Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia
In 2003, a Namibian entrepreneur was deciding how to finance and manage the risks of an ecotourism, nature reserve, venture project. Explores the challenges facing an entrepreneur operating in an emerging market with imperfect local financial and legal institutions.
Authors :: Peter Hecht, Brooke Parry Hecht, Kavita Kapur MacLeod
Swot Analysis of "Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia" written by Peter Hecht, Brooke Parry Hecht, Kavita Kapur MacLeod includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Reserve Namibian facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Financial analysis, Financial management, Government, Risk management, Sustainability and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia casestudy better are - – central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, increasing transportation and logistics costs, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies,
increasing energy prices, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Reserve Namibian, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Reserve Namibian 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 Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Reserve Namibian
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Innovation & Entrepreneurship field.
4. Making a Innovation & Entrepreneurship topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Reserve Namibian
Strengths Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Reserve Namibian in Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia Harvard Business Review case study are -
Ability to recruit top talent
– Reserve Namibian is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Reserve Namibian in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Training and development
– Reserve Namibian has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia Harvard Business Review case study by analyzing – employees retention, in-house promotion, loyalty, new venture initiation, lack of conflict, and high level of both employees and customer engagement.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Reserve Namibian 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 Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Ability to lead change in Innovation & Entrepreneurship field
– Reserve Namibian 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 Reserve Namibian in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Strong track record of project management
– Reserve Namibian is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Diverse revenue streams
– Reserve Namibian is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia 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.
Learning organization
- Reserve Namibian 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 Reserve Namibian is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry
– Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Reserve Namibian to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Reserve Namibian to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Innovation driven organization
– Reserve Namibian is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Organizational Resilience of Reserve Namibian
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Reserve Namibian does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Reserve Namibian 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.
Weaknesses Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia are -
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia HBR case study mentions - Reserve Namibian 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia 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 Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Reserve Namibian is planning to shift buying processes online.
Lack of clear differentiation of Reserve Namibian products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Reserve Namibian needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Reserve Namibian 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 Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia, it seems that the employees of Reserve Namibian 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Reserve Namibian 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 - Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Reserve Namibian is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia 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 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 Reserve Namibian supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Reserve Namibian vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Peter Hecht, Brooke Parry Hecht, Kavita Kapur MacLeod suggests that, Reserve Namibian 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.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia 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 Reserve Namibian 's lucrative customers.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia, is just above the industry average. Reserve Namibian 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.
Opportunities Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia | 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 Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia are -
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Reserve Namibian is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Reserve Namibian can leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the production process, customer analytics to get better insights into consumer behavior, realtime digital dashboards to get better sales tracking, logistics and transportation, product tracking, etc.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Reserve Namibian 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 Reserve Namibian to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
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 Reserve Namibian in the consumer business. Now Reserve Namibian can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Developing new processes and practices
– Reserve Namibian can develop new processes and procedures in Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Reserve Namibian has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Reserve Namibian to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia case study. Reserve Namibian can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
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 Reserve Namibian 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Reserve Namibian 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Reserve Namibian can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Reserve Namibian operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector.
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. Reserve Namibian can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Reserve Namibian 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, Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Buying journey improvements
– Reserve Namibian can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Reserve Namibian can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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.
Threats Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia are -
Environmental challenges
– Reserve Namibian 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. Reserve Namibian can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry.
Increasing wage structure of Reserve Namibian
– 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 Reserve Namibian.
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. Reserve Namibian needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Reserve Namibian 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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Reserve Namibian in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. The Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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.
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.
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 Reserve Namibian business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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 Reserve Namibian.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Reserve Namibian is facing in Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia, Reserve Namibian may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Innovation & Entrepreneurship .
Regulatory challenges
– Reserve Namibian 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 Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry regulations.
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 Reserve Namibian in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Reserve Namibian has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Reserve Namibian needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia 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 Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia 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 Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia 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 Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia 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 Windhoek Nature Reserve: Financing a Sustainable Conservation Model in Namibia 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 Reserve Namibian needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.