SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
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Case Study Description of SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera
Two-party negotiation between agents for an opera singer and an opera house regarding a possible contract for an upcoming production, under conditions of full disclosure. The basic facts are the same as in Sally Soprano I, except that as a result of a discussion between Sally and the Lyric Opera's Artistic Director, all available information is known by both sides. The principals have left their agents to work out the details of a deal, knowing that something mutually advantageous is possible. This is a role play case.
Swot Analysis of "SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera" written by Wayne Davis, Mark Gordon, Bruce Patton includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Sally Soprano facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Career planning, Conflict, Negotiations and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera casestudy better are - – digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, increasing transportation and logistics costs, geopolitical disruptions, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing commodity prices, technology disruption, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models,
increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, there is backlash against globalization, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Sally Soprano, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Sally Soprano 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 SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Sally Soprano
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 Sally Soprano
Strengths SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Sally Soprano in SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera Harvard Business Review case study are -
Highly skilled collaborators
– Sally Soprano 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 SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Sally Soprano has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Sally Soprano 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
– Sally Soprano has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera 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.
Analytics focus
– Sally Soprano 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 Wayne Davis, Mark Gordon, Bruce Patton 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Sally Soprano to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Sally Soprano to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Sally Soprano 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 SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Sally Soprano 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Sally Soprano in the sector have low bargaining power. SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Sally Soprano to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Sally Soprano 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.
Organizational Resilience of Sally Soprano
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Sally Soprano 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 Sally Soprano in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
High brand equity
– Sally Soprano has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Sally Soprano to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Weaknesses SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera are -
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Strategy & Execution strategy. But it has very little resources allocation to manage the risks emerging from events such as natural disasters, climate change, melting of permafrost, tacking the rise of artificial intelligence, opportunities and threats emerging from commercialization of space etc.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Sally Soprano has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera 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 Sally Soprano 's lucrative customers.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Sally Soprano 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. Sally Soprano 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Sally Soprano 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Sally Soprano products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Sally Soprano needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Sally Soprano 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Sally Soprano 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Sally Soprano is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Sally Soprano needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Sally Soprano to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
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 Sally Soprano supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Sally Soprano vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Sally Soprano, firm in the HBR case study SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Opportunities SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera | 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 SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera are -
Developing new processes and practices
– Sally Soprano 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Sally Soprano can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Strategy & Execution industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Sally Soprano can take advantage of these changes in consumer behavior to build a far more efficient business model. For example consumer regular ordering of products can reduce both last mile delivery costs and market penetration costs. Sally Soprano can further use this consumer data to build better customer loyalty, provide better products and service collection, and improve the value proposition in inflationary times.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Sally Soprano 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 Sally Soprano to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Buying journey improvements
– Sally Soprano can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Sally Soprano to increase its market reach. Sally Soprano 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.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Strategy & Execution industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Sally Soprano can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Sally Soprano 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, SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera, 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 Sally Soprano 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Sally Soprano has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Sally Soprano to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera case study. Sally Soprano 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 Sally Soprano in the consumer business. Now Sally Soprano can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Manufacturing automation
– Sally Soprano 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Sally Soprano is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera 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.
Threats SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera are -
Regulatory challenges
– Sally Soprano 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.
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 Sally Soprano.
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 Sally Soprano in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Sally Soprano 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.
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.
Increasing wage structure of Sally Soprano
– 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 Sally Soprano.
Environmental challenges
– Sally Soprano 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. Sally Soprano can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Sally Soprano 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. Sally Soprano 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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Sally Soprano is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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 Sally Soprano 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, Sally Soprano 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 SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera .
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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera 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 SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera 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 SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera 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 SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera 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 SALLY SOPRANO II - Instructions for Representatives of Sally Soprano and the Lyric Opera 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 Sally Soprano needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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