Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Technology & Operations
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence
The service provided by the ER has been suffering all along these last years and ERs have a regime of severe resource constraints. This technical note presents the service problems ERs have and it provides structure and examples on how to classify these problems through the Service Activity Sequence framework (SAS). The SAS (MuA?oz-Seca, 2012) describes the activities that transform an idea into a service delivery reality that is in constant change. It acknowledges a service as an unfinished proposal that needs constant tuning. SAS provides an integrated view to assist in analyzing service synergies and dysfunctions.
Swot Analysis of "Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence" written by Beatriz Munoz-Seca Fernandez-Cuesta, Rocio Arenas includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Sas Service facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Technology & Operations.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence casestudy better are - – supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing commodity prices, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, technology disruption, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies,
wage bills are increasing, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Sas Service, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Sas Service 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 Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Sas Service
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 Sas Service
Strengths Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Sas Service in Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence Harvard Business Review case study are -
Analytics focus
– Sas Service 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 Beatriz Munoz-Seca Fernandez-Cuesta, Rocio Arenas 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.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Sas Service 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 Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
High brand equity
– Sas Service has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Sas Service to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Innovation driven organization
– Sas Service is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Strong track record of project management
– Sas Service is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Sas Service in the sector have low bargaining power. Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Sas Service to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Ability to lead change in Technology & Operations field
– Sas Service 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 Sas Service in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence 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.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Sas Service 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 Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Training and development
– Sas Service has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence 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.
Organizational Resilience of Sas Service
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Sas Service does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Sas Service 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.
Weaknesses Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence are -
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Sas Service 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 operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence 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 Sas Service 's lucrative customers.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence 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 Sas Service has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence, in the dynamic environment Sas Service has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Sas Service has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Sas Service 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence HBR case study mentions - Sas Service 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence 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 Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Sas Service is planning to shift buying processes online.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Sas Service is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Technology & Operations segment. Sas Service needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Sas Service to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Sas Service 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Sas Service products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Sas Service needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence, it seems that the employees of Sas Service 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.
Opportunities Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence | 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 Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence are -
Buying journey improvements
– Sas Service can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence 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
– Sas Service 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Sas Service to increase its market reach. Sas Service will be able to reach out to new customers. Secondly 5G will also provide technology framework to build new tools and products that can help more immersive consumer experience and faster consumer journey.
Loyalty marketing
– Sas Service 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Sas Service can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Sas Service is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence 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, Sas Service can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Sas Service operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Technology & Operations sector.
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 Sas Service 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.
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 Sas Service in the consumer business. Now Sas Service can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Sas Service 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Sas Service 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
– Sas Service 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 Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Sas Service to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Sas Service 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 Sas Service to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Threats Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence are -
Regulatory challenges
– Sas Service 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.
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. Sas Service can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Sas Service 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.
Environmental challenges
– Sas Service 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. Sas Service can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Technology & Operations industry.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence, Sas Service 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 .
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 Sas Service in the Technology & Operations sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
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 Sas Service business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Sas Service has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Technology & Operations industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Sas Service 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Sas Service with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Sas Service 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.
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.
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. Sas Service needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Technology & Operations industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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 Sas Service.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence 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 Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence 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 Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence 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 Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence 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 Analyzing Emergency Rooms service problems through the Service Activity Sequence 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 Sas Service needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.