Case Study Description of Photovoltaic Breakthrough
Illustrates the technological and organizational challenges of breakthrough innovation. Students discuss the benefits, disadvantages, and management of various approaches to technological breakthroughs.
Swot Analysis of "Photovoltaic Breakthrough" written by Lee Fleming includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Breakthrough Technological facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Photovoltaic Breakthrough case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Operations management, Product development, Strategy execution, Technology and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Photovoltaic Breakthrough casestudy better are - – technology disruption, increasing energy prices, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, wage bills are increasing, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing household debt because of falling income levels,
increasing commodity prices, there is backlash against globalization, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Photovoltaic Breakthrough
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Photovoltaic Breakthrough case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Breakthrough Technological, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Breakthrough Technological 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 Photovoltaic Breakthrough can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Photovoltaic Breakthrough case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Breakthrough Technological
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 Breakthrough Technological
Strengths Photovoltaic Breakthrough | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Breakthrough Technological in Photovoltaic Breakthrough Harvard Business Review case study are -
Diverse revenue streams
– Breakthrough Technological is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Photovoltaic Breakthrough 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.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Photovoltaic Breakthrough 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.
Organizational Resilience of Breakthrough Technological
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Breakthrough Technological does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Training and development
– Breakthrough Technological has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Photovoltaic Breakthrough 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Breakthrough Technological is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Photovoltaic Breakthrough are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Innovation driven organization
– Breakthrough Technological is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Photovoltaic Breakthrough Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Analytics focus
– Breakthrough Technological 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 Lee Fleming 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.
Ability to lead change in Innovation & Entrepreneurship field
– Breakthrough Technological 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 Breakthrough Technological in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Breakthrough Technological in the sector have low bargaining power. Photovoltaic Breakthrough has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Breakthrough Technological to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Breakthrough Technological has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Breakthrough Technological 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.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Breakthrough Technological 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 Photovoltaic Breakthrough HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Digital Transformation in Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Breakthrough Technological digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Breakthrough Technological 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.
Weaknesses Photovoltaic Breakthrough | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Photovoltaic Breakthrough are -
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Photovoltaic Breakthrough 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 Breakthrough Technological 's lucrative customers.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Lee Fleming suggests that, Breakthrough Technological 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 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 Breakthrough Technological supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Photovoltaic Breakthrough, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Breakthrough Technological vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Breakthrough Technological is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment. Breakthrough Technological needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Breakthrough Technological to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Photovoltaic Breakthrough, it seems that the employees of Breakthrough Technological 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Photovoltaic Breakthrough 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 Photovoltaic Breakthrough can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Breakthrough Technological is planning to shift buying processes online.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Breakthrough Technological has a very deliberative decision making approach. This approach has resulted in prudent decisions, but it has also resulted in missing opportunities in the industry over the last five years. Breakthrough Technological even though has strong showing on digital transformation primary two stages, it has struggled to capitalize the power of digital transformation in marketing efforts and new venture efforts.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Breakthrough Technological, firm in the HBR case study Photovoltaic Breakthrough needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Photovoltaic Breakthrough, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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 Breakthrough Technological 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Breakthrough Technological products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Breakthrough Technological needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Opportunities Photovoltaic Breakthrough | 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 Photovoltaic Breakthrough are -
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 Breakthrough Technological 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Breakthrough Technological is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Photovoltaic Breakthrough 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.
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. Breakthrough Technological can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Breakthrough Technological can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Breakthrough Technological 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Breakthrough Technological 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Breakthrough Technological has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Breakthrough Technological to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Photovoltaic Breakthrough case study. Breakthrough Technological 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, Breakthrough Technological can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Breakthrough Technological operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Breakthrough Technological 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 Photovoltaic Breakthrough - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Breakthrough Technological to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Manufacturing automation
– Breakthrough Technological 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.
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 Breakthrough Technological in the consumer business. Now Breakthrough Technological can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Developing new processes and practices
– Breakthrough Technological 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Breakthrough Technological can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Photovoltaic Breakthrough 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.
Threats Photovoltaic Breakthrough External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Photovoltaic Breakthrough are -
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Breakthrough Technological 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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Breakthrough Technological is facing in Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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.
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. Breakthrough Technological 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.
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 Breakthrough Technological business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Breakthrough Technological 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.
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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Breakthrough Technological 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.
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. Breakthrough Technological needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Photovoltaic Breakthrough, Breakthrough Technological 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 .
Increasing wage structure of Breakthrough Technological
– 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 Breakthrough Technological.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Breakthrough Technological has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Breakthrough Technological 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.
Environmental challenges
– Breakthrough Technological 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. Breakthrough Technological can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Photovoltaic Breakthrough 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 Photovoltaic Breakthrough 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 Photovoltaic Breakthrough 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 Photovoltaic Breakthrough 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 Photovoltaic Breakthrough 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 Breakthrough Technological needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
