Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race
In April 2018, after it became known that Google was collaborating with the US Department of Defense on Project Maven, over 3,000 employees signed an internal memo asking CEO Sundar Pichai to (a) cancel the project immediately, and (b) enforce a policy stating that the company would never build warfare technology. Project Maven had been launched in early 2017 as part of the DoD's efforts to integrate AI and machine learning into its defense strategies. Drones, robots and AI were increasingly deployed in intelligence gathering and combat operations in what was considered a 21st century "arms race." While Google described its role as "non-offensive," the memo argued that involvement in Project Maven might hurt its reputation and ability to attract talent at a time when public trust in technology was waning. The case puts students in the shoes of a recent hire faced with the choice of signing the memo. It also invites them to consider how they would respond, as CEO, to such a petition against one of the company's contracts.
Swot Analysis of "Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race" written by Gianpiero Petriglieri, Jaimie Stettin includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Maven Ai facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Ethics, Government, Leadership, Social responsibility, Technology and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race casestudy better are - – increasing household debt because of falling income levels, geopolitical disruptions, increasing energy prices, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, technology disruption, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings,
there is increasing trade war between United States & China, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Maven Ai, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Maven Ai 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 Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Maven Ai
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 Maven Ai
Strengths Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Maven Ai in Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race Harvard Business Review case study are -
Analytics focus
– Maven Ai 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 Gianpiero Petriglieri, Jaimie Stettin 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Maven Ai to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Maven Ai to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Strong track record of project management
– Maven Ai is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Maven Ai in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Learning organization
- Maven Ai 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 Maven Ai is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Diverse revenue streams
– Maven Ai is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race 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.
Training and development
– Maven Ai has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race Harvard Business Review case study by analyzing – employees retention, in-house promotion, loyalty, new venture initiation, lack of conflict, and high level of both employees and customer engagement.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Maven Ai is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field
– Maven Ai is one of the leading players in its industry. Over the years it has not only transformed the business landscape in its segment but also across the whole industry. The ability to lead change has enabled Maven Ai in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Maven Ai 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 Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
High brand equity
– Maven Ai has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Maven Ai to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race 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.
Weaknesses Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race are -
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Maven Ai 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race, is just above the industry average. Maven Ai 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Maven Ai products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Maven Ai needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race, in the dynamic environment Maven Ai has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Maven Ai has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Maven Ai is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. Maven Ai needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Maven Ai to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race HBR case study mentions - Maven Ai 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.
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 Maven Ai supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Maven Ai vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Maven Ai 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Maven Ai 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Maven Ai is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race 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 Maven Ai has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Opportunities Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race | 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 Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race are -
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Maven Ai to increase its market reach. Maven Ai 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
– Maven Ai 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Maven Ai 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.
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 Maven Ai 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Maven Ai can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Maven Ai can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Maven Ai operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Maven Ai in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Leadership & Managing People segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Leadership & Managing People industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Maven Ai can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
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 Maven Ai in the consumer business. Now Maven Ai can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Maven Ai 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 Leadership & Managing People segment.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Maven Ai can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Maven Ai 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 Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Maven Ai 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, Maven Ai is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race 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.
Threats Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race are -
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Maven Ai 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 Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race .
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. Maven Ai can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Instability in the European markets
– European Union markets are facing three big challenges post Covid – expanded balance sheets, Brexit related business disruption, and aggressive Russia looking to distract the existing security mechanism. Maven Ai will face different problems in different parts of Europe. For example it will face inflationary pressures in UK, France, and Germany, balance sheet expansion and demand challenges in Southern European countries, and geopolitical instability in the Eastern Europe.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Maven Ai 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.
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 Maven Ai business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Maven Ai in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The Leadership & Managing People 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 Maven Ai with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Maven Ai is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Environmental challenges
– Maven Ai 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. Maven Ai can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.
Increasing wage structure of Maven Ai
– 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 Maven Ai.
Aging population
– As the populations of most advanced economies are aging, it will lead to high social security costs, higher savings among population, and lower demand for goods and services in the economy. The household savings in US, France, UK, Germany, and Japan are growing faster than predicted because of uncertainty caused by pandemic.
Capital market disruption
– During the Covid-19, Dow Jones has touched record high. The valuations of a number of companies are way beyond their existing business model potential. This can lead to capital market correction which can put a number of suppliers, collaborators, value chain partners in great financial difficulty. It will directly impact the business of Maven Ai.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race, Maven Ai 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 .
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race 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 Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race 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 Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race 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 Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race 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 Google and Project Maven (A): Big Tech, Government and the AI Arms Race 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 Maven Ai needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
