Swot Analysis of "First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note" written by Morgan Jerome Hallmon, Robert Siegel, Robert A. Burgelman includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Sm190 Technical facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Technology & Operations.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note casestudy better are - – there is backlash against globalization, technology disruption, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing commodity prices, geopolitical disruptions, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies,
increasing household debt because of falling income levels, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Sm190 Technical, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Sm190 Technical 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 First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Sm190 Technical
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 Sm190 Technical
Strengths First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Sm190 Technical in First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note Harvard Business Review case study are -
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Sm190 Technical 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
– First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Sm190 Technical to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Technology & Operations industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Sm190 Technical to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Sm190 Technical is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Analytics focus
– Sm190 Technical 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 Morgan Jerome Hallmon, Robert Siegel, Robert A. Burgelman 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.
High brand equity
– Sm190 Technical has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Sm190 Technical to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Learning organization
- Sm190 Technical 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 Sm190 Technical is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Sm190 Technical 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 First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Sm190 Technical 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 First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Innovation driven organization
– Sm190 Technical is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Ability to lead change in Technology & Operations field
– Sm190 Technical 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 Sm190 Technical in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Training and development
– Sm190 Technical has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Sm190 Technical is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note 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.
Weaknesses First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note are -
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Sm190 Technical is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Technology & Operations segment. Sm190 Technical needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Sm190 Technical to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note 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 Sm190 Technical has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Sm190 Technical, firm in the HBR case study First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note HBR case study mentions - Sm190 Technical 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.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Sm190 Technical 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note, is just above the industry average. Sm190 Technical needs to redesign the compensation structure and incentives to increase the revenue per employees. Some of the steps that it can take are – hiring more specialists on project basis, etc.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note, 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.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Sm190 Technical 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. Sm190 Technical 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 operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note 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 Sm190 Technical 's lucrative customers.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Morgan Jerome Hallmon, Robert Siegel, Robert A. Burgelman suggests that, Sm190 Technical 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note 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 First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Sm190 Technical is planning to shift buying processes online.
Opportunities First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note | 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 First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note are -
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Sm190 Technical 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, First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Sm190 Technical is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note 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.
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. Sm190 Technical can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Sm190 Technical 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 Technology & Operations industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Sm190 Technical 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. Sm190 Technical 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Sm190 Technical 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
– Sm190 Technical can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Sm190 Technical 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Sm190 Technical has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Sm190 Technical to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note case study. Sm190 Technical can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Developing new processes and practices
– Sm190 Technical 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Sm190 Technical 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Sm190 Technical 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 First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Sm190 Technical to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
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 Sm190 Technical in the consumer business. Now Sm190 Technical can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Threats First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note are -
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 Sm190 Technical.
Increasing wage structure of Sm190 Technical
– 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 Sm190 Technical.
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.
Regulatory challenges
– Sm190 Technical 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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Sm190 Technical is facing in Technology & Operations sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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. Sm190 Technical can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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 Sm190 Technical business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Sm190 Technical 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.
Environmental challenges
– Sm190 Technical 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. Sm190 Technical can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Technology & Operations industry.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Sm190 Technical 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.
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. Sm190 Technical 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Sm190 Technical has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Technology & Operations industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Sm190 Technical 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note 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 First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note 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 First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note 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 First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note 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 First Solar, Inc. in 2010, Technical Note 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 Sm190 Technical needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
