Swot Analysis of "The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School" written by R. Edward Freeman, Wendy Bolger, Jenny Mead includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Uv1956 Emerson facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School casestudy better are - – technology disruption, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing transportation and logistics costs, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs,
supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing energy prices, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Uv1956 Emerson, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Uv1956 Emerson 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Uv1956 Emerson
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 Uv1956 Emerson
Strengths The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Uv1956 Emerson in The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School Harvard Business Review case study are -
Analytics focus
– Uv1956 Emerson 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 R. Edward Freeman, Wendy Bolger, Jenny Mead 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.
Training and development
– Uv1956 Emerson has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School 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.
Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field
– Uv1956 Emerson 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 Uv1956 Emerson in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Uv1956 Emerson to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Uv1956 Emerson to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Uv1956 Emerson in the sector have low bargaining power. The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Uv1956 Emerson to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Uv1956 Emerson has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Uv1956 Emerson 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.
Strong track record of project management
– Uv1956 Emerson is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Uv1956 Emerson 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Learning organization
- Uv1956 Emerson is a learning organization. It has inculcated three key characters of learning organization in its processes and operations – exploration, creativity, and expansiveness. The work place at Uv1956 Emerson is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Uv1956 Emerson 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Uv1956 Emerson is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Uv1956 Emerson in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Weaknesses The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School are -
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School 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 Uv1956 Emerson has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
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 Uv1956 Emerson supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Uv1956 Emerson vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Uv1956 Emerson, firm in the HBR case study The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Uv1956 Emerson is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Uv1956 Emerson needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Uv1956 Emerson to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Uv1956 Emerson has borrowed money from the capital market at higher rates. It needs to restructure the interest payment and costs so that it can compete better and improve profitability.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School HBR case study mentions - Uv1956 Emerson 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
– Uv1956 Emerson 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School, 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Uv1956 Emerson 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.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School 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 Uv1956 Emerson 's lucrative customers.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, R. Edward Freeman, Wendy Bolger, Jenny Mead suggests that, Uv1956 Emerson 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School | 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School are -
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Uv1956 Emerson 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, The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Uv1956 Emerson to increase its market reach. Uv1956 Emerson 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Uv1956 Emerson 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Uv1956 Emerson 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.
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. Uv1956 Emerson can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Uv1956 Emerson 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Uv1956 Emerson 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Uv1956 Emerson to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Uv1956 Emerson can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Uv1956 Emerson 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 Uv1956 Emerson to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Manufacturing automation
– Uv1956 Emerson 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Uv1956 Emerson can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Uv1956 Emerson operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
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 Uv1956 Emerson in the consumer business. Now Uv1956 Emerson can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Uv1956 Emerson is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School are -
Environmental challenges
– Uv1956 Emerson 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. Uv1956 Emerson can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Uv1956 Emerson 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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Uv1956 Emerson 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.
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 Uv1956 Emerson business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Uv1956 Emerson with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School, Uv1956 Emerson 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 .
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Uv1956 Emerson 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.
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. Uv1956 Emerson 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Uv1956 Emerson 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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Uv1956 Emerson is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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 Uv1956 Emerson.
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. Uv1956 Emerson can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School 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 The Ethics of Fundraising (B): the Annual Class Gift Campaign at the Emerson School 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 Uv1956 Emerson needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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