Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem
The case tracks the creation and growth of a social enterprise, Made By Survivors (MBS), founded by Sarah Symons and John Berger. Inspired by a documentary on sex trafficking and a visit to a Nepalese non-profit that helped women freed from sex trafficking (survivors), Symons conceived the idea for a business that would help survivors become financially independent and restore their lives. With Berger's help, she launched MBS to sell handicrafts, stationery, and home goods in the United States, all products that were made by survivors in several countries, thus providing them a source of income. To grow sales, the co-founders tried different means of selling, altering the product mix, partnering with suppliers, starting production on their own, and designing products to increase appeal to U.S. customers. The case ends with the co-founders wondering how to multiply revenue to benefit greater numbers of survivors. Should they modify their business model or adopt a new one? Modify their organization's mission and identity? The case asks students to generate ideas for high growth and determine MBS's strategic direction.
Authors :: Gaurab Bhardwaj, Elizabeth Swanson Goldberg
Swot Analysis of "Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem" written by Gaurab Bhardwaj, Elizabeth Swanson Goldberg includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Survivors Symons facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem casestudy better are - – increasing commodity prices, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, wage bills are increasing, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, there is backlash against globalization,
central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Survivors Symons, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Survivors Symons 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 Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Survivors Symons
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 Survivors Symons
Strengths Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Survivors Symons in Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem Harvard Business Review case study are -
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem 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.
Analytics focus
– Survivors Symons is putting a lot of focus on utilizing the power of analytics in business decision making. This has put it among the leading players in the industry. The technology infrastructure suggested by Gaurab Bhardwaj, Elizabeth Swanson Goldberg can also help it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.
Learning organization
- Survivors Symons 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 Survivors Symons is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Training and development
– Survivors Symons has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Survivors Symons is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Survivors Symons to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Survivors Symons to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Survivors Symons 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Survivors Symons in the sector have low bargaining power. Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Survivors Symons to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Survivors Symons 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 Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field
– Survivors Symons 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 Survivors Symons in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Innovation driven organization
– Survivors Symons is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
High brand equity
– Survivors Symons has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Survivors Symons to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Weaknesses Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem are -
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Survivors Symons 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Survivors Symons 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Survivors Symons is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Survivors Symons 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.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Survivors Symons has a very deliberative decision making approach. This approach has resulted in prudent decisions, but it has also resulted in missing opportunities in the industry over the last five years. Survivors Symons even though has strong showing on digital transformation primary two stages, it has struggled to capitalize the power of digital transformation in marketing efforts and new venture efforts.
Lack of clear differentiation of Survivors Symons products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Survivors Symons needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem HBR case study mentions - Survivors Symons 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 star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem 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 Survivors Symons has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem, is just above the industry average. Survivors Symons 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Survivors Symons 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.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Survivors Symons 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 Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem | 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 Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem are -
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Survivors Symons 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Survivors Symons can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Survivors Symons operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Survivors Symons 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Survivors Symons can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Developing new processes and practices
– Survivors Symons 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
– Survivors Symons 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Survivors Symons in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Leadership & Managing People segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Survivors Symons to increase its market reach. Survivors Symons 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.
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. Survivors Symons 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. Survivors Symons 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Survivors Symons 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 Survivors Symons to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Survivors Symons has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Survivors Symons to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem case study. Survivors Symons 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 Survivors Symons in the consumer business. Now Survivors Symons can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Survivors Symons 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.
Threats Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem are -
Regulatory challenges
– Survivors Symons 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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Survivors Symons 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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Survivors Symons 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.
Environmental challenges
– Survivors Symons 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. Survivors Symons can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.
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 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. Survivors Symons needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Survivors Symons is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Survivors Symons with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem, Survivors Symons 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 .
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. Survivors Symons 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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Survivors Symons 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. Survivors Symons can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem 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 Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem 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 Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem 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 Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem 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 Made by Survivors: Business Solution for a Social Problem 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 Survivors Symons needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
