A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: Attempt to read property "casename" on null

Filename: frontend/swotcase-analysis.php

Line Number: 90

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/views/frontend/swotcase-analysis.php
Line: 90
Function: _error_handler

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/controllers/Frontpage.php
Line: 220
Function: view

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/index.php
Line: 315
Function: require_once

SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: Attempt to read property "casename" on null

Filename: frontend/swotcase-analysis.php

Line Number: 126

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/views/frontend/swotcase-analysis.php
Line: 126
Function: _error_handler

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/controllers/Frontpage.php
Line: 220
Function: view

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/index.php
Line: 315
Function: require_once

Authors ::

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: Attempt to read property "authorlist" on null

Filename: frontend/swotcase-analysis.php

Line Number: 150

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/views/frontend/swotcase-analysis.php
Line: 150
Function: _error_handler

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/controllers/Frontpage.php
Line: 220
Function: view

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/index.php
Line: 315
Function: require_once

Topics ::

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: Attempt to read property "casecategory" on null

Filename: frontend/swotcase-analysis.php

Line Number: 154

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/views/frontend/swotcase-analysis.php
Line: 154
Function: _error_handler

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/controllers/Frontpage.php
Line: 220
Function: view

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/index.php
Line: 315
Function: require_once

Tags ::

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: Attempt to read property "wordlist" on null

Filename: frontend/swotcase-analysis.php

Line Number: 159

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/views/frontend/swotcase-analysis.php
Line: 159
Function: _error_handler

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/controllers/Frontpage.php
Line: 220
Function: view

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/index.php
Line: 315
Function: require_once

, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "

" written by includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and .

Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the

casestudy better are - – geopolitical disruptions, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, technology disruption, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing commodity prices, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, etc

---

---

---

---

Introduction to SWOT Analysis of

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: Attempt to read property "casename" on null

Filename: frontend/swotcase-analysis.php

Line Number: 252

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/views/frontend/swotcase-analysis.php
Line: 252
Function: _error_handler

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/controllers/Frontpage.php
Line: 220
Function: view

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/index.php
Line: 315
Function: require_once

SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in

case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the , and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which 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

can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in field.
4. Making a topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of

---

Strengths

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: Attempt to read property "casename" on null

Filename: frontend/swotcase-analysis.php

Line Number: 286

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/views/frontend/swotcase-analysis.php
Line: 286
Function: _error_handler

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/controllers/Frontpage.php
Line: 220
Function: view

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/index.php
Line: 315
Function: require_once

| Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of

in Harvard Business Review case study are -

Organizational Resilience of

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

Digital Transformation in segment

- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. 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.

Diverse revenue streams

– is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in 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.

Successful track record of launching new products

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

– has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in 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.

Sustainable margins compare to other players in industry

– firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the industry. The sustainable margins have also helped to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Analytics focus

– 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 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.

Innovation driven organization

– is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

Low bargaining power of suppliers

– Suppliers of in the sector have low bargaining power. has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.

Strong track record of project management

– 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 field

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

Ability to recruit top talent

– is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.

---

---

Weaknesses

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: Attempt to read property "casename" on null

Filename: frontend/swotcase-analysis.php

Line Number: 431

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/views/frontend/swotcase-analysis.php
Line: 431
Function: _error_handler

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/controllers/Frontpage.php
Line: 220
Function: view

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/index.php
Line: 315
Function: require_once

| Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of

are -

High dependence on existing supply chain

– The disruption in the global supply chains because of the Covid-19 pandemic and blockage of the Suez Canal illustrated the fragile nature of supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - , it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.

Interest costs

– Compare to the competition, has borrowed money from the capital market at higher rates. It needs to restructure the interest payment and costs so that it can compete better and improve profitability.

Slow decision making process

– As mentioned earlier in the report, has a very deliberative decision making approach. This approach has resulted in prudent decisions, but it has also resulted in missing opportunities in the industry over the last five years. even though has strong showing on digital transformation primary two stages, it has struggled to capitalize the power of digital transformation in marketing efforts and new venture efforts.

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, suggests that, 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.

Low market penetration in new markets

– Outside its home market of , firm in the HBR case study needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.

Aligning sales with marketing

– It come across in the case study 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 can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as is planning to shift buying processes online.

Lack of clear differentiation of products

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

Ability to respond to the competition

– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study , in the dynamic environment has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.

Compensation and incentives

– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study , is just above the industry average. needs to redesign the compensation structure and incentives to increase the revenue per employees. Some of the steps that it can take are – hiring more specialists on project basis, etc.

High cash cycle compare to competitors

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 dependence on star products

– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though has relatively successful track record of launching new products.

---

Opportunities

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: Attempt to read property "casename" on null

Filename: frontend/swotcase-analysis.php

Line Number: 554

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/views/frontend/swotcase-analysis.php
Line: 554
Function: _error_handler

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/controllers/Frontpage.php
Line: 220
Function: view

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/index.php
Line: 315
Function: require_once

| 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

are -

Reconfiguring business model

– The expansion of digital payment system, the bringing down of international transactions costs using Bitcoin and other blockchain based currencies, etc can help 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.

Buying journey improvements

– can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. suggest that firm can provide automated chats to help consumers solve their own problems, provide online suggestions to get maximum out of the products and services, and help consumers to build a community where they can interact with each other to develop new features and uses.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. 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.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for 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

– 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.

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– 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 - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help 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. can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

Low interest rates

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

Finding new ways to collaborate

– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the case study. can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Reforming the budgeting process

- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.

Manufacturing automation

– can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in 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 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 segment.

---

Threats

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: Attempt to read property "casename" on null

Filename: frontend/swotcase-analysis.php

Line Number: 687

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/views/frontend/swotcase-analysis.php
Line: 687
Function: _error_handler

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/controllers/Frontpage.php
Line: 220
Function: view

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/index.php
Line: 315
Function: require_once

External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The threats mentioned in the HBR case study

are -

Consumer confidence and its impact on 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.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

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

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for in the industry. The 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 with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.

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.

Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

– has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the 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.

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. 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.

Increasing wage structure of

– 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 .

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that is facing in sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

Regulatory challenges

– 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 industry regulations.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, 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 .

High dependence on third party suppliers

– 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.

---

Weighted SWOT Analysis of

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: Attempt to read property "casename" on null

Filename: frontend/swotcase-analysis.php

Line Number: 807

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/views/frontend/swotcase-analysis.php
Line: 807
Function: _error_handler

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/application/controllers/Frontpage.php
Line: 220
Function: view

File: /var/www/oakspringuniversity.com/public_html/index.php
Line: 315
Function: require_once

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

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 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 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 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 needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.

--- ---