Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs

This article describes the University of South Carolina's (USC) International Business and Chinese Enterprise (IBCE) program, an integrated 5-year initiative which combines an undergraduate International Business major and a 1-year pre-work experience Masters degree. The program involves the creation of a cohort of students drawn from two different institutions located in two different countries-USC and the Chinese University of Hong Kong-who share a common undergraduate experience. Five pedagogical approaches important to leadership development are identified, and this methodology is applied to the IBCE program. Detailed descriptions of the curriculum, requisite and elective coursework, and other degree requirements are included, as well as the program's objectives and underlying assumptions. Challenges facing the cohort program are considered, with a particular focus on student selection.

Authors :: William R. Folks Jr., Carolyn S. Jones, David G. Hudgens

Topics :: Global Business

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

Swot Analysis of "Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs" written by William R. Folks Jr., Carolyn S. Jones, David G. Hudgens includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Cohort Ibce facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Global Business.

Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs casestudy better are - – customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, there is backlash against globalization, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing transportation and logistics costs, etc

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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs

SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Cohort Ibce, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Cohort Ibce 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.

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SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix

SWOT analysis of Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Cohort Ibce
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 Cohort Ibce

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Strengths Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Cohort Ibce in Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs Harvard Business Review case study are -

Learning organization

- Cohort Ibce 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 Cohort Ibce is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

Digital Transformation in Global Business segment

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

Strong track record of project management

– Cohort Ibce is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– Cohort Ibce 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 Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.

Ability to recruit top talent

– Cohort Ibce is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Global Business industry

– Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Cohort Ibce to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Global Business industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Cohort Ibce to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Superior customer experience

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

Analytics focus

– Cohort Ibce 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 William R. Folks Jr., Carolyn S. Jones, David G. Hudgens 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.

Cross disciplinary teams

– Horizontal connected teams at the Cohort Ibce 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.

Highly skilled collaborators

– Cohort Ibce has highly efficient outsourcing and offshoring strategy. It has resulted in greater operational flexibility and bringing down the costs in highly price sensitive segment. Secondly the value chain collaborators of the firm in Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

Successful track record of launching new products

– Cohort Ibce has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Cohort Ibce 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.

Organizational Resilience of Cohort Ibce

– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Cohort Ibce does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.

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Weaknesses Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs are -

Capital Spending Reduction

– Even during the low interest decade, Cohort Ibce 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.

Increasing silos among functional specialists

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

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, William R. Folks Jr., Carolyn S. Jones, David G. Hudgens suggests that, Cohort Ibce 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.

Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy

– From the instances in the HBR case study Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs, it seems that the employees of Cohort Ibce 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.

Compensation and incentives

– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs, is just above the industry average. Cohort Ibce 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.

High operating costs

– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs 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 Cohort Ibce 's lucrative customers.

Workers concerns about automation

– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Cohort Ibce 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.

Need for greater diversity

– Cohort Ibce 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.

Interest costs

– Compare to the competition, Cohort Ibce 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.

High dependence on star products

– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs 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 Cohort Ibce has relatively successful track record of launching new products.

No frontier risks strategy

– After analyzing the HBR case study Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs, 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.

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Opportunities Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs | 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 Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs are -

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Cohort Ibce has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Cohort Ibce to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs case study. Cohort Ibce can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

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

Increase in government spending

– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Cohort Ibce can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Cohort Ibce operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Global Business sector.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Cohort Ibce is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs 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.

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– Cohort Ibce 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 Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Cohort Ibce to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.

Reforming the budgeting process

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

Loyalty marketing

– Cohort Ibce 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.

Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19

– Consumer behavior has changed in the Global Business industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Cohort Ibce 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. Cohort Ibce 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.

Developing new processes and practices

– Cohort Ibce 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.

Finding new ways to collaborate

– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Global Business industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Cohort Ibce can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Cohort Ibce 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 Global Business segment.

Lowering marketing communication costs

– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Cohort Ibce 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.

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

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Threats Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs are -

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Cohort Ibce 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 Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs .

Regulatory challenges

– Cohort Ibce 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 Global Business industry regulations.

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.

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 Cohort Ibce in the Global Business sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.

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 Cohort Ibce.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Cohort Ibce 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.

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 Cohort Ibce in the Global Business industry. The Global Business 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.

Increasing wage structure of Cohort Ibce

– 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 Cohort Ibce.

Environmental challenges

– Cohort Ibce 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. Cohort Ibce 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. Cohort Ibce can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Cohort Ibce 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

– Cohort Ibce has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Global Business industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Cohort Ibce 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.

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Weighted SWOT Analysis of Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs 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 Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs 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 Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs 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 Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs 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 Integrative Programs in International Business: The Development of Undergraduate Cohort Programs 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 Cohort Ibce needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.

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