Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
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Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE
This is a four-player negotiation simulation in which a newly-privatized British water utility must deal with contentious unions and national collective-bargaining agreements. Explores the question of coalitions and multi-lateral negotiations, and the value of interlocking guarantees. This case contains the confidential information for one of the four roles.
Swot Analysis of "Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE" written by Robert J. Robinson includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Nupe Confidential facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Labor, Negotiations and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE casestudy better are - – technology disruption, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , there is increasing trade war between United States & China, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion,
geopolitical disruptions, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Nupe Confidential, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Nupe Confidential 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 Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Nupe Confidential
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 Nupe Confidential
Strengths Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Nupe Confidential in Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE Harvard Business Review case study are -
Ability to recruit top talent
– Nupe Confidential is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field
– Nupe Confidential 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 Nupe Confidential in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Nupe Confidential 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 Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Organizational Resilience of Nupe Confidential
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Nupe Confidential does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE 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.
Analytics focus
– Nupe Confidential 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 Robert J. Robinson 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Nupe Confidential to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Nupe Confidential to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Nupe Confidential has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Nupe Confidential 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.
Learning organization
- Nupe Confidential 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 Nupe Confidential is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Nupe Confidential 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 Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Diverse revenue streams
– Nupe Confidential is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE 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 Nupe Confidential 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.
Weaknesses Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE are -
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Nupe Confidential 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 Nupe Confidential 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 - Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE, is just above the industry average. Nupe Confidential 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Nupe Confidential, firm in the HBR case study Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE 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, Nupe Confidential 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.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Nupe Confidential 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Nupe Confidential 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.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Nupe Confidential 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. Nupe Confidential even though has strong showing on digital transformation primary two stages, it has struggled to capitalize the power of digital transformation in marketing efforts and new venture efforts.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Nupe Confidential is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Nupe Confidential 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Strategy & Execution 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.
Opportunities Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE | 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 Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE are -
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Nupe Confidential 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 Nupe Confidential to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Nupe Confidential can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Nupe Confidential operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
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. Nupe Confidential 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. Nupe Confidential 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Nupe Confidential 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.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Strategy & Execution industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Nupe Confidential can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Nupe Confidential 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 Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Nupe Confidential to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Developing new processes and practices
– Nupe Confidential 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Nupe Confidential to increase its market reach. Nupe Confidential 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Nupe Confidential has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Nupe Confidential to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE case study. Nupe Confidential can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Nupe Confidential 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.
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 Nupe Confidential in the consumer business. Now Nupe Confidential can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Buying journey improvements
– Nupe Confidential can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE 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.
Identify volunteer opportunities
– Covid-19 has impacted working population in two ways – it has led to people soul searching about their professional choices, resulting in mass resignation. Secondly it has encouraged people to do things that they are passionate about. This has opened opportunities for businesses to build volunteer oriented socially driven projects. Nupe Confidential can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Threats Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE are -
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE, Nupe Confidential 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 .
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 Nupe Confidential.
Regulatory challenges
– Nupe Confidential 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.
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 Nupe Confidential in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
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. Nupe Confidential can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Nupe Confidential is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Nupe Confidential 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.
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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Nupe Confidential 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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Nupe Confidential 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Nupe Confidential with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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. Nupe Confidential 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.
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 Nupe Confidential business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE 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 Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE 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 Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE 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 Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE 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 Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE 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 Nupe Confidential needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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You can download Excel Template of Case Study Solution & Analysis of Welsh Water (E): General Information and Confidential Instructions for Pat Cooper, Lead Negotiator for NUPE
