Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin?
Susan Thibodeau, Executive Director of Bridge Adult Service Centre, contemplated how Bridge Adult could provide additional services and improved programming to current and new clients. Bridge Adult was a not-for-profit organization that aimed to enhance the lives and promote inclusion of intellectually challenged individuals in communities. There were 27 other service centres similar to Bridge Adult located throughout Nova Scotia, Canada. Funding from government sources remained relatively stagnant over the years but demand and programming needs had changed significantly in most of these centres. In order for Bridge Adult to continue to improve their current client offerings, programs that generated revenue while simultaneously provided meaningful experiences for clients were essential. Thibodeau, in collaboration with the Board, needed to determine strategic priorities for the next three years, her role in that process and who would be responsible for the various aspects of the implementation. This case was formulated for university undergraduate students in their fourth year of study or graduate students in a MBA program. It is intended to challenge students to consider the similarities and differences in strategy formulation and implementation and governance between for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. It should therefore be taught as a corporate governance or strategic planning case and ideally after students have been exposed to financial analysis, competitive analysis, value chain analysis, governance, SWOT analysis, and growth strategies.
Swot Analysis of "Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin?" written by Gina Grandy, Rhian Stewart includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Adult Bridge facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Strategic planning and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? casestudy better are - – increasing transportation and logistics costs, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, geopolitical disruptions, wage bills are increasing,
there is increasing trade war between United States & China, there is backlash against globalization, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin?
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Adult Bridge, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Adult Bridge 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 Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Adult Bridge
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 Adult Bridge
Strengths Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Adult Bridge in Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? Harvard Business Review case study are -
Ability to recruit top talent
– Adult Bridge is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Adult Bridge in the sector have low bargaining power. Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Adult Bridge to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Adult Bridge 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 Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Adult Bridge to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Adult Bridge to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Adult Bridge 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 Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Adult Bridge 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.
High brand equity
– Adult Bridge has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Adult Bridge to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Adult Bridge 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 Adult Bridge
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Adult Bridge does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Adult Bridge in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Innovation driven organization
– Adult Bridge is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? 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
– Adult Bridge has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Adult Bridge 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.
Weaknesses Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? are -
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Adult Bridge 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. Adult Bridge 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 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 Adult Bridge supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin?, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Adult Bridge vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Adult Bridge 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Adult Bridge needs to come up with a strategy to reduce the workers concern regarding automation. Without a clear strategy, it could lead to disruption and uncertainty within the organization.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Adult Bridge 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 - Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Adult Bridge 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin?, is just above the industry average. Adult Bridge 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 dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? 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 Adult Bridge has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Adult Bridge, firm in the HBR case study Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Adult Bridge is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Adult Bridge 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.
Opportunities Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? | 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 Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? are -
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. Adult Bridge can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Developing new processes and practices
– Adult Bridge 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 Adult Bridge 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Adult Bridge to increase its market reach. Adult Bridge 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Adult Bridge can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Adult Bridge 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Adult Bridge 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 Adult Bridge to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Adult Bridge 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, Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin?, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Adult Bridge 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
– Adult Bridge 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Adult Bridge has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Adult Bridge to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? case study. Adult Bridge can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Adult Bridge is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Adult Bridge 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.
Threats Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? are -
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Adult Bridge has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Adult Bridge 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.
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 Adult Bridge.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Adult Bridge with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Increasing wage structure of Adult Bridge
– 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 Adult Bridge.
Regulatory challenges
– Adult Bridge 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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Adult Bridge 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, Adult Bridge 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 Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? .
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. Adult Bridge 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.
Technology disruption because of hacks, piracy etc
– The colonial pipeline illustrated, how vulnerable modern organization are to international hackers, miscreants, and disruptors. The cyber security interruption, data leaks, etc can seriously jeopardize the future growth of the organization.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Adult Bridge 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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Adult Bridge 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.
Environmental challenges
– Adult Bridge 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. Adult Bridge can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry.
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 Adult Bridge in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? 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 Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? 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 Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? 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 Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? 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 Strategic Planning and Governance at Bridge Adult Service Centre: Where to Begin? 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 Adult Bridge needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.