Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version

Describes the actions taken by the government of Singapore to enable the country to survive and prosper after it achieved independence in the late 1960s. Recognizing that its small size, limited natural resources, but excellent location placed it in a vulnerable position, the prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, defined a vision for the country as an information, trade, and business hub for Southeast Asia. This case describes the evolution of the vision, organization, and IT infrastructure as Singapore attempts to extend its influence and reach outside its national boundaries.

Authors :: Lynda M. Applegate, Boon Siong Neo, John King, Carin-Isabel Knoop

Topics :: Technology & Operations

Tags :: Growth strategy, International business, IT, Policy, Workspaces, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version" written by Lynda M. Applegate, Boon Siong Neo, John King, Carin-Isabel Knoop includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Singapore Kuan facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Growth strategy, International business, IT, Policy, Workspaces and Technology & Operations.

Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version casestudy better are - – cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing commodity prices, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, geopolitical disruptions, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , etc

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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version

SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Singapore Kuan, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Singapore Kuan 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.

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SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix

SWOT analysis of Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Singapore Kuan
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 Singapore Kuan

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Strengths Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Singapore Kuan in Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version Harvard Business Review case study are -

Training and development

– Singapore Kuan has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version 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.

Highly skilled collaborators

– Singapore Kuan 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 Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

Low bargaining power of suppliers

– Suppliers of Singapore Kuan in the sector have low bargaining power. Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Singapore Kuan to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.

Digital Transformation in Technology & Operations segment

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

Analytics focus

– Singapore Kuan 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 Lynda M. Applegate, Boon Siong Neo, John King, Carin-Isabel Knoop 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.

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Technology & Operations industry

– Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Singapore Kuan to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Technology & Operations industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Singapore Kuan to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Ability to lead change in Technology & Operations field

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

High brand equity

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

Cross disciplinary teams

– Horizontal connected teams at the Singapore Kuan 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.

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Singapore Kuan 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.

Operational resilience

– The operational resilience strategy in the Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version 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.

Strong track record of project management

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

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Weaknesses Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version are -

Capital Spending Reduction

– Even during the low interest decade, Singapore Kuan 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.

Aligning sales with marketing

– It come across in the case study Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version 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 Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Singapore Kuan is planning to shift buying processes online.

Skills based hiring

– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Singapore Kuan 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.

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Lynda M. Applegate, Boon Siong Neo, John King, Carin-Isabel Knoop suggests that, Singapore Kuan 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 Singapore Kuan supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Singapore Kuan vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.

Slow to strategic competitive environment developments

– As Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version HBR case study mentions - Singapore Kuan 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.

Slow decision making process

– As mentioned earlier in the report, Singapore Kuan 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. Singapore Kuan 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.

Workers concerns about automation

– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Singapore Kuan 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.

Slow to harness new channels of communication

– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Singapore Kuan is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.

Need for greater diversity

– Singapore Kuan 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.

Compensation and incentives

– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version, is just above the industry average. Singapore Kuan 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.

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Opportunities Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version | 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 Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version are -

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

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Singapore Kuan has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Singapore Kuan to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version case study. Singapore Kuan can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Singapore Kuan 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 Singapore Kuan to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Singapore Kuan 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, Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

Better consumer reach

– The expansion of the 5G network will help Singapore Kuan to increase its market reach. Singapore Kuan 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.

Developing new processes and practices

– Singapore Kuan 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.

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. Singapore Kuan can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

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. Singapore Kuan 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. Singapore Kuan 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.

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Singapore Kuan 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.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Singapore Kuan 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.

Buying journey improvements

– Singapore Kuan can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version 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.

Reforming the budgeting process

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

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– Singapore Kuan 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 Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Singapore Kuan to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.

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Threats Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version are -

Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

– Singapore Kuan has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Technology & Operations industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Singapore Kuan 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.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Singapore Kuan 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.

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Singapore Kuan 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 Singapore Kuan 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 Singapore Kuan 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.

Environmental challenges

– Singapore Kuan 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. Singapore Kuan 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 Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version, Singapore Kuan 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 .

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.

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. Singapore Kuan 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. Singapore Kuan 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.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Singapore Kuan 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 Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version .

Regulatory challenges

– Singapore Kuan 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.

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Weighted SWOT Analysis of Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version 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 Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version 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 Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version 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 Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version 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 Singapore Unlimited: Building the National Information Infrastructure, Portuguese Version 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 Singapore Kuan needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.

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