Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless
Janine Robitaille, Executive Director of Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless (IPH), contemplated the future of the non-profit organization she had led for the past five years. IPH had served the homeless community since 1984 and assisted individuals and families by meeting their immediate needs, helped them find safe, affordable housing, and provided continuing support through long-term case management services. The recent publication of the 2010 annual report provided Janine and her staff an opportunity to reflect on their accomplishments, especially given the financial challenges brought about by the 2008 recession. Janine pondered several challenges facing her staff in the coming year. Nearly all programs at IPH were operating at capacity. The Emergency Shelter, which provided nightly refuge for 30 single men and women, was full. The Drop-In Center had reached the limits of the existing facility and could no longer meet the growing demand for daytime services. There was a waiting list for permanent housing and increased competition for scarce government resources would require stronger evidence of their programs' effectiveness. IPH needed to develop and grow corporate, organizational, and individual sources of support to reduce dependence on government funding; increase in-kind donations; and more effectively use volunteers to reduce operating costs. Janine considered several possibilities. Should they pursue additional capacity in permanent housing as a means for creating more sustainable funding? Was it time to find a bigger facility for the Drop-In Center that would provide space for new partnerships with other providers and increased services for those in need? Did it make sense to expand services or operations in another neighborhood or county? The difficulty was determining which alternatives to pursue and how to fund the existing operations. Janine felt it was probably time IPH engaged in some formal strategic planning.
Authors :: Paul W. Thurston, Erik R Eddy, Lynn Ruggieri
Swot Analysis of "Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless" written by Paul W. Thurston, Erik R Eddy, Lynn Ruggieri includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Iph Janine facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Competitive strategy and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless casestudy better are - – competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, there is backlash against globalization, increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing commodity prices,
increasing household debt because of falling income levels, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Iph Janine, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Iph Janine 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 Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Iph Janine
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 Iph Janine
Strengths Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Iph Janine in Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless Harvard Business Review case study are -
Innovation driven organization
– Iph Janine is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless 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.
Digital Transformation in Strategy & Execution segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Iph Janine digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Iph Janine 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.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Iph Janine 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.
Organizational Resilience of Iph Janine
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Iph Janine does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Iph Janine in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Iph Janine has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Iph Janine 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Iph Janine in the sector have low bargaining power. Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Iph Janine to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Iph Janine 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 Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Analytics focus
– Iph Janine 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 Paul W. Thurston, Erik R Eddy, Lynn Ruggieri 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.
High brand equity
– Iph Janine has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Iph Janine to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Diverse revenue streams
– Iph Janine is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless 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.
Weaknesses Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless are -
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Iph Janine 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Iph Janine has taken concrete steps on diversity, equity, and inclusion. But the efforts so far has resulted in limited success. It needs to expand the recruitment and selection process to hire more people from the minorities and underprivileged background.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless 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 Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Iph Janine is planning to shift buying processes online.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless, 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Iph Janine 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 - Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless 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 Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless 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 Iph Janine 's lucrative customers.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless, is just above the industry average. Iph Janine 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 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 Iph Janine supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Iph Janine vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Iph Janine 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless HBR case study mentions - Iph Janine takes time to assess the upcoming competitions. This has led to missing out on atleast 2-3 big opportunities in the industry in last five years.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless, in the dynamic environment Iph Janine has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Iph Janine has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Opportunities Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless | 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 Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless are -
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 Iph Janine 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Iph Janine can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Iph Janine operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
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. Iph Janine 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. Iph Janine 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Iph Janine 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 Iph Janine to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Iph Janine to conduct training and development for its employees across the world. This will result in not only reducing the cost of training but also help employees in different part of the world to integrate with the headquarter work culture, ethos, and standards.
Identify volunteer opportunities
– Covid-19 has impacted working population in two ways – it has led to people soul searching about their professional choices, resulting in mass resignation. Secondly it has encouraged people to do things that they are passionate about. This has opened opportunities for businesses to build volunteer oriented socially driven projects. Iph Janine can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Iph Janine 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Iph Janine can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Iph Janine is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless 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.
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. Iph Janine can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Manufacturing automation
– Iph Janine 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.
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 Iph Janine in the consumer business. Now Iph Janine can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Iph Janine 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, Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Threats Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless are -
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Iph Janine with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Iph Janine 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.
Increasing wage structure of Iph Janine
– Post Covid-19 there is a sharp increase in the wages especially in the jobs that require interaction with people. The increasing wages can put downward pressure on the margins of Iph Janine.
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 Iph Janine business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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. Iph Janine can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Environmental challenges
– Iph Janine 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. Iph Janine can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry.
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. Iph Janine 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless, Iph Janine 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 .
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. Iph Janine 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
– Iph Janine has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Iph Janine 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 dependence on third party suppliers
– Iph Janine 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.
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.
Regulatory challenges
– Iph Janine 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless 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 Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless 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 Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless 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 Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless 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 Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless 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 Iph Janine needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
