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Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules


This article applies the Biosphere Rules--a biomimicry-inspired management framework for circular economy initiatives--to the emerging field of additive manufacturing and three-dimensional (3D) Printing, which are revolutionizing industrial sectors from medical devices to spare parts. They are also potentially keys in the emergence of a true circular economy that will bring about environmentally sustainable manufacturing. This article lays out an established strategy that can guide managers and policy makers in pursuit of a cradle-to-cradle economy.

Authors :: Gregory Unruh

Topics :: Leadership & Managing People

Tags :: Sustainability, Technology, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules" written by Gregory Unruh includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Circular Biosphere facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Sustainability, Technology and Leadership & Managing People.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules casestudy better are - – geopolitical disruptions, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, there is backlash against globalization, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Circular Biosphere, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Circular Biosphere 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 Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Circular Biosphere
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Leadership & Managing People field.
4. Making a Leadership & Managing People topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Circular Biosphere




Strengths Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Circular Biosphere in Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules Harvard Business Review case study are -

Innovation driven organization

– Circular Biosphere is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules 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 Circular Biosphere 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.

Superior customer experience

– The customer experience strategy of Circular Biosphere in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.

Learning organization

- Circular Biosphere 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 Circular Biosphere is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

High brand equity

– Circular Biosphere has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Circular Biosphere to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.

Diverse revenue streams

– Circular Biosphere is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules 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.

Highly skilled collaborators

– Circular Biosphere 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 Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

Training and development

– Circular Biosphere has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules 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.

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Circular Biosphere 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.

Low bargaining power of suppliers

– Suppliers of Circular Biosphere in the sector have low bargaining power. Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Circular Biosphere to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.

Ability to recruit top talent

– Circular Biosphere is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.

Digital Transformation in Leadership & Managing People segment

- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Circular Biosphere digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Circular Biosphere 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.






Weaknesses Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules are -

Ability to respond to the competition

– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules, in the dynamic environment Circular Biosphere has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Circular Biosphere has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.

Products dominated business model

– Even though Circular Biosphere 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 - Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.

Increasing silos among functional specialists

– The organizational structure of Circular Biosphere is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. Circular Biosphere needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Circular Biosphere to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.

Workers concerns about automation

– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Circular Biosphere 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.

Capital Spending Reduction

– Even during the low interest decade, Circular Biosphere 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.

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 Circular Biosphere supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Circular Biosphere vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.

Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy

– From the instances in the HBR case study Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules, it seems that the employees of Circular Biosphere don’t have comprehensive understanding of the firm’s strategy. This is reflected in number of promotional campaigns over the last few years that had mixed messaging and competing priorities. Some of the strategic activities and services promoted in the promotional campaigns were not consistent with the organization’s strategy.

Slow decision making process

– As mentioned earlier in the report, Circular Biosphere 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. Circular Biosphere even though has strong showing on digital transformation primary two stages, it has struggled to capitalize the power of digital transformation in marketing efforts and new venture efforts.

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Gregory Unruh suggests that, Circular Biosphere 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.

Slow to strategic competitive environment developments

– As Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules HBR case study mentions - Circular Biosphere 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.

Compensation and incentives

– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules, is just above the industry average. Circular Biosphere 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.




Opportunities Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules | 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 Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules are -

Reforming the budgeting process

- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Circular Biosphere can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.

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 Circular Biosphere in the consumer business. Now Circular Biosphere can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Circular Biosphere 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 Circular Biosphere to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Circular Biosphere has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Circular Biosphere to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules case study. Circular Biosphere can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Circular Biosphere is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules 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.

Buying journey improvements

– Circular Biosphere can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules 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.

Better consumer reach

– The expansion of the 5G network will help Circular Biosphere to increase its market reach. Circular Biosphere 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.

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. Circular Biosphere can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

Low interest rates

– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Circular Biosphere 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.

Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19

– Consumer behavior has changed in the Leadership & Managing People industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Circular Biosphere can take advantage of these changes in consumer behavior to build a far more efficient business model. For example consumer regular ordering of products can reduce both last mile delivery costs and market penetration costs. Circular Biosphere can further use this consumer data to build better customer loyalty, provide better products and service collection, and improve the value proposition in inflationary times.

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 Circular Biosphere 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

– Circular Biosphere can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Leadership & Managing People 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.

Developing new processes and practices

– Circular Biosphere can develop new processes and procedures in Leadership & Managing People 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 Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules are -

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 Circular Biosphere in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that Circular Biosphere is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Circular Biosphere 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 Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules .

Learning curve for new practices

– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules, Circular Biosphere may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Leadership & Managing People .

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 Circular Biosphere.

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.

Environmental challenges

– Circular Biosphere 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. Circular Biosphere can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.

Easy access to finance

– Easy access to finance in Leadership & Managing People field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Circular Biosphere can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.

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. Circular Biosphere needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Circular Biosphere 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.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Circular Biosphere 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

– Circular Biosphere 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 Leadership & Managing People industry regulations.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Circular Biosphere 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.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules 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 Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules 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 Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules 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 Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules 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 Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules 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 Circular Biosphere needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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