Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Global Business
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security
This case is available in only hard copy format (HBP does not have digital distribution rights to the content). As a result, a digital Educator Copy of the case is not available through this web site.Biodiversity is being lost due to the delegation of the ability to store and maintain various types of plants to governments and foundations with no or little financial base. How does one develop the resources to maintain plant diversity for the future benefit of society?
Swot Analysis of "Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security" written by Ray A. Goldberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Site.biodiversity Copy facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Global Business.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security casestudy better are - – talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, technology disruption, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , wage bills are increasing, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings,
there is increasing trade war between United States & China, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Site.biodiversity Copy, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Site.biodiversity Copy 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 Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Site.biodiversity Copy
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 Site.biodiversity Copy
Strengths Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Site.biodiversity Copy in Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security Harvard Business Review case study are -
Ability to recruit top talent
– Site.biodiversity Copy is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security 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 Site.biodiversity Copy in the sector have low bargaining power. Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Site.biodiversity Copy to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Strong track record of project management
– Site.biodiversity Copy is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Learning organization
- Site.biodiversity Copy 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 Site.biodiversity Copy is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Site.biodiversity Copy 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 Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Digital Transformation in Global Business segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Site.biodiversity Copy digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Site.biodiversity Copy 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.
Ability to lead change in Global Business field
– Site.biodiversity Copy 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 Site.biodiversity Copy in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Site.biodiversity Copy has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Site.biodiversity Copy 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
– Site.biodiversity Copy 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 Ray A. Goldberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop 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.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Site.biodiversity Copy 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 Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
High brand equity
– Site.biodiversity Copy has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Site.biodiversity Copy to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Global Business industry
– Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Site.biodiversity Copy to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Global Business industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Site.biodiversity Copy to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Weaknesses Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security are -
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Site.biodiversity Copy 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Site.biodiversity Copy is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Site.biodiversity Copy 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.
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 Site.biodiversity Copy supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Site.biodiversity Copy vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Lack of clear differentiation of Site.biodiversity Copy products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Site.biodiversity Copy 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 Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security, it seems that the employees of Site.biodiversity Copy 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 operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security 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 Site.biodiversity Copy 's lucrative customers.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security, is just above the industry average. Site.biodiversity Copy 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 dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security 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 Site.biodiversity Copy has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security 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 Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Site.biodiversity Copy is planning to shift buying processes online.
Need for greater diversity
– Site.biodiversity Copy 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.
Opportunities Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security | 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 Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security are -
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Site.biodiversity Copy has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Site.biodiversity Copy to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security case study. Site.biodiversity Copy can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Site.biodiversity Copy 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 Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Site.biodiversity Copy to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
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. Site.biodiversity Copy 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. Site.biodiversity Copy 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.
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 Site.biodiversity Copy 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Site.biodiversity Copy 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Site.biodiversity Copy can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Site.biodiversity Copy 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 Site.biodiversity Copy to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Site.biodiversity Copy 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Site.biodiversity Copy 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, Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Site.biodiversity Copy to increase its market reach. Site.biodiversity Copy 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Site.biodiversity Copy is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security 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, Site.biodiversity Copy 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. Site.biodiversity Copy can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Threats Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security are -
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Site.biodiversity Copy with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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. Site.biodiversity Copy can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Site.biodiversity Copy 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 Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security .
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 Site.biodiversity Copy.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Site.biodiversity Copy 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Site.biodiversity Copy has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Global Business industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Site.biodiversity Copy 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.
Instability in the European markets
– European Union markets are facing three big challenges post Covid – expanded balance sheets, Brexit related business disruption, and aggressive Russia looking to distract the existing security mechanism. Site.biodiversity Copy will face different problems in different parts of Europe. For example it will face inflationary pressures in UK, France, and Germany, balance sheet expansion and demand challenges in Southern European countries, and geopolitical instability in the Eastern Europe.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security, Site.biodiversity Copy 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 .
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.
Environmental challenges
– Site.biodiversity Copy 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. Site.biodiversity Copy can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Global Business industry.
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. Site.biodiversity Copy needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Global Business 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 Site.biodiversity Copy business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Site.biodiversity Copy is facing in Global Business sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security 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 Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security 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 Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security 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 Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security 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 Global Conservation Trust: A Foundation for Food Security 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 Site.biodiversity Copy needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
