The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Finance & Accounting
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India
In 2014, Arjun Dhawan (MBA 2004), president of HCC Concessions, is working toward the completion of his largest road development project yet. The route, a 250-km stretch leading from the critical eastern Indian port of Kolkata into the interior of the province of West Bengal, is a prime example of both the benefits and the drawbacks of public-private partnerships in the Indian transportation sector. Despite delays and political pressure, HCC Concessions has nearly finished building the road and now is receiving offers to purchase the project's equity.
Swot Analysis of "The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India" written by Sid Yog, Ben Eppler includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Hcc Kolkata facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, International business, Project management and Finance & Accounting.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India casestudy better are - – increasing commodity prices, geopolitical disruptions, there is backlash against globalization, technology disruption, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies,
increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Hcc Kolkata, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Hcc Kolkata 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 The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Hcc Kolkata
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Finance & Accounting field.
4. Making a Finance & Accounting topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Hcc Kolkata
Strengths The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Hcc Kolkata in The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India Harvard Business Review case study are -
Organizational Resilience of Hcc Kolkata
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Hcc Kolkata does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Hcc Kolkata has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Hcc Kolkata 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.
Analytics focus
– Hcc Kolkata 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 Sid Yog, Ben Eppler can also help it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Finance & Accounting industry
– The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Hcc Kolkata to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Finance & Accounting industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Hcc Kolkata to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Hcc Kolkata 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.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Hcc Kolkata 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 The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India 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
– Hcc Kolkata is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Ability to lead change in Finance & Accounting field
– Hcc Kolkata 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 Hcc Kolkata in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Hcc Kolkata 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.
Strong track record of project management
– Hcc Kolkata is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Innovation driven organization
– Hcc Kolkata is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Weaknesses The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India are -
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Hcc Kolkata 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Hcc Kolkata is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Finance & Accounting segment. Hcc Kolkata needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Hcc Kolkata to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Hcc Kolkata 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India HBR case study mentions - Hcc Kolkata takes time to assess the upcoming competitions. This has led to missing out on atleast 2-3 big opportunities in the industry in last five years.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India 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 Hcc Kolkata 's lucrative customers.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Hcc Kolkata 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 - The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Hcc Kolkata 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India, it seems that the employees of Hcc Kolkata 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.
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 Hcc Kolkata supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Hcc Kolkata vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Lack of clear differentiation of Hcc Kolkata products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Hcc Kolkata needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Hcc Kolkata is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Opportunities The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India | 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 The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India are -
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Hcc Kolkata 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. Hcc Kolkata can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Buying journey improvements
– Hcc Kolkata can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Hcc Kolkata has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Hcc Kolkata to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India case study. Hcc Kolkata can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Hcc Kolkata can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Hcc Kolkata operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Finance & Accounting sector.
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 Hcc Kolkata 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.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Finance & Accounting industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Hcc Kolkata can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions
– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Hcc Kolkata in the consumer business. Now Hcc Kolkata can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Hcc Kolkata 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Hcc Kolkata 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
– Hcc Kolkata 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Hcc Kolkata 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 The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Hcc Kolkata to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Developing new processes and practices
– Hcc Kolkata can develop new processes and procedures in Finance & Accounting 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.
Threats The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India are -
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. Hcc Kolkata needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Finance & Accounting industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Hcc Kolkata 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
– Hcc Kolkata has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Finance & Accounting industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Hcc Kolkata needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Finance & Accounting 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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Hcc Kolkata 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 The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India .
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Hcc Kolkata in the Finance & Accounting industry. The Finance & Accounting 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.
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 Hcc Kolkata in the Finance & Accounting 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 Hcc Kolkata.
Environmental challenges
– Hcc Kolkata 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. Hcc Kolkata can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Finance & Accounting industry.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Hcc Kolkata 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
– Hcc Kolkata 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India, Hcc Kolkata may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Finance & Accounting .
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Hcc Kolkata is facing in Finance & Accounting sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India 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 The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India 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 The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India 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 The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India 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 The Road to Kolkata: NH-34 and PPP in India 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 Hcc Kolkata needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
