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Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry


Changes in newspaper publishing, specifically the introduction of new technology and concurrent changes in tax policy, which led to a consolidation of the industry are described. Also describes the transformation of family firms into public corporations in response to these changes and incentives to grow.

Authors :: Louis B. Barnes, Peter Botticelli

Topics :: Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Tags :: Mergers & acquisitions, Technology, Work-life balance, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry" written by Louis B. Barnes, Peter Botticelli includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Newspaper Concurrent facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Mergers & acquisitions, Technology, Work-life balance and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry casestudy better are - – challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, technology disruption, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, geopolitical disruptions, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry


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




Strengths Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Newspaper Concurrent in Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry Harvard Business Review case study are -

Innovation driven organization

– Newspaper Concurrent is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

Low bargaining power of suppliers

– Suppliers of Newspaper Concurrent in the sector have low bargaining power. Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Newspaper Concurrent to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Newspaper Concurrent 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.

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry

– Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Newspaper Concurrent to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Newspaper Concurrent to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Learning organization

- Newspaper Concurrent 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 Newspaper Concurrent is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

Training and development

– Newspaper Concurrent has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry 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

– Newspaper Concurrent 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 Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– Newspaper Concurrent 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 Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.

Cross disciplinary teams

– Horizontal connected teams at the Newspaper Concurrent 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.

Digital Transformation in Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment

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

High brand equity

– Newspaper Concurrent has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Newspaper Concurrent to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.

Ability to recruit top talent

– Newspaper Concurrent is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.






Weaknesses Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry are -

No frontier risks strategy

– After analyzing the HBR case study Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry, 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.

Interest costs

– Compare to the competition, Newspaper Concurrent 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 Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry, it seems that the employees of Newspaper Concurrent 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 Newspaper Concurrent 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 - Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.

Skills based hiring

– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Newspaper Concurrent 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.

Need for greater diversity

– Newspaper Concurrent 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.

High dependence on star products

– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry 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 Newspaper Concurrent has relatively successful track record of launching new products.

Workers concerns about automation

– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Newspaper Concurrent needs to come up with a strategy to reduce the workers concern regarding automation. Without a clear strategy, it could lead to disruption and uncertainty within the organization.

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Louis B. Barnes, Peter Botticelli suggests that, Newspaper Concurrent 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 cash cycle compare to competitors

Newspaper Concurrent 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 operating costs

– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry 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 Newspaper Concurrent 's lucrative customers.




Opportunities Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry | 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 Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry are -

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. Newspaper Concurrent 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 Newspaper Concurrent 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.

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Newspaper Concurrent 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 Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment.

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 Newspaper Concurrent in the consumer business. Now Newspaper Concurrent can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– Newspaper Concurrent 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 Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Newspaper Concurrent 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

– Newspaper Concurrent 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.

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Newspaper Concurrent 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, Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19

– Consumer behavior has changed in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Newspaper Concurrent 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. Newspaper Concurrent 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.

Reforming the budgeting process

- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Newspaper Concurrent can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Newspaper Concurrent is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry 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.

Buying journey improvements

– Newspaper Concurrent can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry suggest that firm can provide automated chats to help consumers solve their own problems, provide online suggestions to get maximum out of the products and services, and help consumers to build a community where they can interact with each other to develop new features and uses.

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Newspaper Concurrent has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Newspaper Concurrent to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry case study. Newspaper Concurrent can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, 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. Newspaper Concurrent can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.




Threats Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry are -

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. Newspaper Concurrent 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 Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry, Newspaper Concurrent 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

– Newspaper Concurrent 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.

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 Newspaper Concurrent business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Newspaper Concurrent 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 Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry .

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Newspaper Concurrent 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.

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 Newspaper Concurrent in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.

Increasing wage structure of Newspaper Concurrent

– 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 Newspaper Concurrent.

Barriers of entry lowering

– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Newspaper Concurrent with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that Newspaper Concurrent is facing in Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

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. Newspaper Concurrent needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.

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.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Newspaper Concurrent 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.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry 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 Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry 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 Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry 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 Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry 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 Family Firms in the Newspaper Industry 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 Newspaper Concurrent needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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