Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard
Ember is a venture capital-funded start-up that hopes to establish a standard for ubiquitous wireless networks. Its unique approach and proprietary technology promises to create enormous value in a wide variety of markets, particularly in local sensing and control. However, competition has emerged much faster than expected. What should Ember do next?
Swot Analysis of "Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard" written by Rebecca Henderson, Nancy Confrey includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Ember Ubiquitous facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Competition, Entrepreneurship, IT and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard casestudy better are - – customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing transportation and logistics costs, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies,
challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Ember Ubiquitous, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Ember Ubiquitous 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 Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Ember Ubiquitous
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 Ember Ubiquitous
Strengths Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Ember Ubiquitous in Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard Harvard Business Review case study are -
Learning organization
- Ember Ubiquitous 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 Ember Ubiquitous is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard 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.
Training and development
– Ember Ubiquitous has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard Harvard Business Review case study by analyzing – employees retention, in-house promotion, loyalty, new venture initiation, lack of conflict, and high level of both employees and customer engagement.
Organizational Resilience of Ember Ubiquitous
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Ember Ubiquitous does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
High brand equity
– Ember Ubiquitous has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Ember Ubiquitous to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Strong track record of project management
– Ember Ubiquitous is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Ember Ubiquitous in the sector have low bargaining power. Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Ember Ubiquitous to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Diverse revenue streams
– Ember Ubiquitous is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Ember Ubiquitous has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Ember Ubiquitous 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.
Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field
– Ember Ubiquitous 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 Ember Ubiquitous in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Ember Ubiquitous 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 Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Digital Transformation in Strategy & Execution segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Ember Ubiquitous digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Ember Ubiquitous 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.
Weaknesses Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard are -
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard, it seems that the employees of Ember Ubiquitous 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 strategic competitive environment developments
– As Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard HBR case study mentions - Ember Ubiquitous 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Ember Ubiquitous 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard, 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.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Ember Ubiquitous 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.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Ember Ubiquitous 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. Ember Ubiquitous even though has strong showing on digital transformation primary two stages, it has struggled to capitalize the power of digital transformation in marketing efforts and new venture efforts.
High 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 Ember Ubiquitous supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Ember Ubiquitous vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Ember Ubiquitous 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard, is just above the industry average. Ember Ubiquitous 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.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard 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 Ember Ubiquitous 's lucrative customers.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Ember Ubiquitous is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard 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 Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard | 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 Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard are -
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. Ember Ubiquitous can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Ember Ubiquitous to expand its talent hiring zone. According to McKinsey Global Institute, 20% of the high end workforce in fields such as finance, information technology, can continously work from remote local post Covid-19. This presents a really great opportunity for Ember Ubiquitous to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Buying journey improvements
– Ember Ubiquitous can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard 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.
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. Ember Ubiquitous 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. Ember Ubiquitous 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.
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 Ember Ubiquitous in the consumer business. Now Ember Ubiquitous can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Ember Ubiquitous 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Ember Ubiquitous to increase its market reach. Ember Ubiquitous 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Ember Ubiquitous 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Ember Ubiquitous 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, Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
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. Ember Ubiquitous 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, Ember Ubiquitous can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Ember Ubiquitous operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
Developing new processes and practices
– Ember Ubiquitous 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Ember Ubiquitous 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 Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Ember Ubiquitous to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Threats Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard are -
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Ember Ubiquitous has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Ember Ubiquitous 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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Ember Ubiquitous is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Ember Ubiquitous 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Ember Ubiquitous 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard, Ember Ubiquitous 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 .
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 Ember Ubiquitous business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Ember Ubiquitous 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 Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard .
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Ember Ubiquitous with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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. Ember Ubiquitous can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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.
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 Ember Ubiquitous in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Ember Ubiquitous 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.
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 Ember Ubiquitous.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard 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 Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard 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 Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard 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 Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard 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 Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard 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 Ember Ubiquitous needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.