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 - – central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, geopolitical disruptions, there is backlash against globalization,
increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , 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 -
Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field
– Iph Janine 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 Iph Janine in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
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.
Learning organization
- Iph Janine 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 Iph Janine is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Iph Janine is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Iph Janine 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 Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless - 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 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.
Strong track record of project management
– Iph Janine 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 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.
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.
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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Iph Janine to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Iph Janine to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
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.
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 -
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Paul W. Thurston, Erik R Eddy, Lynn Ruggieri suggests that, Iph Janine 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless, it seems that the employees of Iph Janine 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.
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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Iph Janine is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Iph Janine needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Iph Janine to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Iph Janine 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.
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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Iph Janine has created an environment where the organization is dominated by functional specialists rather than management generalist. This has resulted into product oriented approach rather than marketing oriented approach or consumers oriented approach.
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.
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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Iph Janine is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Iph Janine, firm in the HBR case study Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
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 -
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Iph Janine has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Iph Janine to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless case study. Iph Janine can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Iph Janine 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Iph Janine has focused on building a highly responsive customer relationship management platform. This platform is built on in-house data and driven by analytics and artificial intelligence. The customer analytics can help the organization to fine tune its loyalty marketing efforts, increase the wallet share of the organization, reduce wastage on mainstream advertising spending, build better pricing strategies using personalization, etc.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Iph Janine 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 Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Iph Janine to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Iph Janine in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Strategy & Execution segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Iph Janine 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.
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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Iph Janine to increase its market reach. Iph Janine 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.
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.
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 .
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Iph Janine.
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.
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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Iph Janine is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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.