Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
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Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management
Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited, a private, family-owned business in Hong Kong that supplies Chinese medicine products to retailers in Hong Kong and Macau, faces a situation where additional cash is needed for additional inventory. Jason Kwok, the General Manager is challenged to maintain adequate inventory levels of Noto37, a Chinese herbal medicine used to control cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Without compromising the company's cash flow needs, Jason has to implement better systems internally, by improving sales forecasting and prudent inventory management, to avoid shortages of the product.
Swot Analysis of "Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management" written by Ronald Lau, Joseph Santana Fernandez includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Inventory Hk facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Forecasting, Health, Product development, Sales, Supply chain and Technology & Operations.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management casestudy better are - – central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, increasing energy prices, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings,
increasing household debt because of falling income levels, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Inventory Hk, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Inventory Hk 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 Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Inventory Hk
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Technology & Operations field.
4. Making a Technology & Operations topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Inventory Hk
Strengths Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Inventory Hk in Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management Harvard Business Review case study are -
High brand equity
– Inventory Hk has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Inventory Hk to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Inventory Hk 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.
Digital Transformation in Technology & Operations segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Inventory Hk digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Inventory Hk 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 Technology & Operations industry
– Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Inventory Hk to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Technology & Operations industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Inventory Hk to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Training and development
– Inventory Hk has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management 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
– Inventory Hk 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 Ronald Lau, Joseph Santana Fernandez 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Inventory Hk is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Organizational Resilience of Inventory Hk
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Inventory Hk does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Inventory Hk 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 Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management 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.
Learning organization
- Inventory Hk 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 Inventory Hk is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Inventory Hk 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.
Weaknesses Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management 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 Inventory Hk supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Inventory Hk vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management HBR case study mentions - Inventory Hk 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management, in the dynamic environment Inventory Hk has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Inventory Hk has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Inventory Hk 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. Inventory Hk 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management, is just above the industry average. Inventory Hk 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Inventory Hk 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 - Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Need for greater diversity
– Inventory Hk 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.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management 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 Inventory Hk 's lucrative customers.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Ronald Lau, Joseph Santana Fernandez suggests that, Inventory Hk 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management 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 Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Inventory Hk is planning to shift buying processes online.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Inventory Hk 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.
Opportunities Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management | 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 Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management are -
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Inventory Hk is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Inventory Hk 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Inventory Hk in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Technology & Operations segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
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. Inventory Hk can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
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 Inventory Hk in the consumer business. Now Inventory Hk can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Technology & Operations industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Inventory Hk can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Inventory Hk 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, Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Inventory Hk can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Inventory Hk operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Technology & Operations sector.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Inventory Hk to increase its market reach. Inventory Hk 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Inventory Hk 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 Inventory Hk to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Inventory Hk has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Inventory Hk to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management case study. Inventory Hk can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
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 Inventory Hk 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Inventory Hk 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.
Threats Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management are -
High level of anxiety and lack of motivation
– the Great Resignation in United States is the sign of broader dissatisfaction among the workforce in United States. Inventory Hk needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Technology & Operations industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management, Inventory Hk may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Technology & Operations .
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Technology & Operations field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Inventory Hk can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Inventory Hk 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.
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 Inventory Hk business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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 Inventory Hk in the Technology & Operations sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Inventory Hk in the Technology & Operations industry. The Technology & Operations 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Inventory Hk 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
– Inventory Hk 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 Inventory Hk.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Inventory Hk is facing in Technology & Operations sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Inventory Hk has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Technology & Operations industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Inventory Hk needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Technology & Operations 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Inventory Hk 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 Technology & Operations industry regulations.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management 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 Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management 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 Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management 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 Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management 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 Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management 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 Inventory Hk needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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