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Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes


Supplements the (A) case. A rewritten version of an earlier supplement.

Authors :: Jody Hoffer Gittell, Robert S. Huckman

Topics :: Technology & Operations

Tags :: Marketing, Supply chain, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes" written by Jody Hoffer Gittell, Robert S. Huckman includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Oxford Strikes facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Marketing, Supply chain and Technology & Operations.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes casestudy better are - – increasing energy prices, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , technology disruption, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, increasing commodity prices, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing transportation and logistics costs, wage bills are increasing, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Oxford Strikes, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Oxford Strikes 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 Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Oxford Strikes
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 Oxford Strikes




Strengths Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Oxford Strikes in Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes Harvard Business Review case study are -

Organizational Resilience of Oxford Strikes

– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Oxford Strikes does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.

Strong track record of project management

– Oxford Strikes is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.

Operational resilience

– The operational resilience strategy in the Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes 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.

Learning organization

- Oxford Strikes 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 Oxford Strikes is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

Analytics focus

– Oxford Strikes 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 Jody Hoffer Gittell, Robert S. Huckman 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.

Superior customer experience

– The customer experience strategy of Oxford Strikes in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– Oxford Strikes 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 Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.

Highly skilled collaborators

– Oxford Strikes 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 Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

High brand equity

– Oxford Strikes has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Oxford Strikes to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.

Digital Transformation in Technology & Operations segment

- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Oxford Strikes digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Oxford Strikes 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.

Successful track record of launching new products

– Oxford Strikes has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Oxford Strikes 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.

Ability to lead change in Technology & Operations field

– Oxford Strikes 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 Oxford Strikes in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.






Weaknesses Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes are -

High cash cycle compare to competitors

Oxford Strikes 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.

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 Oxford Strikes supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Oxford Strikes vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.

Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy

– From the instances in the HBR case study Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes, it seems that the employees of Oxford Strikes don’t have comprehensive understanding of the firm’s strategy. This is reflected in number of promotional campaigns over the last few years that had mixed messaging and competing priorities. Some of the strategic activities and services promoted in the promotional campaigns were not consistent with the organization’s strategy.

Slow to harness new channels of communication

– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Oxford Strikes is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes 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 dependence on star products

– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes 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 Oxford Strikes has relatively successful track record of launching new products.

Products dominated business model

– Even though Oxford Strikes 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 - Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.

Workers concerns about automation

– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Oxford Strikes needs to come up with a strategy to reduce the workers concern regarding automation. Without a clear strategy, it could lead to disruption and uncertainty within the organization.

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Jody Hoffer Gittell, Robert S. Huckman suggests that, Oxford Strikes 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.

Slow decision making process

– As mentioned earlier in the report, Oxford Strikes 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. Oxford Strikes 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 Oxford Strikes, firm in the HBR case study Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.

Aligning sales with marketing

– It come across in the case study Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes 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 Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Oxford Strikes is planning to shift buying processes online.




Opportunities Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes | 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 Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes are -

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Oxford Strikes 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.

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. Oxford Strikes 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. Oxford Strikes 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.

Increase in government spending

– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Oxford Strikes can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Oxford Strikes operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Technology & Operations sector.

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. Oxford Strikes can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Oxford Strikes is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes 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.

Leveraging digital technologies

– Oxford Strikes 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.

Loyalty marketing

– Oxford Strikes 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.

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Oxford Strikes has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Oxford Strikes to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes case study. Oxford Strikes can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Oxford Strikes 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, Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

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 Oxford Strikes in the consumer business. Now Oxford Strikes can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.

Manufacturing automation

– Oxford Strikes 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.

Low interest rates

– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Oxford Strikes 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.

Reforming the budgeting process

- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Oxford Strikes can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.




Threats Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes are -

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. Oxford Strikes needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Technology & Operations industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.

Increasing wage structure of Oxford Strikes

– 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 Oxford Strikes.

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that Oxford Strikes is facing in Technology & Operations sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Oxford Strikes 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.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Oxford Strikes can face downward pressure on margins from increasing competition from international players. The international players have stable revenue in their home market and can use those resources to penetrate prominent markets illustrated in HBR case study Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes .

Barriers of entry lowering

– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Oxford Strikes with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.

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. Oxford Strikes 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 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.

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.

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 Oxford Strikes business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.

Environmental challenges

– Oxford Strikes 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. Oxford Strikes can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Technology & Operations industry.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Oxford Strikes 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.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Oxford Strikes demand

– There is a high probability of declining consumer confidence, given – high inflammation rate, rise of gig economy, lower job stability, increasing cost of living, higher interest rates, and aging demography. All the factors contribute to people saving higher rate of their income, resulting in lower consumer demand in the industry and other sectors.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes 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 Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes 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 Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes 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 Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes 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 Oxford Health Plans (B): Crisis Strikes 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 Oxford Strikes needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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