Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Technology & Operations
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows
A midwest hospital purchases new CT Scanners which are much faster than the existing technology. Processes in the radiology department are optimized to the older, existing scanners, and technicians are unable to take full advantage of the new scanner speed. The hospital finds itself working to change the processes to suit the new scanners capabilities and take full advantage of their speed.
Authors :: Sunil Chopra, Scott Flamm, Sachin Waikar
Swot Analysis of "Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows" written by Sunil Chopra, Scott Flamm, Sachin Waikar includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Scanners Ct facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Manufacturing, Organizational culture and Technology & Operations.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows casestudy better are - – geopolitical disruptions, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing energy prices, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, wage bills are increasing, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%,
increasing transportation and logistics costs, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Scanners Ct, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Scanners Ct 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 Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Scanners Ct
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 Scanners Ct
Strengths Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Scanners Ct in Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows Harvard Business Review case study are -
Successful track record of launching new products
– Scanners Ct has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Scanners Ct 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.
Organizational Resilience of Scanners Ct
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Scanners Ct does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Scanners Ct in the sector have low bargaining power. Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Scanners Ct to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Training and development
– Scanners Ct has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows 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.
High brand equity
– Scanners Ct has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Scanners Ct to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Strong track record of project management
– Scanners Ct is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Scanners Ct 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Scanners Ct 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 Scanners Ct 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Scanners Ct is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows 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
– Scanners Ct 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 Scanners Ct in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Diverse revenue streams
– Scanners Ct is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows 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 Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows are -
Lack of clear differentiation of Scanners Ct products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Scanners Ct needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Scanners Ct has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Sunil Chopra, Scott Flamm, Sachin Waikar suggests that, Scanners Ct 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 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 Scanners Ct supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Scanners Ct vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows 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 Scanners Ct has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Scanners Ct 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows 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 Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Scanners Ct is planning to shift buying processes online.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows, in the dynamic environment Scanners Ct has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Scanners Ct has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows, is just above the industry average. Scanners Ct 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Scanners Ct, firm in the HBR case study Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows HBR case study mentions - Scanners Ct 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.
Opportunities Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows | 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 Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows are -
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Scanners Ct 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Scanners Ct can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Scanners Ct 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.
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 Scanners Ct 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Scanners Ct is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows 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, Scanners Ct can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Scanners Ct operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Technology & Operations sector.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Scanners Ct can still utilize the low interest rates to borrow money for capital investment. Secondly it can also use the increase of government spending in infrastructure projects to get new business.
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 Scanners Ct in the consumer business. Now Scanners Ct can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Scanners Ct 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 Scanners Ct to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
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. Scanners Ct can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Scanners Ct 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Scanners Ct can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Loyalty marketing
– Scanners Ct 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.
Threats Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows are -
Increasing wage structure of Scanners Ct
– 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 Scanners Ct.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Scanners Ct is facing in Technology & Operations sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Scanners Ct 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Scanners Ct 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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Scanners Ct 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.
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 Scanners Ct.
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 Scanners Ct in the Technology & Operations sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows, Scanners Ct 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 .
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. Scanners Ct 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 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. Scanners Ct needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Technology & Operations industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Scanners Ct 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.
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.
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. Scanners Ct 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 Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows 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 Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows 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 Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows 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 Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows 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 Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows 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 Scanners Ct needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
