Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach
mySugr is a mobile health startup which allows us to explore several interlinked trends. One trend is the proliferation of health related applications, and an understanding of factors which seem to be related to success in the digital health space. Another trend is the role of patients in managing their own health, an issue of increasing importance as chronic diseases touch the lives of a growing number of individuals and consume an increasing part of the health budget. A third related concept is that of asset based approaches for health, a concept which seems to be linked to the success of a number of health apps.
Authors :: Stephen E. Chick, Kyle J. Rose, Ridhima Aggarwal
Swot Analysis of "Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach" written by Stephen E. Chick, Kyle J. Rose, Ridhima Aggarwal includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Health Trend facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Health, Innovation, Technology and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach casestudy better are - – increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, increasing transportation and logistics costs, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, geopolitical disruptions,
customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, technology disruption, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Health Trend, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Health Trend 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 Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Health Trend
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Innovation & Entrepreneurship field.
4. Making a Innovation & Entrepreneurship topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Health Trend
Strengths Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Health Trend in Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach Harvard Business Review case study are -
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach 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.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Health Trend 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 Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Diverse revenue streams
– Health Trend is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Health Trend is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Health Trend 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
– Health Trend has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach 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.
Ability to lead change in Innovation & Entrepreneurship field
– Health Trend 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 Health Trend in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Learning organization
- Health Trend 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 Health Trend is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Health Trend 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Health Trend has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Health Trend 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.
Analytics focus
– Health Trend 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 Stephen E. Chick, Kyle J. Rose, Ridhima Aggarwal 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.
Organizational Resilience of Health Trend
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Health Trend does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Weaknesses Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach are -
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Health Trend 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach, it seems that the employees of Health Trend 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.
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 Health Trend supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Health Trend vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach that the firm needs to have more collaboration between its sales team and marketing team. Sales professionals in the industry have deep experience in developing customer relationships. Marketing department in the case Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Health Trend is planning to shift buying processes online.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Health Trend 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.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Health Trend 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach HBR case study mentions - Health Trend 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Health Trend is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment. Health Trend needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Health Trend to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Health Trend 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 - Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Lack of clear differentiation of Health Trend products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Health Trend needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Health Trend is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Opportunities Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach | 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 Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach are -
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Health Trend has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Health Trend to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach case study. Health Trend can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Health Trend to increase its market reach. Health Trend 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Health Trend 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 Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment.
Loyalty marketing
– Health Trend 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Health Trend can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Health Trend operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Health Trend 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 Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Health Trend to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Buying journey improvements
– Health Trend can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Health Trend 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 Health Trend to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Health Trend 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Health Trend is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach 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.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Health Trend can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Manufacturing automation
– Health Trend can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Health Trend can still utilize the low interest rates to borrow money for capital investment. Secondly it can also use the increase of government spending in infrastructure projects to get new business.
Threats Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Mobile Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach are -
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Health Trend with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Health Trend is facing in Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Regulatory challenges
– Health Trend 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 Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry regulations.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Health Trend 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 Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach .
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.
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 Health Trend.
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 Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach, Health Trend may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Innovation & Entrepreneurship .
Consumer confidence and its impact on Health Trend 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.
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 Health Trend in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Environmental challenges
– Health Trend 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. Health Trend can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry.
Increasing wage structure of Health Trend
– 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 Health Trend.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Health Trend 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 Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach 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 Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach 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 Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach 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 Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach 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 Health in Diabetes: mySugr's Monster Approach 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 Health Trend needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.