BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
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Case Study Description of BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative
Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative for product #PON113.Bradford, an old New England industrial city, is experiencing an economic boom. The city has recently adopted a 'linkage agreement' policy, requiring developers to make once-off payments to the city to offset infrastructure and housing costs. Curry Corporation ('Curry') is the first developer to propose a major project under the new administration. After meeting with all the appropriate municipal agencies and citizen groups, the only major issue left unresolved in the proposed project is the appropriate size of the linkage payment that Curry should make to the city. This is a role play case.
Swot Analysis of "BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative" written by Program on Negotiation includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Curry Bradford facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Financial management, Government, Negotiations and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative casestudy better are - – cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, there is backlash against globalization, technology disruption, wage bills are increasing, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic ,
banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing commodity prices, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Curry Bradford, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Curry Bradford 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 BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Curry Bradford
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 Curry Bradford
Strengths BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Curry Bradford in BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative Harvard Business Review case study are -
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Curry Bradford to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Curry Bradford to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Curry Bradford in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Curry Bradford 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 BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field
– Curry Bradford 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 Curry Bradford in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Learning organization
- Curry Bradford 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 Curry Bradford is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Digital Transformation in Strategy & Execution segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Curry Bradford digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Curry Bradford 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.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative 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.
Organizational Resilience of Curry Bradford
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Curry Bradford does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Curry Bradford 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Curry Bradford in the sector have low bargaining power. BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Curry Bradford to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
High brand equity
– Curry Bradford has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Curry Bradford to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Curry Bradford is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Weaknesses BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative are -
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative 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 BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Curry Bradford is planning to shift buying processes online.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative, it seems that the employees of Curry Bradford 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Curry Bradford 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, Curry Bradford 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. Curry Bradford 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.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Program on Negotiation suggests that, Curry Bradford 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Curry Bradford, firm in the HBR case study BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Curry Bradford is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative 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 cash cycle compare to competitors
Curry Bradford 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative, 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Curry Bradford 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.
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 Curry Bradford supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Curry Bradford vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Opportunities BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative | 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 BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative are -
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Curry Bradford 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Curry Bradford 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Curry Bradford 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Curry Bradford can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Curry Bradford operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
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 Curry Bradford in the consumer business. Now Curry Bradford can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Curry Bradford 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. Curry Bradford can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Curry Bradford 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.
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. Curry Bradford 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. Curry Bradford 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Curry Bradford 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Curry Bradford 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, BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Curry Bradford 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 BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Curry Bradford to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
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. Curry Bradford can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Threats BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative are -
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Curry Bradford has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Curry Bradford needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Strategy & Execution sector. According to Mckinsey study top managers believe that the adoption of technology in operations, communications is 20-25 times faster than what they planned in the beginning of 2019.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Curry Bradford 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Curry Bradford 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.
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.
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. Curry Bradford can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative, Curry Bradford 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 .
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Curry Bradford 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.
Environmental challenges
– Curry Bradford 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. Curry Bradford can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution 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 Curry Bradford in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
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 Curry Bradford.
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. Curry Bradford needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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. Curry Bradford 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 Curry Bradford business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative 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 BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative 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 BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative 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 BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative 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 BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT - Confidential Information for the Developer's Representative 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 Curry Bradford needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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