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Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath


Presents some of the events after the Challenger disaster. Includes the activities of the Rogers Commission, the changes in Morton Thiokol, and some recent problems with the Space Shuttle.

Authors :: Oscar Hauptman, George Iwaki

Topics :: Technology & Operations

Tags :: Design, Ethics, Product development, Project management, Risk management, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath" written by Oscar Hauptman, George Iwaki includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Challenger Thiokol facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Design, Ethics, Product development, Project management, Risk management and Technology & Operations.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath casestudy better are - – cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , wage bills are increasing, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, increasing transportation and logistics costs, technology disruption, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath


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




Strengths Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Challenger Thiokol in Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath Harvard Business Review case study are -

Successful track record of launching new products

– Challenger Thiokol has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Challenger Thiokol 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.

Strong track record of project management

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

Ability to lead change in Technology & Operations field

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

Learning organization

- Challenger Thiokol 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 Challenger Thiokol is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

Analytics focus

– Challenger Thiokol 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 Oscar Hauptman, George Iwaki 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.

Ability to recruit top talent

– Challenger Thiokol is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath 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 Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath 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.

Organizational Resilience of Challenger Thiokol

– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Challenger Thiokol does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Challenger Thiokol 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.

Superior customer experience

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

Diverse revenue streams

– Challenger Thiokol is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath 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.

Cross disciplinary teams

– Horizontal connected teams at the Challenger Thiokol 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.






Weaknesses Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath are -

Compensation and incentives

– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath, is just above the industry average. Challenger Thiokol 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 bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Oscar Hauptman, George Iwaki suggests that, Challenger Thiokol 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 operating costs

– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath 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 Challenger Thiokol 's lucrative customers.

Ability to respond to the competition

– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath, in the dynamic environment Challenger Thiokol has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Challenger Thiokol has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.

Products dominated business model

– Even though Challenger Thiokol 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 - Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.

Slow decision making process

– As mentioned earlier in the report, Challenger Thiokol 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. Challenger Thiokol 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

Challenger Thiokol 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.

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 Challenger Thiokol supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Challenger Thiokol vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.

Slow to strategic competitive environment developments

– As Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath HBR case study mentions - Challenger Thiokol 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.

Interest costs

– Compare to the competition, Challenger Thiokol 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.

Capital Spending Reduction

– Even during the low interest decade, Challenger Thiokol 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.




Opportunities Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath | 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 Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath are -

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Challenger Thiokol 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.

Low interest rates

– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Challenger Thiokol 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.

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. Challenger Thiokol can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.

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. Challenger Thiokol 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. Challenger Thiokol 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.

Loyalty marketing

– Challenger Thiokol 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.

Developing new processes and practices

– Challenger Thiokol 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

– Challenger Thiokol 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 Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Challenger Thiokol to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.

Buying journey improvements

– Challenger Thiokol can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath 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.

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. Challenger Thiokol can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Challenger Thiokol is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath 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.

Lowering marketing communication costs

– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Challenger Thiokol 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.

Better consumer reach

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

Manufacturing automation

– Challenger Thiokol 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.




Threats Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath are -

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 Challenger Thiokol in the Technology & Operations sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.

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. Challenger Thiokol needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Technology & Operations industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.

Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

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

Trade war between China and United States

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

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. Challenger Thiokol 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, Challenger Thiokol 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 Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath .

Environmental challenges

– Challenger Thiokol 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. Challenger Thiokol can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Technology & Operations industry.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Challenger Thiokol 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.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Challenger Thiokol 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.

Barriers of entry lowering

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

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 Challenger Thiokol.

Learning curve for new practices

– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath, Challenger Thiokol 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 .

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.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath 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 Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath 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 Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath 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 Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath 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 Final Voyage of the Challenger: Aftermath 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 Challenger Thiokol needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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