EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
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Case Study Description of EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist
Accompanied by product #PON214.Two-party negotiation between lawyers for an auto mechanic and a customer over a disputed auto repair bill. Susan Garfield has a billing dispute with John Eazer, owner of a local garage, over some work done on Garfield's car. Finding the bill significantly higher than the original informal estimate, Garfield angrily confronted Eazer. Eazer prepared a second bill at an even higher figure. Frustrated, Garfield returned to the garage after closing time with a spare key and drove her car home, without paying anything. Eazer turned to his child-in-law, an attorney, wishing to file a criminal complaint. When phoned, Garfield referred the attorney to her father, a senior partner in a local law firm. Garfield's father is letting one of his young associates handle the case. This is a role play case.
Swot Analysis of "EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist" written by Bruce Patton includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Garfield Eazer facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Conflict, Negotiations, Regulation and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist casestudy better are - – customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, wage bills are increasing, technology disruption,
there is increasing trade war between United States & China, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Garfield Eazer, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Garfield Eazer 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 EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Garfield Eazer
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 Garfield Eazer
Strengths EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Garfield Eazer in EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist Harvard Business Review case study are -
Organizational Resilience of Garfield Eazer
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Garfield Eazer does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist 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 Garfield Eazer in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Garfield Eazer 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 EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Learning organization
- Garfield Eazer 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 Garfield Eazer is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Digital Transformation in Strategy & Execution segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Garfield Eazer digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Garfield Eazer 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.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Garfield Eazer 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.
Strong track record of project management
– Garfield Eazer is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Garfield Eazer to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Garfield Eazer to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field
– Garfield Eazer 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 Garfield Eazer in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Garfield Eazer 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Garfield Eazer has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Garfield Eazer 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.
Weaknesses EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist are -
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Garfield Eazer 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. Garfield Eazer 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Garfield Eazer 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Garfield Eazer 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 - EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Garfield Eazer has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Garfield Eazer, firm in the HBR case study EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Need for greater diversity
– Garfield Eazer 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Garfield Eazer 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist HBR case study mentions - Garfield Eazer 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist, in the dynamic environment Garfield Eazer has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Garfield Eazer has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist, it seems that the employees of Garfield Eazer 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, Garfield Eazer is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Opportunities EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist | 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 EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist are -
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Garfield Eazer 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Garfield Eazer 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Garfield Eazer 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Garfield Eazer can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
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 Garfield Eazer 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Garfield Eazer 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 Garfield Eazer has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Garfield Eazer to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist case study. Garfield Eazer can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Garfield Eazer 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, EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
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. Garfield Eazer 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. Garfield Eazer 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Garfield Eazer 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.
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. Garfield Eazer can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Garfield Eazer can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Garfield Eazer 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 Garfield Eazer in the consumer business. Now Garfield Eazer can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Threats EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist are -
Consumer confidence and its impact on Garfield Eazer 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.
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 Garfield Eazer business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Aging population
– As the populations of most advanced economies are aging, it will lead to high social security costs, higher savings among population, and lower demand for goods and services in the economy. The household savings in US, France, UK, Germany, and Japan are growing faster than predicted because of uncertainty caused by pandemic.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist, Garfield Eazer 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
– Garfield Eazer has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Garfield Eazer 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.
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. Garfield Eazer 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.
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 Garfield Eazer in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Garfield Eazer 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.
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. Garfield Eazer needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Increasing wage structure of Garfield Eazer
– 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 Garfield Eazer.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Garfield Eazer is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Garfield Eazer with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Garfield Eazer 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 EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist .
Weighted SWOT Analysis of EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist 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 EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist 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 EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist 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 EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist 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 EAZY'S GARAGE - Confidential Instructions for the Counsel of Dr. Susan Garfield, Psychiatrist 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 Garfield Eazer needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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