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A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel


This case sequel is a shorter, more focused, "decision-forcing" version of The Turnaround Artist: Craig Coy Tackles Political Influence at Massport (Case Program, 1896.0). Like its more comprehensive counterpart, it addresses a set of decisions facing Craig Coy, a business executive, retired Coast Guard officer, and former White House security adviser, when he was named executive director of the Massachusetts Port Authority, or "Massport," on April 11, 2002. The appointment came at a time of significant turmoil at Massport, the state authority responsible for managing Boston's Logan International Airport and several other regional transportation resources. The two airline jets hijacked in the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001 had departed from Logan. Massport had not been responsible for the security practices that had allowed the terrorists to board the jetliners with weapons, but the authority had, in recent years, repeatedly come under fire for political excesses and patronage. These long-tolerated vagaries-when vaulted into the national spotlight-suddenly appeared tawdry and intolerable to state officials and lawmakers. Coy's mandate, when hired a few months later, was to stop to the excesses of the past, to improve safety and security, to run the Authority in businesslike fashion-in sum, to effect a "cultural turnaround." This case describes a string of choices Coy had to make early in his tenure that pertained to the people-management side of his challenge. For example, Coy had to decide the extent to which he wanted to fire top managers at the authority and bring in his own team. He had to find a way to signal the shift to new priorities. And he had to decide what to do when elected officials-whose support was crucial to Massport in a number of respects-called up and asked the authority to hire their constituents. HKS Case Number 1901.1

Authors :: Roger Porter, Pamela Varley

Topics :: Strategy & Execution

Tags :: Decision making, Government, Leadership, Security & privacy, Strategic planning, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel" written by Roger Porter, Pamela Varley includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Massport Coy facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Decision making, Government, Leadership, Security & privacy, Strategic planning and Strategy & Execution.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel casestudy better are - – wage bills are increasing, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing energy prices, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing transportation and logistics costs, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Massport Coy, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Massport Coy 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 A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Massport Coy
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 Massport Coy




Strengths A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Massport Coy in A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel Harvard Business Review case study are -

High brand equity

– Massport Coy has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Massport Coy to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– Massport Coy 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 A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.

Highly skilled collaborators

– Massport Coy 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 A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field

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

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Massport Coy 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 Massport Coy

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

Ability to recruit top talent

– Massport Coy is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.

Learning organization

- Massport Coy 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 Massport Coy is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

Innovation driven organization

– Massport Coy is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

Strong track record of project management

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

Cross disciplinary teams

– Horizontal connected teams at the Massport Coy 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.

Operational resilience

– The operational resilience strategy in the A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel 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.






Weaknesses A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel are -

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Roger Porter, Pamela Varley suggests that, Massport Coy 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.

No frontier risks strategy

– After analyzing the HBR case study A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel, 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.

Capital Spending Reduction

– Even during the low interest decade, Massport Coy 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.

Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy

– From the instances in the HBR case study A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel, it seems that the employees of Massport Coy don’t have comprehensive understanding of the firm’s strategy. This is reflected in number of promotional campaigns over the last few years that had mixed messaging and competing priorities. Some of the strategic activities and services promoted in the promotional campaigns were not consistent with the organization’s strategy.

High cash cycle compare to competitors

Massport Coy 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 A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel 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 Massport Coy 's lucrative customers.

Slow to strategic competitive environment developments

– As A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel HBR case study mentions - Massport Coy 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.

Low market penetration in new markets

– Outside its home market of Massport Coy, firm in the HBR case study A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.

Ability to respond to the competition

– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel, in the dynamic environment Massport Coy has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Massport Coy has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.

Lack of clear differentiation of Massport Coy products

– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Massport Coy needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.

Aligning sales with marketing

– It come across in the case study A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel 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 A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Massport Coy is planning to shift buying processes online.




Opportunities A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel | 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 A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel are -

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. Massport Coy 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. Massport Coy 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.

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 Massport Coy 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.

Developing new processes and practices

– Massport Coy 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.

Better consumer reach

– The expansion of the 5G network will help Massport Coy to increase its market reach. Massport Coy 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.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Massport Coy is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel 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.

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Massport Coy has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Massport Coy to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel case study. Massport Coy can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Massport Coy 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, A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– Massport Coy 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 A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Massport Coy to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Massport Coy 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.

Leveraging digital technologies

– Massport Coy 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

– Massport Coy can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel 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.

Low interest rates

– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Massport Coy 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.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

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




Threats A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel are -

Trade war between China and United States

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

Barriers of entry lowering

– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Massport Coy with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.

Easy access to finance

– Easy access to finance in Strategy & Execution field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Massport Coy can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.

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. Massport Coy 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.

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 Massport Coy in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.

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.

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 Massport Coy.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Massport Coy 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

– Massport Coy has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Massport Coy 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 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. Massport Coy needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.

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.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Massport Coy 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.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Massport Coy can face lack of demand in the market place because of Fed actions to reduce inflation. This can lead to sluggish growth in the economy, lower demands, lower investments, higher borrowing costs, and consolidation in the field.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel 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 A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel 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 A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel 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 A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel 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 A Tricky Mandate: Craig Coy and the Problem of Patronage Hiring at Massport, Sequel 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 Massport Coy needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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