Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Communication
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation
Case analysis is an effective tool for teaching, learning, and most importantly, practising the art and science of management. The case method immerses students in real-life situations, allowing them to develop their business skills by analyzing realistic situations, applying business theories and tools, and making substantiated recommendations for a course of action. However, working with cases is a pedagogical approach that is unfamiliar to most new business students and often inadequately understood by advanced students. The Case Guide Series introduces students to the case method and, in discrete notes, walks them through the tasks that are typically involved in case assignments: analyzing a case, discussing cases in class, writing case reports and giving presentations (individually and in groups), and writing case exams. A final note introduces students to the most common business tools used for case analysis. This field-tested series is best used as a complete package to orient students to the case method, but each note also stands on its own and can be used to supplement other course materials. Making an Oral Case Presentation: Delivering effective presentations is a cornerstone of good business practice. However, students can find it a daunting and stressful experience to present their analysis and findings to an audience, either individually or as part of a small team. Note 5 of the Case Guide Series provides students with the resources they need to develop and deliver concise presentations that capture the main thrusts of their analysis and present them in a professional and engaging manner. Practical tips are also provided for preparing supportive audiovisual materials. Susan J. Van Weelden and Laurie George Busuttil are affiliated with Redeemer University College.
Authors :: Susan J. Van Weelden, Laurie George Busuttil
Swot Analysis of "Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation" written by Susan J. Van Weelden, Laurie George Busuttil includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Presentations Method facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Presentations, Strategic planning and Communication.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation casestudy better are - – increasing energy prices, increasing transportation and logistics costs, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, wage bills are increasing, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion,
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, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Presentations Method, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Presentations Method 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 Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Presentations Method
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Communication field.
4. Making a Communication topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Presentations Method
Strengths Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Presentations Method in Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation Harvard Business Review case study are -
Digital Transformation in Communication segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Presentations Method digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Presentations Method 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Presentations Method is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Diverse revenue streams
– Presentations Method is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation 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.
Learning organization
- Presentations Method 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 Presentations Method is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Training and development
– Presentations Method has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation 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 Presentations Method 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Presentations Method has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Presentations Method 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Presentations Method in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Strong track record of project management
– Presentations Method is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
High brand equity
– Presentations Method has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Presentations Method to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Presentations Method in the sector have low bargaining power. Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Presentations Method to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Weaknesses Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation are -
Products dominated business model
– Even though Presentations Method 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 - Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation 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 Presentations Method has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Lack of clear differentiation of Presentations Method products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Presentations Method needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Presentations Method 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. Presentations Method 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation HBR case study mentions - Presentations Method 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 Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation, is just above the industry average. Presentations Method 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Presentations Method 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 cash cycle compare to competitors
Presentations Method 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation, in the dynamic environment Presentations Method has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Presentations Method has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Presentations Method is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Presentations Method, firm in the HBR case study Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Opportunities Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation | 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 Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation are -
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Presentations Method can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Presentations Method 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Presentations Method 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 Communication segment.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Presentations Method can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Presentations Method operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Communication sector.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Presentations Method in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Communication segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Presentations Method 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.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Communication industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Presentations Method can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Communication industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Presentations Method 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. Presentations Method 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Presentations Method 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.
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 Presentations Method 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Presentations Method 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 Presentations Method to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Presentations Method 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, Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Loyalty marketing
– Presentations Method has focused on building a highly responsive customer relationship management platform. This platform is built on in-house data and driven by analytics and artificial intelligence. The customer analytics can help the organization to fine tune its loyalty marketing efforts, increase the wallet share of the organization, reduce wastage on mainstream advertising spending, build better pricing strategies using personalization, etc.
Threats Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation are -
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation, Presentations Method may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Communication .
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Presentations Method 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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Presentations Method 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.
Environmental challenges
– Presentations Method 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. Presentations Method can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Communication industry.
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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Presentations Method in the Communication industry. The Communication 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.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Communication field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Presentations Method can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Regulatory challenges
– Presentations Method 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 Communication industry regulations.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Presentations Method is facing in Communication sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, 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 Presentations Method in the Communication sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Increasing wage structure of Presentations Method
– 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 Presentations Method.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Presentations Method 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Presentations Method has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Communication industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Presentations Method needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Communication 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation 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 Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation 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 Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation 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 Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation 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 Student Guide to the Case Method: Note 5 - Making an Oral Case Presentation 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 Presentations Method needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.