Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model
While donating blood on campus, a management science graduate student noticed that the mobile blood donor clinic set up at his university's community centre was a congested tandem queuing system. Finding one-and-one-half hours too long for donors to wait, the student considered how the process could be reduced by at least half an hour. He needed to devise a reasonably precise model to represent the donor flow in the clinic. Using either the mode or the average service times supplied by the nurses, the student could build a relatively straightforward discrete-event simulation model to identify bottlenecks and improve the donor flow.
Swot Analysis of "Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model" written by Rasha Kashef, Felipe Rodrigues includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Donor Clinic facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Business models and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model casestudy better are - – increasing household debt because of falling income levels, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models,
digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Donor Clinic, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Donor Clinic 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 Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Donor Clinic
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Leadership & Managing People field.
4. Making a Leadership & Managing People topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Donor Clinic
Strengths Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Donor Clinic in Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model Harvard Business Review case study are -
Digital Transformation in Leadership & Managing People segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Donor Clinic digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Donor Clinic 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Donor Clinic to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Donor Clinic to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
High brand equity
– Donor Clinic has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Donor Clinic to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Donor Clinic 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.
Strong track record of project management
– Donor Clinic is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Donor Clinic in the sector have low bargaining power. Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Donor Clinic to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Donor Clinic 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 Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Donor Clinic 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Donor Clinic has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Donor Clinic 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 Donor Clinic in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Donor Clinic 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 Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model 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.
Weaknesses Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model are -
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Donor Clinic 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. Donor Clinic 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model HBR case study mentions - Donor Clinic 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.
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 Donor Clinic supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Donor Clinic vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Donor Clinic 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Donor Clinic is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Donor Clinic 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Leadership & Managing People 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Donor Clinic 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 operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model 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 Donor Clinic 's lucrative customers.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Rasha Kashef, Felipe Rodrigues suggests that, Donor Clinic 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Donor Clinic, firm in the HBR case study Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Opportunities Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model | 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 Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model are -
Developing new processes and practices
– Donor Clinic can develop new processes and procedures in Leadership & Managing People 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Donor Clinic can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model 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.
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 Donor Clinic in the consumer business. Now Donor Clinic can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Donor Clinic 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 Leadership & Managing People segment.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Donor Clinic 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Donor Clinic in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Leadership & Managing People segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Donor Clinic 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Donor Clinic 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, Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Loyalty marketing
– Donor Clinic 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Donor Clinic 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, Donor Clinic is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Donor Clinic 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 Donor Clinic to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Donor Clinic has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Donor Clinic to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model case study. Donor Clinic can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Threats Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model are -
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. Donor Clinic needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Increasing wage structure of Donor Clinic
– 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 Donor Clinic.
Regulatory challenges
– Donor Clinic 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 Leadership & Managing People industry regulations.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Leadership & Managing People field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Donor Clinic can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Donor Clinic is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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. Donor Clinic 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, Donor Clinic 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 Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model .
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model, Donor Clinic may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Leadership & Managing People .
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Donor Clinic has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Donor Clinic needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Leadership & Managing People 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.
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 Donor Clinic business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Donor Clinic 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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Donor Clinic 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model 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 Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model 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 Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model 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 Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model 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 Mobile Blood Donor Clinic: A Discrete Event Simulation Model 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 Donor Clinic needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
