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Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B)


Describes the vice president of Management Information Services (MIS) Division's response to the dilemma facing him.

Authors :: Nancy S. Balaguer, John W. Preuninger

Topics :: Technology & Operations

Tags :: IT, Organizational structure, Reorganization, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B)" written by Nancy S. Balaguer, John W. Preuninger includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Mis Division's facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, IT, Organizational structure, Reorganization and Technology & Operations.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) casestudy better are - – challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, there is backlash against globalization, increasing energy prices, wage bills are increasing, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, increasing commodity prices, technology disruption, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B)


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




Strengths Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Mis Division's in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) Harvard Business Review case study are -

Training and development

– Mis Division's has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) 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.

Ability to recruit top talent

– Mis Division's is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Technology & Operations industry

– Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Mis Division's to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Technology & Operations industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Mis Division's to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Operational resilience

– The operational resilience strategy in the Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) 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.

Cross disciplinary teams

– Horizontal connected teams at the Mis Division's 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.

Innovation driven organization

– Mis Division's is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

Digital Transformation in Technology & Operations segment

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

Strong track record of project management

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

Learning organization

- Mis Division's 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 Mis Division's is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

Ability to lead change in Technology & Operations field

– Mis Division's 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 Mis Division's in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– Mis Division's 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 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.

Superior customer experience

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






Weaknesses Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) are -

Increasing silos among functional specialists

– The organizational structure of Mis Division's is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Technology & Operations segment. Mis Division's needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Mis Division's to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.

Slow to harness new channels of communication

– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Mis Division's is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.

Products dominated business model

– Even though Mis Division's 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 - Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.

Slow to strategic competitive environment developments

– As Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) HBR case study mentions - Mis Division's 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.

Ability to respond to the competition

– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B), in the dynamic environment Mis Division's has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Mis Division's has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.

No frontier risks strategy

– After analyzing the HBR case study Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B), it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Technology & Operations strategy. But it has very little resources allocation to manage the risks emerging from events such as natural disasters, climate change, melting of permafrost, tacking the rise of artificial intelligence, opportunities and threats emerging from commercialization of space etc.

Slow decision making process

– As mentioned earlier in the report, Mis Division's 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. Mis Division's 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.

Aligning sales with marketing

– It come across in the case study Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) 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 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Mis Division's is planning to shift buying processes online.

Compensation and incentives

– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B), is just above the industry average. Mis Division's 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.

High operating costs

– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) 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 Mis Division's 's lucrative customers.

Skills based hiring

– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Mis Division's 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.




Opportunities Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) | 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 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) are -

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. Mis Division's 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. Mis Division's 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.

Buying journey improvements

– Mis Division's can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) 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.

Loyalty marketing

– Mis Division's 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.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

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

Better consumer reach

– The expansion of the 5G network will help Mis Division's to increase its market reach. Mis Division's 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.

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Mis Division's has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Mis Division's to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) case study. Mis Division's can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Developing new processes and practices

– Mis Division's 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

– Mis Division's 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 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Mis Division's to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.

Low interest rates

– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Mis Division's 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.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Mis Division's is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) 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.

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. Mis Division's can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

Manufacturing automation

– Mis Division's 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.

Reforming the budgeting process

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




Threats Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) are -

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. Mis Division's 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.

Barriers of entry lowering

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

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. Mis Division's needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Technology & Operations industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Mis Division's 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 Mis Division's 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.

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Mis Division's 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.

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 Mis Division's business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, 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 Mis Division's.

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. Mis Division's can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.

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 Mis Division's in the Technology & Operations sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.

Regulatory challenges

– Mis Division's 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.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Mis Division's 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.

Environmental challenges

– Mis Division's 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. Mis Division's can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Technology & Operations industry.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) 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 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) 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 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) 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 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) 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 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B) 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 Mis Division's needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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