Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing
Chronicles the board game company's early formation and growth, and culminates in two issues often faced by business owners: (a) what to do about the over-dependence that the company has developed on its founder/CEO, and (b) what are the possible exit options worth pursuing. Describes University Games' founding by two friends after graduating, its internal and market-facing growing pains, periods in which each of the two founders left the company, a buy-back of shares from a VC investor, and culminates in the emergence of exit opportunities. Concludes with the CEO questioning whether he should court a financial investor or strategic acquirer, or even consider the options of a public offering and of a leveraged re-capitalization for the company.
Swot Analysis of "Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing" written by Jim Ellis, Patrick Arippol includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Culminates Games facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Entrepreneurial finance, Entrepreneurial management and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing casestudy better are - – increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, increasing commodity prices, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing transportation and logistics costs, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing household debt because of falling income levels,
there is increasing trade war between United States & China, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Culminates Games, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Culminates Games 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 Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Culminates Games
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 Culminates Games
Strengths Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Culminates Games in Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing Harvard Business Review case study are -
Innovation driven organization
– Culminates Games is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Digital Transformation in Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Culminates Games digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Culminates Games 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Culminates Games in the sector have low bargaining power. Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Culminates Games to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing 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.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Culminates Games 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
– Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Culminates Games to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Culminates Games to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Ability to lead change in Innovation & Entrepreneurship field
– Culminates Games 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 Culminates Games in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Culminates Games 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.
Learning organization
- Culminates Games 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 Culminates Games is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Strong track record of project management
– Culminates Games is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Training and development
– Culminates Games has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Culminates Games has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Culminates Games 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.
Weaknesses Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing are -
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Culminates Games has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Culminates Games 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Culminates Games 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Culminates Games is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment. Culminates Games needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Culminates Games to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Culminates Games, firm in the HBR case study Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Need for greater diversity
– Culminates Games 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 bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Jim Ellis, Patrick Arippol suggests that, Culminates Games 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
Culminates Games 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 Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing 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 Culminates Games 's lucrative customers.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing, is just above the industry average. Culminates Games 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing, 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.
Opportunities Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing | 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 Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing are -
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Culminates Games 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, Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Culminates Games 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 Culminates Games to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Culminates Games 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 Culminates Games 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Culminates Games 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 Culminates Games has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Culminates Games to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing case study. Culminates Games can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions
– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Culminates Games in the consumer business. Now Culminates Games can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Culminates Games in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Culminates Games to increase its market reach. Culminates Games 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.
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. Culminates Games can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Culminates Games 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Culminates Games 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 Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Culminates Games to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Buying journey improvements
– Culminates Games can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing 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 Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing are -
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Culminates Games with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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. Culminates Games needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Culminates Games has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Culminates Games 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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Culminates Games 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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Culminates Games 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 Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing .
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.
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 Culminates Games in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Culminates Games 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.
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. Culminates Games 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.
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.
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 Culminates Games.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Culminates Games 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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Culminates Games 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing 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 Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing 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 Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing 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 Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing 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 Growing Up With University Games: 20 Years and Still Playing 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 Culminates Games needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
