Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice
Describes the abolition, starting in 1995, of Seattle's mandatory busing and desegregation program in favor of an in-district choice program. Presents the mechanics of Seattle's choice plan, including the controversial formulas that allocate space in the district's most popular schools. Summarizes correlations between academic achievement, race, and class in Seattle Public Schools. Reviews the socioeconomic, demographic, and political context in Seattle and discusses the district's contentious history with various desegregation policies.
Swot Analysis of "Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice" written by Stig Leschly includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Desegregation Seattle facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice casestudy better are - – customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, increasing energy prices,
increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Desegregation Seattle, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Desegregation Seattle 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Desegregation Seattle
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 Desegregation Seattle
Strengths Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Desegregation Seattle in Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice Harvard Business Review case study are -
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Desegregation Seattle in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
High brand equity
– Desegregation Seattle has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Desegregation Seattle to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field
– Desegregation Seattle 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 Desegregation Seattle 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 Desegregation Seattle in the sector have low bargaining power. Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Desegregation Seattle to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Organizational Resilience of Desegregation Seattle
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Desegregation Seattle does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Desegregation Seattle 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Desegregation Seattle is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice 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
– Desegregation Seattle is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Digital Transformation in Leadership & Managing People segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Desegregation Seattle digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Desegregation Seattle 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.
Training and development
– Desegregation Seattle has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice 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
– Desegregation Seattle is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Desegregation Seattle to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Desegregation Seattle to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Weaknesses Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice are -
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Desegregation Seattle 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, Desegregation Seattle 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, Desegregation Seattle 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice, it seems that the employees of Desegregation Seattle 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Desegregation Seattle 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Desegregation Seattle is planning to shift buying processes online.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice HBR case study mentions - Desegregation Seattle takes time to assess the upcoming competitions. This has led to missing out on atleast 2-3 big opportunities in the industry in last five years.
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 Desegregation Seattle supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Desegregation Seattle vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Desegregation Seattle is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Desegregation Seattle, firm in the HBR case study Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice, 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.
Opportunities Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice | 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice are -
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Desegregation Seattle 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, Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice, 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
– Desegregation Seattle 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Desegregation Seattle to increase its market reach. Desegregation Seattle 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Desegregation Seattle 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.
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 Desegregation Seattle in the consumer business. Now Desegregation Seattle can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Desegregation Seattle is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Desegregation Seattle can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Loyalty marketing
– Desegregation Seattle 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Desegregation Seattle 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Desegregation Seattle 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.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Leadership & Managing People industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Desegregation Seattle can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Leadership & Managing People industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Desegregation Seattle 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. Desegregation Seattle 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Desegregation Seattle 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.
Threats Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice are -
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 Desegregation Seattle.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Desegregation Seattle 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.
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. Desegregation Seattle can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Desegregation Seattle 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.
Increasing wage structure of Desegregation Seattle
– 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 Desegregation Seattle.
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. Desegregation Seattle needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Desegregation Seattle 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice, Desegregation Seattle 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 .
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Desegregation Seattle is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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 Desegregation Seattle business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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. Desegregation Seattle 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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Desegregation Seattle 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Desegregation Seattle with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (C1): Race, Class, and School Choice 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 Desegregation Seattle needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
