Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry
At the beginning of 2006, the president of Hy-Line International (Hy-Line), a leading producer of hybrid chicks for both the American and world egg industry, was facing many challenges: his imminent retirement, the threat of the Asian bird flu, zero to negative growth in primary markets, increasing pressure from the animal rights movement, and a strained relationship with Hy-Line's German parent company. 2006 marked the end of an era for this $200 million company, as it entered a period of revolutionary organizational and environmental change, the resolution of which will determine its fate for the next decades.
Swot Analysis of "Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry" written by Patrick F O'Leary includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Hy Egg facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Ethics, Globalization, Succession planning and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry casestudy better are - – increasing energy prices, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, wage bills are increasing, increasing transportation and logistics costs, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google,
geopolitical disruptions, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Hy Egg, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Hy Egg 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 Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Hy Egg
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 Hy Egg
Strengths Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Hy Egg in Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry Harvard Business Review case study are -
Strong track record of project management
– Hy Egg is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Hy Egg in the sector have low bargaining power. Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Hy Egg to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Hy Egg is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Hy Egg to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Hy Egg to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
High brand equity
– Hy Egg has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Hy Egg to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Training and development
– Hy Egg has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Hy Egg is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Hy Egg 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 Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Hy Egg in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Diverse revenue streams
– Hy Egg is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry 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.
Digital Transformation in Strategy & Execution segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Hy Egg digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Hy Egg 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.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Hy Egg 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.
Weaknesses Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry are -
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry 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 Hy Egg has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Hy Egg is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Hy Egg needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Hy Egg to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry, it seems that the employees of Hy Egg 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry HBR case study mentions - Hy Egg 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.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Hy Egg 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. Hy Egg 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 operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry 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 Hy Egg 's lucrative customers.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry 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 Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Hy Egg is planning to shift buying processes online.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Hy Egg is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Hy Egg 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry, in the dynamic environment Hy Egg has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Hy Egg has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Patrick F O'Leary suggests that, Hy Egg 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.
Opportunities Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry | 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 Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry are -
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Hy Egg 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Hy Egg can make experimentation a productive activity and build a culture of innovation using approaches such as – mining transaction data, A/B testing of websites and selling platforms, engaging potential customers over various needs, and building on small ideas in the Strategy & Execution segment.
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 Hy Egg 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 Hy Egg to increase its market reach. Hy Egg 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Hy Egg 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Hy Egg 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 Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Hy Egg to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Hy Egg 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 Hy Egg to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Manufacturing automation
– Hy Egg 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Hy Egg can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
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 Hy Egg in the consumer business. Now Hy Egg can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Hy Egg can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Hy Egg operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
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. Hy Egg can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Hy Egg can leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the production process, customer analytics to get better insights into consumer behavior, realtime digital dashboards to get better sales tracking, logistics and transportation, product tracking, etc.
Threats Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Hy Egg 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.
Increasing wage structure of Hy Egg
– 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 Hy Egg.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Hy Egg 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.
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. Hy Egg 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.
Environmental challenges
– Hy Egg 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. Hy Egg can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry, Hy Egg 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 .
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Hy Egg 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. Hy Egg needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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.
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 Hy Egg business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Hy Egg 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 Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry .
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Hy Egg 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 Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry 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 Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry 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 Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry 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 Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry 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 Chicken and Egg: A Study of the Poultry Genetics Industry 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 Hy Egg needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
