An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land
The case narrates the journey of an environmentalist, M Revathi, who as a young child with polio affected legs, could not move around on her own, and therefore began to develop friendship with birds, who kept her company. She thus grew up appreciating life other than mankind, such as birds, insects, plants and animals, and became an avid reader and a birdwatcher. Revathi eventually chose a career as a science teacher, and her passion for birds led her to the discovery that usage of pesticides, insecticides and other agricultural chemicals was severely damaging the environment and destroying the farming ecosystem. The case then describes Revathi's tryst with farming communities and her enquiries into India's green revolution, which revealed the root cause of increased pesticide usage in Indian agriculture. Revathi successfully uncovers the various connections between fertilizers, high yielding variety (HYV) seeds and the need for pesticides; and how the water-intensive modern agricultural practices gradually reduced the fertile delta lands in India into infertile dry lands. The case next describes how Revathi's efforts to change the habits of farming communities towards more ecofriendly methods and her determination to build morale of debt-ridden farmers on the verge of suicides, led Revathi to quit her job as a school teacher and travel around the rural parts of India. Her husband followed suit, giving up a well-respected position in the Indian Navy, to support Revathi in her journey. The couple soon found themselves in the midst of Tsunami-hit Nagapattinam district, offering relief and rehabilitation to poor and marginal farmers whose livelihoods have been hit hard by Tsunami. The case ends with the following dilemma: whether Revathi and her husband should implement the ecological techniques they have been using to recover the land damaged by chemical-based farming, to recover the Tsunami-hit land in Nagapattinam district.
Swot Analysis of "An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land" written by Haritha Saranga includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Revathi Tsunami facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land casestudy better are - – digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing transportation and logistics costs, wage bills are increasing,
cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Revathi Tsunami, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Revathi Tsunami 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 An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Revathi Tsunami
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 Revathi Tsunami
Strengths An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Revathi Tsunami in An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land Harvard Business Review case study are -
Organizational Resilience of Revathi Tsunami
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Revathi Tsunami does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Innovation driven organization
– Revathi Tsunami is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Revathi Tsunami to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Revathi Tsunami to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Revathi Tsunami has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Revathi Tsunami 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 Leadership & Managing People segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Revathi Tsunami digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Revathi Tsunami 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.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Revathi Tsunami 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.
Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field
– Revathi Tsunami 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 Revathi Tsunami in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
High brand equity
– Revathi Tsunami has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Revathi Tsunami to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land 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
– Revathi Tsunami is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Revathi Tsunami in the sector have low bargaining power. An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Revathi Tsunami to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Training and development
– Revathi Tsunami has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land 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.
Weaknesses An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land are -
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land, is just above the industry average. Revathi Tsunami 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
– Revathi Tsunami 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land, in the dynamic environment Revathi Tsunami has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Revathi Tsunami has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
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 Revathi Tsunami supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Revathi Tsunami vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Lack of clear differentiation of Revathi Tsunami products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Revathi Tsunami needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land, it seems that the employees of Revathi Tsunami 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Revathi Tsunami, firm in the HBR case study An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Haritha Saranga suggests that, Revathi Tsunami is facing high bargaining power of the channel partners. So far it has not able to streamline the operations to reduce the bargaining power of the value chain partners in the industry.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land 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 An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Revathi Tsunami is planning to shift buying processes online.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land 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 Revathi Tsunami 's lucrative customers.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Revathi Tsunami 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.
Opportunities An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land | 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 An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land are -
Loyalty marketing
– Revathi Tsunami 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Revathi Tsunami is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land case study suggests that firm can utilize new technology to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Revathi Tsunami 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.
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. Revathi Tsunami can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
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 Revathi Tsunami 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Revathi Tsunami 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 An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Revathi Tsunami to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Revathi Tsunami has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Revathi Tsunami to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land case study. Revathi Tsunami can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Revathi Tsunami 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Revathi Tsunami 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Revathi Tsunami 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, An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
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. Revathi Tsunami can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Revathi Tsunami to increase its market reach. Revathi Tsunami 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Revathi Tsunami can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land 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.
Threats An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land 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 Revathi Tsunami in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Revathi Tsunami has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Revathi Tsunami needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Leadership & Managing People 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 Revathi Tsunami with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Revathi Tsunami 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.
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. Revathi Tsunami can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Revathi Tsunami 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land, Revathi Tsunami 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 .
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Revathi Tsunami is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Regulatory challenges
– Revathi Tsunami 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.
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. Revathi Tsunami needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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 Revathi Tsunami business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land 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 An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land 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 An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land 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 An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land 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 An 'Inspire'-D Journey to Recover Tsunami-Hit Land 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 Revathi Tsunami needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
