One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned?
The quality of the next generation of business leaders will be determined by the ways in which business schools respond to a host of dramatic changes emerging in the environment of higher education. While specific initiatives will vary widely, one thing seems certain: business schools will need to be more nimble, more innovative, and more efficient than ever before. The Kelley School of Business, Indiana University has consistently been at the forefront of business education. Over the past century, the School has developed a set of capabilities that has enabled it to capitalize on the forces that have shaped the evolution of business education. In this article, we review several significant trends affecting the future of business education and share the success principles that we believe are most applicable to thriving in the new world that is on our doorstep.
Authors :: Frank Acito, Patricia M. McDougall, Daniel C. Smith
Swot Analysis of "One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned?" written by Frank Acito, Patricia M. McDougall, Daniel C. Smith includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Education Business facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? casestudy better are - – there is increasing trade war between United States & China, there is backlash against globalization, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing transportation and logistics costs, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google,
technology disruption, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned?
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Education Business, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Education Business 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 One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Education Business
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Leadership & Managing People field.
4. Making a Leadership & Managing People topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Education Business
Strengths One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Education Business in One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? Harvard Business Review case study are -
Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field
– Education Business 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 Education Business in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Education Business 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 One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Training and development
– Education Business has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Education Business is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Diverse revenue streams
– Education Business is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? 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.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Education Business 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Education Business in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Education Business to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Education Business to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Education Business in the sector have low bargaining power. One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Education Business to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Education Business is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Strong track record of project management
– Education Business is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Education Business has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Education Business 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 One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? are -
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned?, it seems that the employees of Education Business 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Education Business is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Lack of clear differentiation of Education Business products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Education Business needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned?, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Leadership & Managing People 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Education Business 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 cash cycle compare to competitors
Education Business 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 One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? 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 Education Business 's lucrative customers.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Education Business, firm in the HBR case study One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Education Business 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 - One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Education Business is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. Education Business needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Education Business to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Education Business 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.
Opportunities One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? | 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 One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? are -
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Education Business 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Education Business can develop new processes and procedures in Leadership & Managing People 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Education Business can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Leadership & Managing People 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Education Business is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? case study suggests that firm can utilize new technology to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Education Business 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.
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 Education Business 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Education Business 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 Leadership & Managing People segment.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Education Business 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, One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned?, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Education Business 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.
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. Education Business can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Loyalty marketing
– Education Business 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Education Business can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Education Business operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Education Business can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Threats One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? are -
Increasing wage structure of Education Business
– 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 Education Business.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Education Business in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The Leadership & Managing People 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.
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 Education Business business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Environmental challenges
– Education Business 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. Education Business can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.
High level of anxiety and lack of motivation
– the Great Resignation in United States is the sign of broader dissatisfaction among the workforce in United States. Education Business needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Leadership & Managing People field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Education Business can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Regulatory challenges
– Education Business 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 Leadership & Managing People industry regulations.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned?, Education Business may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Leadership & Managing People .
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Education Business 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 One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? .
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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Education Business 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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Education Business 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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Education Business 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 One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? 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 One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? 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 One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? 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 One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? 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 One Hundred Years of Excellence in Business Education: What Have We Learned? 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 Education Business needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.