A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
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Case Study Description of A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy
This case traces the sexual assault scandal that rocked the United States Air Force Academy in 2003. Over a period of several months, dozens of current and former female students came forward to the media and government representatives about being sexually assaulted by their male peers on campus. Several victims also implicated the Academy's leadership for not doing enough to address the problem. When the scandal broke, Lieutenant General John Dallager was the Academy Superintendent (equal to President of a civilian university). The Academy's decade-old sexual assault program guaranteed confidentiality for victims of sexual assault. The program also offered a slew of prevention and support services. Many Academy staff regarded the sexual assault program as the "gold standard." But the rising number of allegations shined a harsh light on the Academy's culture and immediately cast doubts on Dallager's leadership. Why had he and other senior officials at the Academy failed to notice the scale of the problem? Or had they willfully ignored it? Case number 2098.0
Swot Analysis of "A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy" written by Dana Born, Anjani Datla includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Assault Academy facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Leadership, Leadership development, Personnel policies and Global Business.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy casestudy better are - – talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing energy prices, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies,
there is increasing trade war between United States & China, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Assault Academy, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Assault Academy 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 A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Assault Academy
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Global Business field.
4. Making a Global Business topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Assault Academy
Strengths A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Assault Academy in A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy Harvard Business Review case study are -
Organizational Resilience of Assault Academy
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Assault Academy does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
High brand equity
– Assault Academy has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Assault Academy to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Assault Academy in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Innovation driven organization
– Assault Academy is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Assault Academy 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Assault Academy in the sector have low bargaining power. A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Assault Academy to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Training and development
– Assault Academy has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy 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.
Digital Transformation in Global Business segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Assault Academy digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Assault Academy 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 Global Business industry
– A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Assault Academy to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Global Business industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Assault Academy to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Assault Academy 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Assault Academy is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy 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
– Assault Academy is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Weaknesses A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy are -
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Assault Academy has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Dana Born, Anjani Datla suggests that, Assault Academy 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.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Assault Academy 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 A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy HBR case study mentions - Assault Academy 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Assault Academy is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy, it seems that the employees of Assault Academy 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 operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy 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 Assault Academy 's lucrative customers.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Assault Academy is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Global Business segment. Assault Academy needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Assault Academy to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy 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 Assault Academy has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy, in the dynamic environment Assault Academy has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Assault Academy has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Assault Academy 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.
Opportunities A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy | 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 A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy are -
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Assault Academy can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Assault Academy operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Global Business sector.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Assault Academy 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, A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
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 Assault Academy 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Assault Academy can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Global Business 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.
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 Assault Academy in the consumer business. Now Assault Academy can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Assault Academy 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 Global Business segment.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Assault Academy 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 Assault Academy in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Global Business segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Assault Academy 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Assault Academy 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 Assault Academy to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Assault Academy 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 A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Assault Academy to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Global Business industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Assault Academy can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Developing new processes and practices
– Assault Academy can develop new processes and procedures in Global Business 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.
Threats A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy are -
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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Assault Academy in the Global Business industry. The Global Business 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 wage structure of Assault Academy
– 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 Assault Academy.
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 Assault Academy.
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 Assault Academy in the Global Business sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Assault Academy demand
– There is a high probability of declining consumer confidence, given – high inflammation rate, rise of gig economy, lower job stability, increasing cost of living, higher interest rates, and aging demography. All the factors contribute to people saving higher rate of their income, resulting in lower consumer demand in the industry and other sectors.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Assault Academy with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Assault Academy 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.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Global Business field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Assault Academy can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Regulatory challenges
– Assault Academy 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 Global Business industry regulations.
Environmental challenges
– Assault Academy 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. Assault Academy can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Global Business industry.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Assault Academy 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 A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy .
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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy 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 A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy 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 A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy 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 A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy 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 A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy 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 Assault Academy needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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