Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Rapid increases in obesity and chronic disease rates are stressing healthcare systems and government budgets around the world. They are also causing people, governments and companies to look more closely at the relationship between food and health. The issue is complex and involves many stakeholders from government and non-governmental agencies, as well as businesses. Food and health can have both positive and negative impacts on the food industry. As the director of strategic policy at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Mike Walters has to decide whether to engage his Ministry in the issue and, if so, what approach to use. He must carefully assess the risks and rewards for the government, the ministry and for himself. As part of his strategy on food and health, he has to make an immediate decision on partnering with the Lawrence Centre for Policy and Management at the Richard Ivey School of Business on a proposed food and health policy workshop.
Swot Analysis of "Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs" written by David Sparling, Pam Laughland includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Food Ministry facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Government, Joint ventures and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs casestudy better are - – there is backlash against globalization, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing commodity prices, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing transportation and logistics costs, there is increasing trade war between United States & China,
increasing household debt because of falling income levels, wage bills are increasing, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Food Ministry, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Food Ministry 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 Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Food Ministry
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 Food Ministry
Strengths Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Food Ministry in Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Harvard Business Review case study are -
Strong track record of project management
– Food Ministry is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Digital Transformation in Strategy & Execution segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Food Ministry digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Food Ministry 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.
Organizational Resilience of Food Ministry
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Food Ministry does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Food Ministry is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Food Ministry 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Food Ministry is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Food Ministry has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Food Ministry 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.
Training and development
– Food Ministry has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Food Ministry in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Learning organization
- Food Ministry 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 Food Ministry is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Food Ministry to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Food Ministry to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Food Ministry 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.
Weaknesses Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs are -
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs HBR case study mentions - Food Ministry 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Food Ministry 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 - Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Food Ministry 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Food Ministry 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 Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs 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 Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Food Ministry is planning to shift buying processes online.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, David Sparling, Pam Laughland suggests that, Food Ministry 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 Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, it seems that the employees of Food Ministry 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Food Ministry is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Food Ministry needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Food Ministry to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Food Ministry, firm in the HBR case study Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Need for greater diversity
– Food Ministry 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, in the dynamic environment Food Ministry has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Food Ministry has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Opportunities Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs | 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 Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs are -
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Food Ministry to increase its market reach. Food Ministry 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.
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. Food Ministry 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. Food Ministry 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Food Ministry 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Food Ministry can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Food Ministry operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
Developing new processes and practices
– Food Ministry 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.
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 Food Ministry 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 Food Ministry 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Food Ministry 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.
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. Food Ministry can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Food Ministry 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.
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 Food Ministry in the consumer business. Now Food Ministry can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Loyalty marketing
– Food Ministry 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Food Ministry 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, Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, 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 Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs are -
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.
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 Food Ministry 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 Food Ministry.
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 Food Ministry business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Food Ministry 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 .
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Food Ministry 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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Food Ministry 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 Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs .
Increasing wage structure of Food Ministry
– 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 Food Ministry.
Regulatory challenges
– Food Ministry 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Food Ministry has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Food Ministry 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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Food Ministry 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. Food Ministry needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Food Ministry with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs 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 Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs 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 Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs 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 Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs 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 Food and Health Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs 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 Food Ministry needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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