Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Technology & Operations
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
IACo. is an aerospace company developing UAVs (Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles). The case describes the project of developing a bid for a large contract under severe time pressure. The case discusses project planning for rapid time-to-market.
Authors :: Stylianos Kavadias, Christoph H. Loch, Arnoud De Meyer
Swot Analysis of "Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV)" written by Stylianos Kavadias, Christoph H. Loch, Arnoud De Meyer includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Uninhabited Aerial facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Technology & Operations.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) casestudy better are - – there is backlash against globalization, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, increasing transportation and logistics costs, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, technology disruption,
increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Uninhabited Aerial, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Uninhabited Aerial 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 Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Uninhabited Aerial
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 Uninhabited Aerial
Strengths Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Uninhabited Aerial in Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Highly skilled collaborators
– Uninhabited Aerial 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 Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Ability to lead change in Technology & Operations field
– Uninhabited Aerial 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 Uninhabited Aerial in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Digital Transformation in Technology & Operations segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Uninhabited Aerial digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Uninhabited Aerial 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.
High brand equity
– Uninhabited Aerial has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Uninhabited Aerial to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Uninhabited Aerial 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 Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Uninhabited Aerial has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Uninhabited Aerial 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Uninhabited Aerial in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Uninhabited Aerial is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Diverse revenue streams
– Uninhabited Aerial is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) 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.
Organizational Resilience of Uninhabited Aerial
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Uninhabited Aerial does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Uninhabited Aerial 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.
Training and development
– Uninhabited Aerial has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) 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.
Weaknesses Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) are -
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Uninhabited Aerial is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Lack of clear differentiation of Uninhabited Aerial products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Uninhabited Aerial needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Uninhabited Aerial, firm in the HBR case study Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Uninhabited Aerial 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV), it seems that the employees of Uninhabited Aerial 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Uninhabited Aerial 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 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 Uninhabited Aerial supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV), it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Uninhabited Aerial vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Stylianos Kavadias, Christoph H. Loch, Arnoud De Meyer suggests that, Uninhabited Aerial 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Uninhabited Aerial 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 - Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Need for greater diversity
– Uninhabited Aerial has taken concrete steps on diversity, equity, and inclusion. But the efforts so far has resulted in limited success. It needs to expand the recruitment and selection process to hire more people from the minorities and underprivileged background.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV), is just above the industry average. Uninhabited Aerial 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.
Opportunities Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) | 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 Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) are -
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Uninhabited Aerial 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.
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. Uninhabited Aerial can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions
– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Uninhabited Aerial in the consumer business. Now Uninhabited Aerial can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Uninhabited Aerial 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Uninhabited Aerial 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Uninhabited Aerial can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Uninhabited Aerial is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Uninhabited Aerial 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.
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 Uninhabited Aerial 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Uninhabited Aerial can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Uninhabited Aerial to increase its market reach. Uninhabited Aerial 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.
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. Uninhabited Aerial 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. Uninhabited Aerial 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Uninhabited Aerial 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 Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Uninhabited Aerial to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Threats Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) are -
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Uninhabited Aerial 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 Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) .
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Uninhabited Aerial 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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Uninhabited Aerial is facing in Technology & Operations sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Uninhabited Aerial 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Uninhabited Aerial 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 .
Regulatory challenges
– Uninhabited Aerial 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. Uninhabited Aerial 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.
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. Uninhabited Aerial 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Uninhabited Aerial has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Technology & Operations industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Uninhabited Aerial 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.
Increasing wage structure of Uninhabited Aerial
– 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 Uninhabited Aerial.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Uninhabited Aerial 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 Uninhabited Aerial 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) 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 Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) 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 Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) 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 Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) 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 Dragonfly: Developing a Proposal for an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) 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 Uninhabited Aerial needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.