Swot Analysis of "Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B)" written by Benjamin C. Esty, Carrie Ferman includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Chad Cameroon facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Emerging markets, Ethics, Project management and Finance & Accounting.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) casestudy better are - – increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing energy prices, technology disruption, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, geopolitical disruptions, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings,
there is increasing trade war between United States & China, increasing commodity prices, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Chad Cameroon, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Chad Cameroon 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 Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Chad Cameroon
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Finance & Accounting field.
4. Making a Finance & Accounting topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Chad Cameroon
Strengths Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Chad Cameroon in Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Highly skilled collaborators
– Chad Cameroon 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 Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Chad Cameroon in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Chad Cameroon 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.
High brand equity
– Chad Cameroon has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Chad Cameroon to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Organizational Resilience of Chad Cameroon
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Chad Cameroon does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Analytics focus
– Chad Cameroon 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 Benjamin C. Esty, Carrie Ferman 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Chad Cameroon in the sector have low bargaining power. Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Chad Cameroon to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Chad Cameroon 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 Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (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.
Innovation driven organization
– Chad Cameroon is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Chad Cameroon is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (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.
Learning organization
- Chad Cameroon 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 Chad Cameroon is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Finance & Accounting industry
– Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Chad Cameroon to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Finance & Accounting industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Chad Cameroon to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Weaknesses Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) are -
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Chad Cameroon is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Finance & Accounting segment. Chad Cameroon needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Chad Cameroon to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) HBR case study mentions - Chad Cameroon 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Chad Cameroon is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Chad Cameroon 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 - Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (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 Chad Cameroon 's lucrative customers.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B), it seems that the employees of Chad Cameroon 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Chad Cameroon, firm in the HBR case study Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Chad Cameroon 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B), in the dynamic environment Chad Cameroon has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Chad Cameroon has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Chad Cameroon 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. Chad Cameroon 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (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 Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Chad Cameroon is planning to shift buying processes online.
Opportunities Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (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 Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) are -
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Chad Cameroon 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 Finance & Accounting segment.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Chad Cameroon 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 Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Chad Cameroon to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Buying journey improvements
– Chad Cameroon can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) 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.
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 Chad Cameroon 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Chad Cameroon can develop new processes and procedures in Finance & Accounting 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Chad Cameroon 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Chad Cameroon is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Chad Cameroon 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.
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 Chad Cameroon in the consumer business. Now Chad Cameroon 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 Chad Cameroon in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Finance & Accounting segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Chad Cameroon 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, Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B), to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Chad Cameroon has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Chad Cameroon to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) case study. Chad Cameroon can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, 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, Chad Cameroon can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Chad Cameroon operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Finance & Accounting sector.
Threats Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) are -
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. Chad Cameroon 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Chad Cameroon has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Finance & Accounting industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Chad Cameroon needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Finance & Accounting 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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Chad Cameroon in the Finance & Accounting industry. The Finance & Accounting 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Chad Cameroon 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 Finance & Accounting industry regulations.
Technology disruption because of hacks, piracy etc
– The colonial pipeline illustrated, how vulnerable modern organization are to international hackers, miscreants, and disruptors. The cyber security interruption, data leaks, etc can seriously jeopardize the future growth of the organization.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Chad Cameroon 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 Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B) .
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Chad Cameroon 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.
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 Chad Cameroon in the Finance & Accounting sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Chad Cameroon 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.
Environmental challenges
– Chad Cameroon 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. Chad Cameroon can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Finance & Accounting industry.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Chad Cameroon is facing in Finance & Accounting sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (B), Chad Cameroon may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Finance & Accounting .
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 Chad Cameroon.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (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 Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (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 Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (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 Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (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 Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project (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 Chad Cameroon needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.