Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Technology & Operations
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise
This case uses the example of a Hospital's Emergency Department to introduce Little's formula of I = RT, a fundamental law in operations management. Through a series of questions, the case guides students through issues of capacity, marginal profits, costs, and inventory. The case also asks students to consider hypothetical scenarios and make decisions backed by their calculations.
Swot Analysis of "Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise" written by William Lovejoy, Wallace Hopp includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Emergency Middletown facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Technology & Operations.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise casestudy better are - – increasing commodity prices, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, technology disruption, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, increasing transportation and logistics costs, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models,
central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Emergency Middletown, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Emergency Middletown 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 Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Emergency Middletown
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 Emergency Middletown
Strengths Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Emergency Middletown in Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise Harvard Business Review case study are -
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Emergency Middletown in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Emergency Middletown has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Emergency Middletown 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.
Training and development
– Emergency Middletown has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise 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 Emergency Middletown
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Emergency Middletown does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Strong track record of project management
– Emergency Middletown is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Emergency Middletown 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 Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Emergency Middletown 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 Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Analytics focus
– Emergency Middletown 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 William Lovejoy, Wallace Hopp 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Emergency Middletown is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise 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.
Learning organization
- Emergency Middletown 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 Emergency Middletown is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High brand equity
– Emergency Middletown has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Emergency Middletown to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Weaknesses Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise are -
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise 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 Emergency Middletown 's lucrative customers.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise, is just above the industry average. Emergency Middletown 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Emergency Middletown is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Emergency Middletown, firm in the HBR case study Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Emergency Middletown is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Technology & Operations segment. Emergency Middletown needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Emergency Middletown to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Need for greater diversity
– Emergency Middletown has taken concrete steps on diversity, equity, and inclusion. But the efforts so far has resulted in limited success. It needs to expand the recruitment and selection process to hire more people from the minorities and underprivileged background.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, William Lovejoy, Wallace Hopp suggests that, Emergency Middletown 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Emergency Middletown 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.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Emergency Middletown 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Emergency Middletown 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 - Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Lack of clear differentiation of Emergency Middletown products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Emergency Middletown needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Opportunities Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise | 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 Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise are -
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. Emergency Middletown can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Emergency Middletown 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Emergency Middletown is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Emergency Middletown to increase its market reach. Emergency Middletown 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Emergency Middletown can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Emergency Middletown operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Technology & Operations sector.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Emergency Middletown 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Emergency Middletown 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, Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise, 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 Emergency Middletown in the consumer business. Now Emergency Middletown can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Emergency Middletown 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 Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Emergency Middletown to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Emergency Middletown 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Emergency Middletown 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Emergency Middletown 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.
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. Emergency Middletown 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. Emergency Middletown 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.
Threats Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise are -
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise, Emergency Middletown 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 .
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. Emergency Middletown needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Technology & Operations industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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. Emergency Middletown 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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Emergency Middletown 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Emergency Middletown with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Increasing wage structure of Emergency Middletown
– 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 Emergency Middletown.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Emergency Middletown is facing in Technology & Operations sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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 Emergency Middletown.
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 Emergency Middletown in the Technology & Operations sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
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. Emergency Middletown can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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 Emergency Middletown business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Emergency Middletown 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise 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 Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise 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 Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise 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 Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise 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 Middletown General Hospital Emergency Department Observation Unit Analysis Exercise 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 Emergency Middletown needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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