U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B) 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 (B)
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 (B)" 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 (B) 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 (B) casestudy better are - – increasing household debt because of falling income levels, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing commodity prices, wage bills are increasing, technology disruption,
competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B)
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 (B) 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 (B) 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 (B) 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 (B) | 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 (B) Harvard Business Review case study are -
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.
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 (B) HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Analytics focus
– Screening Uspstf 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 Gregory S. Zaric, Michael Sider, Ken Mark 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.
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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Screening Uspstf is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Innovation driven organization
– Screening Uspstf is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B) Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Organizational Resilience of Screening Uspstf
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Screening Uspstf does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Diverse revenue streams
– Screening Uspstf is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B) 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.
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 (B) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
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 (B) 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.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Screening Uspstf 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 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B) - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B) 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.
Weaknesses U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B) | 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 (B) are -
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 (B), 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B) 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 (B) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Screening Uspstf is planning to shift buying processes online.
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 Screening Uspstf supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B), it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Screening Uspstf vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B) HBR case study mentions - Screening Uspstf takes time to assess the upcoming competitions. This has led to missing out on atleast 2-3 big opportunities in the industry in last five years.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Screening Uspstf 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Screening Uspstf 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.
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 (B) 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Screening Uspstf is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B) can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B), in the dynamic environment Screening Uspstf has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Screening Uspstf has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
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.
Opportunities U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B) | 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 (B) are -
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.
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. Screening Uspstf 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 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.
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.
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.
Manufacturing automation
– Screening Uspstf can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Strategy & Execution segment. It can use CAD and 3D printing to build a quick prototype and pilot testing products. It can leverage automation using machine learning and artificial intelligence to do faster production at lowers costs, and it can leverage the growth in satellite and tracking technologies to improve inventory management, transportation, and shipping.
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 (B) - 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.
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 Screening Uspstf in the consumer business. Now Screening Uspstf 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 Screening Uspstf 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.
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.
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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Screening Uspstf 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.
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 (B) case study. Screening Uspstf can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Threats U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B) 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 (B) are -
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. Screening Uspstf can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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.
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.
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.
Increasing wage structure of Screening Uspstf
– 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 Screening Uspstf.
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.
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.
Regulatory challenges
– Screening Uspstf 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Screening Uspstf with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Releasing New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening (B) 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 (B) 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 (B) 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 (B) 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 (B) 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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