U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A)
In late October 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent panel of primary care experts, was preparing to release their updated guidelines for the use of screening mammograms, which were given to women in an attempt to detect evidence of breast cancer at a treatable stage. The new guidelines, based on rigorous scientific research and tests, now recommended routine screening starting at age 50 rather than at age 40. The challenge the USPSTF faced was that this shift in the recommended starting age was likely to spark significant debate among medical professionals and in the press.
Authors :: Gregory S. Zaric, Michael Sider, Ken Mark
Swot Analysis of "U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A)" written by Gregory S. Zaric, Michael Sider, Ken Mark includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Screening Uspstf facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Communication and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) casestudy better are - – increasing energy prices, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, wage bills are increasing, geopolitical disruptions,
challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Screening Uspstf, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Screening Uspstf 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 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Screening Uspstf
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 Screening Uspstf
Strengths U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Screening Uspstf in U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Screening Uspstf in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Screening Uspstf has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Screening Uspstf 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.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Screening Uspstf 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.
High brand equity
– Screening Uspstf has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Screening Uspstf to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Learning organization
- Screening Uspstf 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 Screening Uspstf is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Screening Uspstf 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.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Screening Uspstf 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 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Screening Uspstf to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Screening Uspstf to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field
– Screening Uspstf 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 Screening Uspstf in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Digital Transformation in Strategy & Execution segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Screening Uspstf digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Screening Uspstf 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Screening Uspstf in the sector have low bargaining power. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Screening Uspstf to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Weaknesses U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) are -
Lack of clear differentiation of Screening Uspstf products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Screening Uspstf needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Screening Uspstf 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Screening Uspstf 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A), 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) 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 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Screening Uspstf is planning to shift buying processes online.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A), it seems that the employees of Screening Uspstf 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Screening Uspstf 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Screening Uspstf 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 - U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Screening Uspstf, firm in the HBR case study U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) has high operating costs in the. This can be harder to sustain given the new emerging competition from nimble players who are using technology to attract Screening Uspstf 's lucrative customers.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A), is just above the industry average. Screening Uspstf 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.
Opportunities U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) | 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 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) are -
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Screening Uspstf has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Screening Uspstf to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) case study. Screening Uspstf 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 Screening Uspstf 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Screening Uspstf is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) case study suggests that firm can utilize new technology to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.
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. Screening Uspstf can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Developing new processes and practices
– Screening Uspstf 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Screening Uspstf 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.
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 Screening Uspstf 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Screening Uspstf to increase its market reach. Screening Uspstf 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 Screening Uspstf 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Screening Uspstf can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Screening Uspstf 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Screening Uspstf 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 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Screening Uspstf to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
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. Screening Uspstf 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. Screening Uspstf 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 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) are -
Consumer confidence and its impact on Screening Uspstf 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.
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.
Environmental challenges
– Screening Uspstf 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. Screening Uspstf can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Screening Uspstf is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Screening Uspstf 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 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) .
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 Screening Uspstf 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 Screening Uspstf.
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. Screening Uspstf 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 Screening Uspstf 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.
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 Screening Uspstf business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Screening Uspstf 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A), Screening Uspstf 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
– Screening Uspstf has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Screening Uspstf 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) 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 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) 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 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) 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 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) 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 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (A) 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 Screening Uspstf needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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