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Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem


This is an MIT Sloan Management Review article. The business world is rapidly digitizing, breaking down industry barriers and creating new opportunities while destroying long-successful business models. Given the amount of turmoil digital disruption is causing, authors Peter Weill and Stephanie L. Woerner of the MIT Center for Information Systems Research say it's time for companies to evaluate these threats and opportunities and create new business options for the more-connected future of digital ecosystems. In recent research, board members at large companies estimated that 32% of their company's revenue would be under threat from digital disruption in the next five years; 60% of board members felt their boards should spend significantly more time on this issue next year. Despite the threats from companies including Uber, Airbnb and Amazon, increasing digitization offers opportunities for companies to leverage strong customer relationships and increase cross-selling, the authors argue. The authors offer a framework, supported by examples, for helping managers think about their competitive environments. "The combination of moving from value chains to ecosystems and increasing consumer knowledge,"the authors write, "provides business leaders with four distinct business models, each with associated capabilities and relationships."Companies can choose to operate as (1) suppliers, (2) omnichannel businesses, (3) modular producers or (4) ecosystem drivers. The authors found that businesses focused narrowly on value chains were at a disadvantage compared with those that thought more broadly about their business ecosystems. Companies that had 50% or more of their revenues from digital ecosystems and understood their end customers better than their average competitor saw 32% higher revenue growth and 27% higher profit margins than their industry averages. As they prepare for growing digital disruption, companies have two major decisions to make. First, they need to decide the extent to which they want to control the value chain or become part of a more complex ecosystem. Second, they need to decide how much they want to invest in knowing their end customers. Companies with ecosystem drivers as their dominant business model had the highest margins and growth of all the four options in the companies the authors studied.

Authors :: Peter Weill, Stephanie Woerner

Topics :: Global Business

Tags :: Disruptive innovation, Supply chain, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem" written by Peter Weill, Stephanie Woerner includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Ecosystems Authors facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Disruptive innovation, Supply chain and Global Business.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem casestudy better are - – increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, wage bills are increasing, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing transportation and logistics costs, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, there is backlash against globalization, technology disruption, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Ecosystems Authors, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Ecosystems Authors 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 Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Ecosystems Authors
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 Ecosystems Authors




Strengths Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Ecosystems Authors in Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem Harvard Business Review case study are -

Analytics focus

– Ecosystems Authors 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 Peter Weill, Stephanie Woerner 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.

Successful track record of launching new products

– Ecosystems Authors has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Ecosystems Authors has effective processes in place that helps in exploring new product needs, doing quick pilot testing, and then launching the products quickly using its extensive distribution network.

Digital Transformation in Global Business segment

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

Superior customer experience

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

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Ecosystems Authors 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.

Diverse revenue streams

– Ecosystems Authors is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem 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.

Low bargaining power of suppliers

– Suppliers of Ecosystems Authors in the sector have low bargaining power. Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Ecosystems Authors to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.

Cross disciplinary teams

– Horizontal connected teams at the Ecosystems Authors 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

– Ecosystems Authors 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 Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

Ability to recruit top talent

– Ecosystems Authors is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem 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 Global Business field

– Ecosystems Authors 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 Ecosystems Authors in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.

Innovation driven organization

– Ecosystems Authors is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.






Weaknesses Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem are -

Ability to respond to the competition

– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem, in the dynamic environment Ecosystems Authors has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Ecosystems Authors has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.

High cash cycle compare to competitors

Ecosystems Authors 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 Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem HBR case study mentions - Ecosystems Authors 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.

Products dominated business model

– Even though Ecosystems Authors 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 - Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.

Aligning sales with marketing

– It come across in the case study Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem 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 Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Ecosystems Authors is planning to shift buying processes online.

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Peter Weill, Stephanie Woerner suggests that, Ecosystems Authors 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.

Interest costs

– Compare to the competition, Ecosystems Authors 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.

Low market penetration in new markets

– Outside its home market of Ecosystems Authors, firm in the HBR case study Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.

Lack of clear differentiation of Ecosystems Authors products

– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Ecosystems Authors needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.

No frontier risks strategy

– After analyzing the HBR case study Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem, 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.

Skills based hiring

– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Ecosystems Authors 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.




Opportunities Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem | 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 Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem are -

Buying journey improvements

– Ecosystems Authors can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem 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.

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Ecosystems Authors 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, Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

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. Ecosystems Authors can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– Ecosystems Authors 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 Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Ecosystems Authors 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

– Ecosystems Authors can develop new processes and procedures in Global Business industry using technology such as automation using artificial intelligence, real time transportation and products tracking, 3D modeling for concept development and new products pilot testing etc.

Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions

– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Ecosystems Authors in the consumer business. Now Ecosystems Authors can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Ecosystems Authors is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem 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.

Manufacturing automation

– Ecosystems Authors can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Global Business segment. It can use CAD and 3D printing to build a quick prototype and pilot testing products. It can leverage automation using machine learning and artificial intelligence to do faster production at lowers costs, and it can leverage the growth in satellite and tracking technologies to improve inventory management, transportation, and shipping.

Lowering marketing communication costs

– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Ecosystems Authors 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.

Loyalty marketing

– Ecosystems Authors 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.

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Ecosystems Authors 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.

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Ecosystems Authors has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Ecosystems Authors to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem case study. Ecosystems Authors can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Better consumer reach

– The expansion of the 5G network will help Ecosystems Authors to increase its market reach. Ecosystems Authors 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.




Threats Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem 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. Ecosystems Authors needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Global Business industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Ecosystems Authors 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.

Regulatory challenges

– Ecosystems Authors 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.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Ecosystems Authors 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 Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem .

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. Ecosystems Authors 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 Ecosystems Authors 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.

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that Ecosystems Authors is facing in Global Business sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Ecosystems Authors 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.

Increasing wage structure of Ecosystems Authors

– 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 Ecosystems Authors.

Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

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

Learning curve for new practices

– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem, Ecosystems Authors may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Global Business .

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 Ecosystems Authors business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem 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 Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem 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 Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem 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 Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem 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 Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem 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 Ecosystems Authors needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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