The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities
Technological innovation is considered a competitive strength for America, but the nation does not score as high in deploying its technology. U.S. transportation systems are in need of repair and renewal, and the sector is at the cusp of a technological revolution. The Information Superhighway could reinvent the highway-and airways, railroads, vehicles, and more-by making aspects of the system "smarter" and more connected, cost-effective, fuel-efficient, safer, and more convenient for consumers, businesses, and communities. This paper discusses five trends in for technology-enabled transportation innovation: connected vehicles; connected roads; big data analytics in air transportation; Intelligent Transportation Systems; and innovation in information infrastructure.
Swot Analysis of "The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities" written by Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Kevin Rosier includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Transportation Superhighway facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Technology and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities casestudy better are - – supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , technology disruption, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, increasing transportation and logistics costs,
increasing energy prices, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Transportation Superhighway, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Transportation Superhighway 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 The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Transportation Superhighway
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 Transportation Superhighway
Strengths The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Transportation Superhighway in The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities Harvard Business Review case study are -
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Transportation Superhighway to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Transportation Superhighway to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Learning organization
- Transportation Superhighway 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 Transportation Superhighway is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Transportation Superhighway 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.
Training and development
– Transportation Superhighway has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities 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.
Analytics focus
– Transportation Superhighway 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 Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Kevin Rosier 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Transportation Superhighway is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Transportation Superhighway is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Transportation Superhighway in the sector have low bargaining power. The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Transportation Superhighway to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Organizational Resilience of Transportation Superhighway
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Transportation Superhighway does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field
– Transportation Superhighway 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 Transportation Superhighway in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities 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 Transportation Superhighway in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Weaknesses The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities are -
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Kevin Rosier suggests that, Transportation Superhighway is facing high bargaining power of the channel partners. So far it has not able to streamline the operations to reduce the bargaining power of the value chain partners in the industry.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities, 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Transportation Superhighway products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Transportation Superhighway needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Transportation Superhighway 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 - The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities 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 The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities 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 Transportation Superhighway has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Transportation Superhighway is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities, it seems that the employees of Transportation Superhighway 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 Transportation Superhighway, firm in the HBR case study The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Transportation Superhighway is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Transportation Superhighway needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Transportation Superhighway to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities HBR case study mentions - Transportation Superhighway 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 decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Transportation Superhighway 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. Transportation Superhighway 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.
Opportunities The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities | 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 The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities are -
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Transportation Superhighway has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Transportation Superhighway to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities case study. Transportation Superhighway 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, Transportation Superhighway can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Transportation Superhighway operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Transportation Superhighway can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Transportation Superhighway 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, The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Transportation Superhighway 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Transportation Superhighway 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 Transportation Superhighway to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Manufacturing automation
– Transportation Superhighway 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Transportation Superhighway is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Transportation Superhighway 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.
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 Transportation Superhighway 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.
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. Transportation Superhighway 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. Transportation Superhighway 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.
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. Transportation Superhighway can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
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 Transportation Superhighway in the consumer business. Now Transportation Superhighway can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Threats The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities are -
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Transportation Superhighway 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 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.
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. Transportation Superhighway 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Transportation Superhighway 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 The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities, Transportation Superhighway 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
– Transportation Superhighway has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Transportation Superhighway 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 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. Transportation Superhighway needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Transportation Superhighway 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.
Environmental challenges
– Transportation Superhighway 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. Transportation Superhighway can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry.
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. Transportation Superhighway can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Transportation Superhighway 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 The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities .
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 Transportation Superhighway.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Transportation Superhighway 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 The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities 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 The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities 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 The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities 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 The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities 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 The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities 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 Transportation Superhighway needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
Feel free to connect with us if you need business research.
You can download Excel Template of Case Study Solution & Analysis of The Information Superhighway Meets the Highway: Technology and Mobility Trends and Opportunities
