The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Finance & Accounting
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism
Set at June 23, 2016, voters in the United Kingdom have just approved a referendum calling for the UK to leave the European Union. The case describes the motives for European integration, the rise of separatist movements in the UK and elsewhere, and the referendum process itself. The purpose of this case is to provide a contemporary counterpoint to a discussion of the economic and political motivations for the American Civil War. Dominant themes highlighted here are economic nationalism, political nationalism, cultural and ethnocentrism, and populism.
Swot Analysis of "The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism" written by Robert F. Bruner, Kevin Hare includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Nationalism Referendum facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, International business, Recession and Finance & Accounting.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism casestudy better are - – there is increasing trade war between United States & China, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , wage bills are increasing, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google,
competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, there is backlash against globalization, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Nationalism Referendum, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Nationalism Referendum 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 The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Nationalism Referendum
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Finance & Accounting field.
4. Making a Finance & Accounting topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Nationalism Referendum
Strengths The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Nationalism Referendum in The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism Harvard Business Review case study are -
Learning organization
- Nationalism Referendum 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 Nationalism Referendum is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Nationalism Referendum 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 The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Finance & Accounting industry
– The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Nationalism Referendum to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Finance & Accounting industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Nationalism Referendum to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Nationalism Referendum is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Training and development
– Nationalism Referendum has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism 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.
Analytics focus
– Nationalism Referendum 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 Robert F. Bruner, Kevin Hare 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Nationalism Referendum in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Nationalism Referendum 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 The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Digital Transformation in Finance & Accounting segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Nationalism Referendum digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Nationalism Referendum 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.
Organizational Resilience of Nationalism Referendum
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Nationalism Referendum does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Diverse revenue streams
– Nationalism Referendum is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Nationalism Referendum in the sector have low bargaining power. The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Nationalism Referendum to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Weaknesses The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism are -
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 Nationalism Referendum supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Nationalism Referendum vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Robert F. Bruner, Kevin Hare suggests that, Nationalism Referendum 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Nationalism Referendum has taken concrete steps on diversity, equity, and inclusion. But the efforts so far has resulted in limited success. It needs to expand the recruitment and selection process to hire more people from the minorities and underprivileged background.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Nationalism Referendum 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism HBR case study mentions - Nationalism Referendum 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 decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Nationalism Referendum 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. Nationalism Referendum 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism, it seems that the employees of Nationalism Referendum 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Nationalism Referendum 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 - The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Nationalism Referendum 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Nationalism Referendum 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Nationalism Referendum products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Nationalism Referendum needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Opportunities The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism | 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 The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism 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, Nationalism Referendum can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Nationalism Referendum operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Finance & Accounting sector.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Nationalism Referendum in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Finance & Accounting segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
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 Nationalism Referendum 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Nationalism Referendum 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 The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Nationalism Referendum to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Nationalism Referendum is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism 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 Finance & Accounting industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Nationalism Referendum 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
– Nationalism Referendum can develop new processes and procedures in Finance & Accounting 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Nationalism Referendum 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 Nationalism Referendum to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Nationalism Referendum to increase its market reach. Nationalism Referendum 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
– Nationalism Referendum 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Nationalism Referendum 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Nationalism Referendum can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Nationalism Referendum 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 Finance & Accounting segment.
Threats The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism are -
Increasing wage structure of Nationalism Referendum
– 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 Nationalism Referendum.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Nationalism Referendum is facing in Finance & Accounting sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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 Nationalism Referendum business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Nationalism Referendum with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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. Nationalism Referendum needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Finance & Accounting industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Nationalism Referendum 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.
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 Nationalism Referendum.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Nationalism Referendum has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Finance & Accounting industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Nationalism Referendum needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Finance & Accounting 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.
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 Nationalism Referendum in the Finance & Accounting sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
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.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Finance & Accounting field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Nationalism Referendum can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Nationalism Referendum 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Nationalism Referendum 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 Finance & Accounting industry regulations.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism 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 The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism 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 The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism 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 The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism 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 The Panic of 2008 and Brexit: Regional Integration versus Nationalism 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 Nationalism Referendum needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
