A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Global Business
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City
On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy made landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey. Sandy's massive size, coupled with an unusual combination of meteorological conditions, fueled an especially powerful and destructive storm surge, which caused unprecedented damage in and around New York City, the country's most populous metropolitan area, as well as on Long Island and along the Jersey Shore. This two-part case study focuses on how New York City prepared for the storm's arrival and then responded to the cascading series of emergencies - from fires, to flooding, to power failures - that played out as it bore down on the city. Profiling actions taken at the local level by emergency response agencies like the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), the case also explores how the city coordinated with state and federal partners - including both the state National Guard and federal military components - and illustrates both the advantages and complications of using military assets for domestic emergency response operations. Case number 2124.0
Swot Analysis of "A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City" written by Arnold M. Howitt, David Giles includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that City Superstorm facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Risk management, Sustainability and Global Business.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City casestudy better are - – increasing transportation and logistics costs, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, wage bills are increasing, increasing commodity prices, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models,
increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, geopolitical disruptions, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the City Superstorm, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which City Superstorm operates in.
According to Harvard Business Review, 75% of the managers use SWOT analysis for various purposes such as – evaluating current scenario, strategic planning, new venture feasibility, personal growth goals, new market entry, Go To market strategies, portfolio management and strategic trade-off assessment, organizational restructuring, etc.
SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix
SWOT analysis of A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of City Superstorm
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Global Business field.
4. Making a Global Business topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of City Superstorm
Strengths A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of City Superstorm in A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City Harvard Business Review case study are -
Innovation driven organization
– City Superstorm is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Successful track record of launching new products
– City Superstorm has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. City Superstorm has effective processes in place that helps in exploring new product needs, doing quick pilot testing, and then launching the products quickly using its extensive distribution network.
Digital Transformation in Global Business segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For City Superstorm digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. City Superstorm 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.
Learning organization
- City Superstorm 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 City Superstorm is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Analytics focus
– City Superstorm 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 Arnold M. Howitt, David Giles 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.
High brand equity
– City Superstorm has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled City Superstorm to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Global Business industry
– A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled City Superstorm to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Global Business industry. The sustainable margins have also helped City Superstorm to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– City Superstorm is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City 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 City Superstorm
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that City Superstorm does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Ability to lead change in Global Business field
– City Superstorm 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 City Superstorm in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of City Superstorm in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Weaknesses A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City are -
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City 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 A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as City Superstorm is planning to shift buying processes online.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, City Superstorm 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. City Superstorm 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at City Superstorm 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.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City 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 City Superstorm 's lucrative customers.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
City Superstorm has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.
Lack of clear differentiation of City Superstorm products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, City Superstorm needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, City Superstorm 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Global Business strategy. But it has very little resources allocation to manage the risks emerging from events such as natural disasters, climate change, melting of permafrost, tacking the rise of artificial intelligence, opportunities and threats emerging from commercialization of space etc.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of City Superstorm is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Global Business segment. City Superstorm needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help City Superstorm to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City, in the dynamic environment City Superstorm has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. City Superstorm has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City 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 City Superstorm has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Opportunities A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City | External Strategic Factors
What are Opportunities in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The opportunities highlighted in the Harvard Business Review case study A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City are -
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of City Superstorm has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help City Superstorm to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City case study. City Superstorm can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, City Superstorm can build a diversified supply chain model across various countries in - South East Asia, India, and other parts of the world. This reconfiguration of global supply chain can help, as suggested in case study, A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– City Superstorm has spent a significant amount of money and effort to integrate analytics and machine learning into its operations in the sector. This continuous investment in analytics has enabled, as illustrated in the Harvard case study A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help City Superstorm to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for City Superstorm in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Global Business segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects City Superstorm can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help City Superstorm to increase its market reach. City Superstorm 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.
Manufacturing automation
– City Superstorm can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Global Business segment. It can use CAD and 3D printing to build a quick prototype and pilot testing products. It can leverage automation using machine learning and artificial intelligence to do faster production at lowers costs, and it can leverage the growth in satellite and tracking technologies to improve inventory management, transportation, and shipping.
Developing new processes and practices
– City Superstorm can develop new processes and procedures in Global Business industry using technology such as automation using artificial intelligence, real time transportation and products tracking, 3D modeling for concept development and new products pilot testing etc.
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 City Superstorm in the consumer business. Now City Superstorm can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Buying journey improvements
– City Superstorm can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– City Superstorm 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for City Superstorm 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, City Superstorm can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that City Superstorm operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Global Business sector.
Threats A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City are -
High dependence on third party suppliers
– City Superstorm 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 City Superstorm business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– City Superstorm has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Global Business industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, City Superstorm needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Global Business 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents City Superstorm with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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.
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.
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. City Superstorm 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City, City Superstorm may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Global Business .
Environmental challenges
– City Superstorm 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. City Superstorm can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Global Business industry.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Global Business field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. City Superstorm can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Increasing wage structure of City Superstorm
– 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 City Superstorm.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, City Superstorm can face downward pressure on margins from increasing competition from international players. The international players have stable revenue in their home market and can use those resources to penetrate prominent markets illustrated in HBR case study A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City .
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 City Superstorm in the Global Business sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City Template, Example
Not all factors mentioned under the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants in the SWOT Analysis are equal. Managers in the HBR case study A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City needs to zero down on the relative importance of each factor mentioned in the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants.
We can provide the relative importance to each factor by assigning relative weights. Weighted SWOT analysis process is a three stage process –
First stage for doing weighted SWOT analysis of the case study A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City is to rank the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. This will help you to assess the most important strengths and weaknesses of the firm and which one of the strengths and weaknesses mentioned in the initial lists are marginal and can be left out.
Second stage for conducting weighted SWOT analysis of the Harvard case study A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City is to give probabilities to the external strategic factors thus better understanding the opportunities and threats arising out of macro environment changes and developments.
Third stage of constructing weighted SWOT analysis of A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City 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 City Superstorm needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
