Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest
The case features a dispute between the US Forest Service and conservation groups over forest management practices on the Bitterroot National Forest in Montana. The conservation groups sued the Forest Service in US District Court and the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Court with the Forest Service eventually winning on the issues. However, in August 2008, Dave Bull, the Forest Service Supervisor, was frustrated with the recurrent conflicts that impeded the Forest Service's ability to pursue important forest management projects (e.g., fuel reduction projects to protect people's lives and properties). Dave's staff of 145 people spent 80% of its time on data collection and analysis, much of it preparing for anticipated lawsuits, and 20% on project implementation. Dave wanted to reverse those numbers, but after 50 years of conflict, he was not sure where to start. He felt he needed a strategy to improve collaboration, but that carried some risks. If he made things worse, he might get an early retirement. As the case closes, Dave is examining the Forest Service's approach to collaboration. The Forest Service encouraged collaborative strategies but it said, "The final decision still rests with the agency." Given this caveat, Dave was wondering how he could effectively encourage collaboration among the stakeholders. The case explores this issue and gives Dave some direction.
Swot Analysis of "Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest" written by Tom D. Hinthorne, Patricia A. Holman includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Forest Dave facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Collaboration, Conflict, Corporate governance, Influence and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest casestudy better are - – supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , technology disruption, geopolitical disruptions, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing transportation and logistics costs, wage bills are increasing,
there is backlash against globalization, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Forest Dave, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Forest Dave 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 Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Forest Dave
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 Forest Dave
Strengths Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Forest Dave in Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest Harvard Business Review case study are -
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Forest Dave to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Forest Dave to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Forest Dave 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 Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Forest Dave in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Diverse revenue streams
– Forest Dave is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest 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.
Organizational Resilience of Forest Dave
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Forest Dave does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Digital Transformation in Strategy & Execution segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Forest Dave digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Forest Dave 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Forest Dave has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Forest Dave 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Forest Dave is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
High brand equity
– Forest Dave has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Forest Dave to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Forest Dave in the sector have low bargaining power. Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Forest Dave to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field
– Forest Dave 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 Forest Dave in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Weaknesses Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest are -
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Forest Dave, firm in the HBR case study Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest 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 Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest, in the dynamic environment Forest Dave has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Forest Dave has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Forest Dave is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Forest Dave needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Forest Dave to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest 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 Forest Dave has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest, is just above the industry average. Forest Dave 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
Forest Dave 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest 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 Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Forest Dave is planning to shift buying processes online.
Lack of clear differentiation of Forest Dave products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Forest Dave needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest HBR case study mentions - Forest Dave 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Forest Dave has taken concrete steps on diversity, equity, and inclusion. But the efforts so far has resulted in limited success. It needs to expand the recruitment and selection process to hire more people from the minorities and underprivileged background.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Forest Dave 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 Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest | 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 Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest are -
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Forest Dave 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Forest Dave 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 Forest Dave to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Forest Dave 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Forest Dave 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Forest Dave 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 Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Forest Dave to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Developing new processes and practices
– Forest Dave 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Forest Dave has focused on building a highly responsive customer relationship management platform. This platform is built on in-house data and driven by analytics and artificial intelligence. The customer analytics can help the organization to fine tune its loyalty marketing efforts, increase the wallet share of the organization, reduce wastage on mainstream advertising spending, build better pricing strategies using personalization, etc.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Forest Dave to increase its market reach. Forest Dave 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Forest Dave 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, Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
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. Forest Dave can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Forest Dave has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Forest Dave to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest case study. Forest Dave can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
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 Forest Dave in the consumer business. Now Forest Dave can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Forest Dave 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 Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest are -
Regulatory challenges
– Forest Dave 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.
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
– Forest Dave 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.
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 Forest Dave.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Forest Dave 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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Forest Dave 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.
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. Forest Dave can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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. Forest Dave needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Forest Dave with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Forest Dave 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 Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest .
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Forest Dave 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 Forest Dave business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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. Forest Dave 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest 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 Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest 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 Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest 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 Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest 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 Wildfire Protection: Conflict in the Bitterroot National Forest 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 Forest Dave needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.