HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics
By 2015, the HNA Group had grown from its roots as Hainan Airlines, a small airline founded in 1993 into a global conglomerate that ranked #464 in the Global 500. Much of this success it had achieved by cross-industry expansion within China, but since 2008, it had increasingly looked to expand globally. The HNA Group in general and Hainan Airlines in particular were recognized for their quality of service within China. However, this high reputation had yet to be translated across borders. Would HNA Group be able to bring its unique characteristics that made it successful within China to bear on the global marketplace?
Authors :: William C. Kirby, F. Warren McFarlan, Joycelyn W. Eby
Swot Analysis of "HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics" written by William C. Kirby, F. Warren McFarlan, Joycelyn W. Eby includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Hna Hainan facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics casestudy better are - – increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, geopolitical disruptions, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, there is backlash against globalization,
supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Hna Hainan, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Hna Hainan 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 HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Hna Hainan
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 Hna Hainan
Strengths HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Hna Hainan in HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics Harvard Business Review case study are -
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Hna Hainan 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.
Organizational Resilience of Hna Hainan
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Hna Hainan 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 HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics 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.
Analytics focus
– Hna Hainan 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 William C. Kirby, F. Warren McFarlan, Joycelyn W. Eby 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.
Strong track record of project management
– Hna Hainan 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 Hna Hainan in the sector have low bargaining power. HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Hna Hainan to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Hna Hainan to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Hna Hainan to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Hna Hainan in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Hna Hainan 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 HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Hna Hainan has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Hna Hainan 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.
High brand equity
– Hna Hainan has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Hna Hainan to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Innovation driven organization
– Hna Hainan is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Weaknesses HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics are -
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 Hna Hainan supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Hna Hainan vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics, in the dynamic environment Hna Hainan has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Hna Hainan 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 HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics, it seems that the employees of Hna Hainan 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.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics 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 Hna Hainan has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Hna Hainan 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.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Hna Hainan 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. Hna Hainan 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Hna Hainan is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Hna Hainan needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Hna Hainan to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Hna Hainan, firm in the HBR case study HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics 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 HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Hna Hainan is planning to shift buying processes online.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, William C. Kirby, F. Warren McFarlan, Joycelyn W. Eby suggests that, Hna Hainan 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Hna Hainan needs to come up with a strategy to reduce the workers concern regarding automation. Without a clear strategy, it could lead to disruption and uncertainty within the organization.
Opportunities HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics | 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 HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics are -
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Hna Hainan to increase its market reach. Hna Hainan 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Hna Hainan 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.
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. Hna Hainan 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. Hna Hainan 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Hna Hainan has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Hna Hainan to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics case study. Hna Hainan can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Buying journey improvements
– Hna Hainan can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Hna Hainan 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 HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Hna Hainan to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Hna Hainan 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.
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 Hna Hainan in the consumer business. Now Hna Hainan can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Hna Hainan 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Hna Hainan can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
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. Hna Hainan can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Developing new processes and practices
– Hna Hainan 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Hna Hainan is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics 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.
Threats HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics are -
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 Hna Hainan in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
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. Hna Hainan needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Hna Hainan has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Hna Hainan 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Hna Hainan 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.
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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Hna Hainan 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.
Environmental challenges
– Hna Hainan 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. Hna Hainan can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics, Hna Hainan 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 Hna Hainan business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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. Hna Hainan 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Hna Hainan 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. Hna Hainan can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Hna Hainan 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics 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 HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics 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 HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics 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 HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics 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 HNA Group: Global Excellence with Chinese Characteristics 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 Hna Hainan needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.