Swot Analysis of "Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A)" written by John Beshears, Iris Bohnet, Jenny Sanford includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Boardroom Null facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Sales & Marketing.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) casestudy better are - – increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, technology disruption, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, there is backlash against globalization, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion,
wage bills are increasing, increasing energy prices, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Boardroom Null, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Boardroom Null 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 Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Boardroom Null
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Sales & Marketing field.
4. Making a Sales & Marketing topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Boardroom Null
Strengths Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Boardroom Null in Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Highly skilled collaborators
– Boardroom Null 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 Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Sales & Marketing industry
– Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Boardroom Null to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Boardroom Null to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Boardroom Null in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Learning organization
- Boardroom Null 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 Boardroom Null is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Training and development
– Boardroom Null has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Boardroom Null has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Boardroom Null 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.
Organizational Resilience of Boardroom Null
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Boardroom Null 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 Boardroom Null 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Boardroom Null is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) 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 Boardroom Null in the sector have low bargaining power. Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Boardroom Null to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
High brand equity
– Boardroom Null has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Boardroom Null to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Boardroom Null 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 Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Weaknesses Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) are -
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Boardroom Null 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. Boardroom Null 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 operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) 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 Boardroom Null 's lucrative customers.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A), is just above the industry average. Boardroom Null 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A), it seems that the employees of Boardroom Null 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) HBR case study mentions - Boardroom Null 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Boardroom Null 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Boardroom Null 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 - Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Boardroom Null is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Sales & Marketing segment. Boardroom Null needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Boardroom Null to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
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 Boardroom Null supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A), it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Boardroom Null vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Boardroom Null has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, John Beshears, Iris Bohnet, Jenny Sanford suggests that, Boardroom Null is facing high bargaining power of the channel partners. So far it has not able to streamline the operations to reduce the bargaining power of the value chain partners in the industry.
Opportunities Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) | 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 Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) are -
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Boardroom Null can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
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 Boardroom Null 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Boardroom Null to increase its market reach. Boardroom Null 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Boardroom Null 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Boardroom Null 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 Boardroom Null to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Boardroom Null 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, Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A), to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Boardroom Null 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Boardroom Null 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Boardroom Null can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Sales & Marketing 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.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Sales & Marketing industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Boardroom Null 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, Boardroom Null can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Boardroom Null operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Sales & Marketing sector.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Boardroom Null is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) 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.
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. Boardroom Null can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Threats Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) are -
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.
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 Boardroom Null in the Sales & Marketing sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Boardroom Null 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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Boardroom Null in the Sales & Marketing industry. The Sales & Marketing industry is already at various protected from local competition in China, with the rise of trade war the protection levels may go up. This presents a clear threat of current business model in Chinese market.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Boardroom Null 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 Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) .
Increasing wage structure of Boardroom Null
– 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 Boardroom Null.
Regulatory challenges
– Boardroom Null 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 Sales & Marketing industry regulations.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Boardroom Null has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Sales & Marketing industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Boardroom Null needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Sales & Marketing 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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Boardroom Null 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.
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. Boardroom Null needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Sales & Marketing industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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 Boardroom Null business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Sales & Marketing field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Boardroom Null can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) 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 Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) 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 Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) 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 Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) 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 Increasing Gender Diversity in the Boardroom: The United Kingdom in 2011 (A) 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 Boardroom Null needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.