundraising Chimney is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Fundraising Chimney is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Fundraising Chimney has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Fundraising Chimney 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.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Fundraising Chimney 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Strong track record of project management
– Fundraising Chimney is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
High brand equity
– Fundraising Chimney has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Fundraising Chimney to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Weaknesses The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow are -
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow, is just above the industry average. Fundraising Chimney 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Fundraising Chimney 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 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 Fundraising Chimney supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Fundraising Chimney vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Fundraising Chimney is planning to shift buying processes online.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Fundraising Chimney 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Fundraising Chimney is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Fundraising Chimney needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Fundraising Chimney to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Fundraising Chimney 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 decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Fundraising Chimney 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. Fundraising Chimney even though has strong showing on digital transformation primary two stages, it has struggled to capitalize the power of digital transformation in marketing efforts and new venture efforts.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Fundraising Chimney, firm in the HBR case study The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Fundraising Chimney 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Fundraising Chimney 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 - The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Opportunities The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow | 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow are -
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Fundraising Chimney 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 Strategy & Execution segment.
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 Fundraising Chimney 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Fundraising Chimney can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Strategy & Execution 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Fundraising Chimney 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 Fundraising Chimney to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Fundraising Chimney 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Fundraising Chimney 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Fundraising Chimney to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Fundraising Chimney in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Strategy & Execution segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Developing new processes and practices
– Fundraising Chimney can develop new processes and procedures in Strategy & Execution 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Fundraising Chimney 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.
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 Fundraising Chimney in the consumer business. Now Fundraising Chimney can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Fundraising Chimney has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Fundraising Chimney to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow case study. Fundraising Chimney can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Fundraising Chimney 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, The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Strategy & Execution industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Fundraising Chimney 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. Fundraising Chimney 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.
Threats The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow are -
Increasing wage structure of Fundraising Chimney
– 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 Fundraising Chimney.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Fundraising Chimney 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.
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.
Regulatory challenges
– Fundraising Chimney 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 Strategy & Execution industry regulations.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow, Fundraising Chimney may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Strategy & Execution .
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 Fundraising Chimney business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Strategy & Execution field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Fundraising Chimney can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Fundraising Chimney 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow .
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 Fundraising Chimney in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Instability in the European markets
– European Union markets are facing three big challenges post Covid – expanded balance sheets, Brexit related business disruption, and aggressive Russia looking to distract the existing security mechanism. Fundraising Chimney 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.
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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Fundraising Chimney in the Strategy & Execution industry. The Strategy & Execution 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.
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. Fundraising Chimney needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (A): Santa in Spring Chimney-Hung Stockings Overflow 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 Fundraising Chimney needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
