Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Technology & Operations
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy
This set of cases (labeled A through M [UV1898 through UV1911]) presents various vignettes, each with a specific dilemma about genetic testing and the ethical issues and difficult decisions that this testing presents to patients, doctors, employers and employees. "A Note on the Human Genome Project" (UV1911) is about genetic testing which provides background and information on the issues.
Swot Analysis of "Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy" written by R. Edward Freeman, Stacy Pierce includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Genetic Testing facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Health and Technology & Operations.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy casestudy better are - – central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models,
supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , technology disruption, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Genetic Testing, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Genetic Testing 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 Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Genetic Testing
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 Genetic Testing
Strengths Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Genetic Testing in Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy Harvard Business Review case study are -
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Genetic Testing 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Genetic Testing is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Genetic Testing 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 Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Genetic Testing 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 Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Strong track record of project management
– Genetic Testing is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
High brand equity
– Genetic Testing has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Genetic Testing to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Genetic Testing in the sector have low bargaining power. Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Genetic Testing to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Technology & Operations industry
– Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Genetic Testing to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Technology & Operations industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Genetic Testing to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Genetic Testing 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.
Ability to lead change in Technology & Operations field
– Genetic Testing 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 Genetic Testing in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Organizational Resilience of Genetic Testing
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Genetic Testing does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Weaknesses Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy are -
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy 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 Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Genetic Testing is planning to shift buying processes online.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy, 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy, is just above the industry average. Genetic Testing 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 strategic competitive environment developments
– As Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy HBR case study mentions - Genetic Testing 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 to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Genetic Testing is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Genetic Testing 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. Genetic Testing 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.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Genetic Testing 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Genetic Testing has borrowed money from the capital market at higher rates. It needs to restructure the interest payment and costs so that it can compete better and improve profitability.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy 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 Genetic Testing has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Genetic Testing 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, R. Edward Freeman, Stacy Pierce suggests that, Genetic Testing 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.
Opportunities Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy | 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 Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy are -
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Genetic Testing can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Genetic Testing operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Technology & Operations sector.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Genetic Testing 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Genetic Testing can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Genetic Testing has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Genetic Testing to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy case study. Genetic Testing can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Genetic Testing 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 Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Genetic Testing to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Manufacturing automation
– Genetic Testing 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.
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. Genetic Testing 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. Genetic Testing 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Genetic Testing 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Genetic Testing 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, Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Genetic Testing 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 Genetic Testing to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Loyalty marketing
– Genetic Testing 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.
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 Genetic Testing 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Genetic Testing is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy 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.
Threats Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy are -
Regulatory challenges
– Genetic Testing 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.
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. Genetic Testing 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 Genetic Testing 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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Genetic Testing 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 Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy .
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy, Genetic Testing 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 .
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Genetic Testing is facing in Technology & Operations sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Genetic Testing has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Technology & Operations industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Genetic Testing 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.
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. Genetic Testing 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.
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 Genetic Testing.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Genetic Testing 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.
Increasing wage structure of Genetic Testing
– 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 Genetic Testing.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy 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 Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy 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 Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy 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 Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy 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 Genetic Testing and the Puzzles We Are Left To Solve (M): Funding Genetic Therapy 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 Genetic Testing needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
