InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Technology & Operations
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech
InfoVision illustrates university technology transfer through the choices of a graduating doctoral student. Also explores the challenges of working across the scientific, business, and legal disciplines in the Georgia Tech transfer program.
Authors :: Lee Fleming, James Quinn, Marie Thursby
Swot Analysis of "InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech" written by Lee Fleming, James Quinn, Marie Thursby includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Infovision Transfer facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Intellectual property, Technology and Technology & Operations.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech casestudy better are - – increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion,
customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing commodity prices, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Infovision Transfer, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Infovision Transfer 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 InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Infovision Transfer
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Technology & Operations field.
4. Making a Technology & Operations topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Infovision Transfer
Strengths InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Infovision Transfer in InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech Harvard Business Review case study are -
High brand equity
– Infovision Transfer has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Infovision Transfer to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech 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.
Strong track record of project management
– Infovision Transfer is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Infovision Transfer 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 InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Infovision Transfer in the sector have low bargaining power. InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Infovision Transfer to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Technology & Operations industry
– InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Infovision Transfer to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Technology & Operations industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Infovision Transfer to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Organizational Resilience of Infovision Transfer
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Infovision Transfer does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Infovision Transfer is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Infovision Transfer has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Infovision Transfer 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Infovision Transfer in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Infovision Transfer 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.
Training and development
– Infovision Transfer has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech 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.
Weaknesses InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech are -
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Infovision Transfer is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Technology & Operations segment. Infovision Transfer needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Infovision Transfer to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Infovision Transfer is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Technology & Operations 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Infovision Transfer, firm in the HBR case study InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Lack of clear differentiation of Infovision Transfer products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Infovision Transfer needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Infovision Transfer has some of the most successful products in the industry, this business model has made each new product launch extremely critical for continuous financial growth of the organization. firm in the HBR case study - InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech HBR case study mentions - Infovision Transfer 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Infovision Transfer 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 InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech 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 Infovision Transfer 's lucrative customers.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Infovision Transfer 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. Infovision Transfer 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 cash cycle compare to competitors
Infovision Transfer 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.
Opportunities InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech | 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 InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech are -
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Infovision Transfer 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 Infovision Transfer to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Manufacturing automation
– Infovision Transfer can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Technology & Operations 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Infovision Transfer 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Infovision Transfer in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Technology & Operations segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Infovision Transfer 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 Technology & Operations segment.
Loyalty marketing
– Infovision Transfer 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Infovision Transfer can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Infovision Transfer can develop new processes and procedures in Technology & Operations 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Infovision Transfer 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, InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech, 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. Infovision Transfer can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Infovision Transfer can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Infovision Transfer can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Infovision Transfer operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Technology & Operations sector.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Infovision Transfer has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Infovision Transfer to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech case study. Infovision Transfer can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Threats InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech are -
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Infovision Transfer has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Technology & Operations industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Infovision Transfer needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Technology & Operations sector. According to Mckinsey study top managers believe that the adoption of technology in operations, communications is 20-25 times faster than what they planned in the beginning of 2019.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Infovision Transfer 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.
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. Infovision Transfer needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Technology & Operations industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Infovision Transfer is facing in Technology & Operations sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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 Infovision Transfer in the Technology & Operations sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Technology & Operations field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Infovision Transfer can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech, Infovision Transfer may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Technology & Operations .
Increasing wage structure of Infovision Transfer
– 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 Infovision Transfer.
Environmental challenges
– Infovision Transfer 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. Infovision Transfer can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Technology & Operations industry.
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. Infovision Transfer 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
– Infovision Transfer 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 Technology & Operations industry regulations.
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 Infovision Transfer business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, 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 Infovision Transfer.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech 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 InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech 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 InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech 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 InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech 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 InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech 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 Infovision Transfer needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.