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Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario


Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario, set out to transform the community of Chapleau through the deployment of technology and business solutions. Together they deploy a wireless broadband network in town, providing mobile internet access to the 2800 residents and town visitors. They also worked with the town's five schools, hospital and local businesses to identify and deploy business solutions. The hospital is given an indoor wireless network, an upgraded telephone system and additional computers. The schools are given laptops, wireless access, multimedia equipment, and teacher training. The community itself, in addition to the free wireless broadband service, is provided with a community portal, computer training and free access to a myriad of technologies. The local community centre is set up with multimedia equipment. University researchers are brought in to study the impact of the technology on the community, small businesses, health and education. A diabetes healthcare trial is launched. Employment is provided to 5 local residents. Over the course of two years, millions of dollars are spent and much is learned, by not only Bell and Nortel but also the community itself, government (federal, provincial, municipal) and others. Bell and Nortel create lasting relationships with community members. A degree of interdependence is established. Almost two years later, the project is nearing its end. The Chapleau Town Council voices their concern about what will remain in the community. They request sustainability solutions for the investments made by the project team. The steering committee must determine the needs and saliency of the project stakeholders and propose a sustainable solution.

Authors :: Gwyneth Edwards

Topics :: Strategy & Execution

Tags :: Ethics, IT, Social responsibility, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario" written by Gwyneth Edwards includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Chapleau Nortel facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Ethics, IT, Social responsibility and Strategy & Execution.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario casestudy better are - – there is increasing trade war between United States & China, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, there is backlash against globalization, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, wage bills are increasing, geopolitical disruptions, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing commodity prices, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Chapleau Nortel, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Chapleau Nortel 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 Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Chapleau Nortel
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 Chapleau Nortel




Strengths Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Chapleau Nortel in Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario Harvard Business Review case study are -

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Chapleau Nortel 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.

Learning organization

- Chapleau Nortel 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 Chapleau Nortel is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

Strong track record of project management

– Chapleau Nortel is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.

Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field

– Chapleau Nortel 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 Chapleau Nortel in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.

Training and development

– Chapleau Nortel has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario Harvard Business Review case study by analyzing – employees retention, in-house promotion, loyalty, new venture initiation, lack of conflict, and high level of both employees and customer engagement.

Organizational Resilience of Chapleau Nortel

– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Chapleau Nortel does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.

Successful track record of launching new products

– Chapleau Nortel has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Chapleau Nortel 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.

Innovation driven organization

– Chapleau Nortel is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry

– Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Chapleau Nortel to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Chapleau Nortel to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Superior customer experience

– The customer experience strategy of Chapleau Nortel in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.

Cross disciplinary teams

– Horizontal connected teams at the Chapleau Nortel 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.

Analytics focus

– Chapleau Nortel 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 Gwyneth Edwards 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.






Weaknesses Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario are -

Increasing silos among functional specialists

– The organizational structure of Chapleau Nortel is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Chapleau Nortel needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Chapleau Nortel to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.

High cash cycle compare to competitors

Chapleau Nortel has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.

High operating costs

– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario 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 Chapleau Nortel 's lucrative customers.

Capital Spending Reduction

– Even during the low interest decade, Chapleau Nortel 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.

Ability to respond to the competition

– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario, in the dynamic environment Chapleau Nortel has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Chapleau Nortel has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.

No frontier risks strategy

– After analyzing the HBR case study Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario, 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.

Low market penetration in new markets

– Outside its home market of Chapleau Nortel, firm in the HBR case study Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.

Compensation and incentives

– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario, is just above the industry average. Chapleau Nortel 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.

Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy

– From the instances in the HBR case study Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario, it seems that the employees of Chapleau Nortel 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.

Skills based hiring

– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Chapleau Nortel 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.

Slow to strategic competitive environment developments

– As Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario HBR case study mentions - Chapleau Nortel 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.




Opportunities Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario | 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 Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario are -

Increase in government spending

– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Chapleau Nortel can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Chapleau Nortel operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Chapleau Nortel 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, Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

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. Chapleau Nortel 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. Chapleau Nortel 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.

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– Chapleau Nortel 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 Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Chapleau Nortel to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Chapleau Nortel 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 Chapleau Nortel to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Chapleau Nortel 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.

Lowering marketing communication costs

– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Chapleau Nortel 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.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Chapleau Nortel 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.

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. Chapleau Nortel 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

– Chapleau Nortel 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.

Low interest rates

– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Chapleau Nortel 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.

Developing new processes and practices

– Chapleau Nortel 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.

Leveraging digital technologies

– Chapleau Nortel 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.




Threats Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario 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 Chapleau Nortel in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.

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 Chapleau Nortel.

Environmental challenges

– Chapleau Nortel 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. Chapleau Nortel can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry.

Increasing wage structure of Chapleau Nortel

– 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 Chapleau Nortel.

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. Chapleau Nortel can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.

Learning curve for new practices

– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario, Chapleau Nortel 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 .

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.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Chapleau Nortel 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.

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 Chapleau Nortel business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Chapleau Nortel 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 Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario .

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Chapleau Nortel 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.

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. Chapleau Nortel needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Chapleau Nortel 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.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario 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 Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario 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 Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario 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 Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario 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 Bridging the Digital Divide: The Case of Bell, Nortel and Chapleau, Ontario 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 Chapleau Nortel needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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