Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships

The Executive Director (ED) of a not-for-profit that provided family-centered services to children with disabilities was concerned about the organization's sustainability. The organization was heavily dependent upon financial support from government, however, this funding was insufficient to cover all operating expenses and address the growing demand for services. The ED was interested in developing long-term strategic partnerships to build awareness and generate greater financial support for the organization while remaining true to the organization's mission. She needed to assess current partnerships and determine where to best direct her efforts regarding new partnerships. She also wanted plan that was realistic given the organization's limited people resources.

Authors :: Gina Grandy, Hyla LaPointe, Robert Murray, Laura Park

Topics :: Strategy & Execution

Tags :: , SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships" written by Gina Grandy, Hyla LaPointe, Robert Murray, Laura Park includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Partnerships Disabilities facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Strategy & Execution.

Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships casestudy better are - – technology disruption, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing energy prices, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, wage bills are increasing, etc

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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships

SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Partnerships Disabilities, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Partnerships Disabilities 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.

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SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix

SWOT analysis of Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Partnerships Disabilities
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 Partnerships Disabilities

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Strengths Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Partnerships Disabilities in Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships Harvard Business Review case study are -

Diverse revenue streams

– Partnerships Disabilities is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships 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.

Superior customer experience

– The customer experience strategy of Partnerships Disabilities in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.

Strong track record of project management

– Partnerships Disabilities 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

– Partnerships Disabilities has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Partnerships Disabilities to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.

Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field

– Partnerships Disabilities 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 Partnerships Disabilities in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.

Innovation driven organization

– Partnerships Disabilities is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry

– Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Partnerships Disabilities to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Partnerships Disabilities to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Highly skilled collaborators

– Partnerships Disabilities 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 Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

Learning organization

- Partnerships Disabilities 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 Partnerships Disabilities is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

Ability to recruit top talent

– Partnerships Disabilities is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.

Organizational Resilience of Partnerships Disabilities

– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Partnerships Disabilities does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– Partnerships Disabilities 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 Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.

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Weaknesses Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships are -

Skills based hiring

– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Partnerships Disabilities 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.

Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy

– From the instances in the HBR case study Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships, it seems that the employees of Partnerships Disabilities 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.

Slow to harness new channels of communication

– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Partnerships Disabilities is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.

Low market penetration in new markets

– Outside its home market of Partnerships Disabilities, firm in the HBR case study Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.

No frontier risks strategy

– After analyzing the HBR case study Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships, 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.

Need for greater diversity

– Partnerships Disabilities 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, Partnerships Disabilities 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. Partnerships Disabilities 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 cash cycle compare to competitors

Partnerships Disabilities 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.

Capital Spending Reduction

– Even during the low interest decade, Partnerships Disabilities 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.

Workers concerns about automation

– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Partnerships Disabilities 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.

Ability to respond to the competition

– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships, in the dynamic environment Partnerships Disabilities has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Partnerships Disabilities has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.

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Opportunities Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships | 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 Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships are -

Low interest rates

– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Partnerships Disabilities 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.

Buying journey improvements

– Partnerships Disabilities can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships 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.

Reforming the budgeting process

- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Partnerships Disabilities 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

– Partnerships Disabilities 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, Partnerships Disabilities can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Partnerships Disabilities operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.

Better consumer reach

– The expansion of the 5G network will help Partnerships Disabilities to increase its market reach. Partnerships Disabilities 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.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Partnerships Disabilities 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.

Lowering marketing communication costs

– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Partnerships Disabilities 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.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Partnerships Disabilities 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 Partnerships Disabilities to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Partnerships Disabilities 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, Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

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 Partnerships Disabilities in the consumer business. Now Partnerships Disabilities can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Partnerships Disabilities 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.

Loyalty marketing

– Partnerships Disabilities 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.

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Threats Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships 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. Partnerships Disabilities needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Partnerships Disabilities 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.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Partnerships Disabilities 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.

Barriers of entry lowering

– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Partnerships Disabilities with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.

Increasing wage structure of Partnerships Disabilities

– 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 Partnerships Disabilities.

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 Partnerships Disabilities 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. Partnerships Disabilities 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 Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships, Partnerships Disabilities 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 .

Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

– Partnerships Disabilities has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Partnerships Disabilities 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.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Partnerships Disabilities high dependence on third party suppliers can disrupt its processes and delivery mechanism. For example -the current troubles of car makers because of chip shortage is because the chip companies started producing chips for electronic companies rather than car manufacturers.

Regulatory challenges

– Partnerships Disabilities 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.

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 Partnerships Disabilities.

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that Partnerships Disabilities is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

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Weighted SWOT Analysis of Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships 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 Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships 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 Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships 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 Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships 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 Building a Positive Future for Children with Disabilities through Strategic Partnerships 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 Partnerships Disabilities needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.

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