Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Technology & Operations
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus
Course Overview and Syllabus for RSME. This note outlines the learning objectives, course goals, module structure and class details along with the cases, dates and supplemental readings for the Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises (RSME), Winter Term 2013 course.
Swot Analysis of "Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus" written by Jim Sharpe includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Rsme Syllabus facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Government, Growth strategy, Hiring, Leadership, Operations management, Organizational culture, Pricing, Social enterprise, Strategic planning and Technology & Operations.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus casestudy better are - – increasing transportation and logistics costs, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing commodity prices,
competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Rsme Syllabus, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Rsme Syllabus 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 Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Rsme Syllabus
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 Rsme Syllabus
Strengths Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Rsme Syllabus in Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus Harvard Business Review case study are -
Strong track record of project management
– Rsme Syllabus is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Rsme Syllabus 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
– Rsme Syllabus is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus 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.
High brand equity
– Rsme Syllabus has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Rsme Syllabus to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Organizational Resilience of Rsme Syllabus
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Rsme Syllabus does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Analytics focus
– Rsme Syllabus 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 Jim Sharpe 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Rsme Syllabus is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Rsme Syllabus in the sector have low bargaining power. Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Rsme Syllabus to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Rsme Syllabus has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Rsme Syllabus 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.
Ability to lead change in Technology & Operations field
– Rsme Syllabus 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 Rsme Syllabus in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Diverse revenue streams
– Rsme Syllabus is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus 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.
Weaknesses Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus are -
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus, is just above the industry average. Rsme Syllabus 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus 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 Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Rsme Syllabus is planning to shift buying processes online.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Jim Sharpe suggests that, Rsme Syllabus 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 Rsme Syllabus supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Rsme Syllabus vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Rsme Syllabus 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.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus 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 Rsme Syllabus 's lucrative customers.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Rsme Syllabus is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Technology & Operations segment. Rsme Syllabus needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Rsme Syllabus to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Rsme Syllabus 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. Rsme Syllabus 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus, it seems that the employees of Rsme Syllabus don’t have comprehensive understanding of the firm’s strategy. This is reflected in number of promotional campaigns over the last few years that had mixed messaging and competing priorities. Some of the strategic activities and services promoted in the promotional campaigns were not consistent with the organization’s strategy.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus, in the dynamic environment Rsme Syllabus has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Rsme Syllabus has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Rsme Syllabus is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Opportunities Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus | 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 Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus are -
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Rsme Syllabus to increase its market reach. Rsme Syllabus 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Rsme Syllabus can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus 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
– Rsme Syllabus 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Rsme Syllabus 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, Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Technology & Operations industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Rsme Syllabus can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Rsme Syllabus can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Rsme Syllabus operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Technology & Operations sector.
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. Rsme Syllabus can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Rsme Syllabus can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Rsme Syllabus 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 Rsme Syllabus to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
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 Rsme Syllabus 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Rsme Syllabus 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Rsme Syllabus 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Rsme Syllabus 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.
Threats Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus are -
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Rsme Syllabus 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 Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus .
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. Rsme Syllabus needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Technology & Operations industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Rsme Syllabus 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus, Rsme Syllabus 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 Rsme Syllabus 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 Rsme Syllabus.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Rsme Syllabus 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.
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.
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. Rsme Syllabus 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Rsme Syllabus has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Technology & Operations industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Rsme Syllabus 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. Rsme Syllabus can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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 Rsme Syllabus business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus 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 Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus 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 Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus 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 Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus 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 Running Small and Medium Size Enterprises(RSME) Winter Term 2013: Course Overview and Syllabus 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 Rsme Syllabus needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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