Swot Analysis of "Supplement to 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 Georgia facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Supplement to 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 Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech casestudy better are - – digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, wage bills are increasing, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, there is backlash against globalization,
competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, technology disruption, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Supplement to 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 Supplement to 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 Georgia, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Infovision Georgia 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 Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Infovision Georgia
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 Georgia
Strengths Supplement to 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 Georgia in Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech Harvard Business Review case study are -
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Infovision Georgia 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Technology & Operations industry
– Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Infovision Georgia to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Technology & Operations industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Infovision Georgia to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Supplement to 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.
Analytics focus
– Infovision Georgia 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 Lee Fleming, James Quinn, Marie Thursby 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.
Learning organization
- Infovision Georgia 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 Infovision Georgia is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Diverse revenue streams
– Infovision Georgia is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Infovision Georgia is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Supplement to 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.
Training and development
– Infovision Georgia has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Supplement to 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Infovision Georgia is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Digital Transformation in Technology & Operations segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Infovision Georgia digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Infovision Georgia 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.
Strong track record of project management
– Infovision Georgia 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
– Infovision Georgia 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 Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Weaknesses Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech are -
Need for greater diversity
– Infovision Georgia 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.
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 Infovision Georgia supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Infovision Georgia vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Infovision Georgia 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 Georgia 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Infovision Georgia, firm in the HBR case study Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech 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 Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Infovision Georgia is planning to shift buying processes online.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech HBR case study mentions - Infovision Georgia 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Infovision Georgia 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 harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Infovision Georgia is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Supplement to 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.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Lee Fleming, James Quinn, Marie Thursby suggests that, Infovision Georgia 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.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech 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 Infovision Georgia has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Supplement to 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 Georgia 's lucrative customers.
Opportunities Supplement to 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 Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech are -
Manufacturing automation
– Infovision Georgia 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Infovision Georgia 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Infovision Georgia 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 Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Infovision Georgia to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Infovision Georgia is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech 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.
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 Georgia can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Infovision Georgia operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Technology & Operations sector.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Infovision Georgia 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, Supplement to 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.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Technology & Operations industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Infovision Georgia can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Infovision Georgia 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 Georgia to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Reconfiguring business model
– The expansion of digital payment system, the bringing down of international transactions costs using Bitcoin and other blockchain based currencies, etc can help Infovision Georgia to reconfigure its entire business model. For example it can used blockchain based technologies to reduce piracy of its products in the big markets such as China. Secondly it can use the popularity of e-commerce in various developing markets to build a Direct to Customer business model rather than the current Channel Heavy distribution network.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Infovision Georgia 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.
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 Infovision Georgia in the consumer business. Now Infovision Georgia can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Infovision Georgia 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Infovision Georgia 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.
Threats Supplement to 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 Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech are -
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Infovision Georgia in the Technology & Operations industry. The Technology & Operations 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.
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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Infovision Georgia has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Technology & Operations industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Infovision Georgia 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Infovision Georgia 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.
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 Georgia in the Technology & Operations sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
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 Georgia needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Technology & Operations industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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 Georgia 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 Supplement to InfoVision (A): Technology Transfer at Georgia Tech, Infovision Georgia 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 Georgia
– 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 Georgia.
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 Georgia 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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Infovision Georgia 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.
Environmental challenges
– Infovision Georgia 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 Georgia can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Technology & Operations industry.
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 Georgia.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Supplement to 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 Supplement to 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 Supplement to 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 Supplement to 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 Supplement to 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 Georgia needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
