Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis
In June 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in Grutter v. Bollinger, upholding the principle of affirmative action in university admissions, which had been challenged as a violation of the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment. This case includes excerpts from the amicus curiae briefs filed by General Motors and by the United States.
Swot Analysis of "Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis" written by Lynn Sharp Paine includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Grutter Bollinger facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Diversity, Ethics, Personnel policies, Regulation, Social responsibility, Strategic planning and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis casestudy better are - – there is backlash against globalization, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, geopolitical disruptions, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies,
increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Grutter Bollinger, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Grutter Bollinger 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 Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Grutter Bollinger
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 Grutter Bollinger
Strengths Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Grutter Bollinger in Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis Harvard Business Review case study are -
Diverse revenue streams
– Grutter Bollinger is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Grutter Bollinger in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Grutter Bollinger has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Grutter Bollinger 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.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Grutter Bollinger 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 Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
High brand equity
– Grutter Bollinger has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Grutter Bollinger to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Innovation driven organization
– Grutter Bollinger is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Learning organization
- Grutter Bollinger 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 Grutter Bollinger is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Grutter Bollinger to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Grutter Bollinger to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Grutter Bollinger is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis 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
– Grutter Bollinger 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 Lynn Sharp Paine 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.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Grutter Bollinger 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.
Weaknesses Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis are -
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Grutter Bollinger, firm in the HBR case study Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Grutter Bollinger 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 operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis 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 Grutter Bollinger 's lucrative customers.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis, 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.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Lynn Sharp Paine suggests that, Grutter Bollinger 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis, is just above the industry average. Grutter Bollinger 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Grutter Bollinger 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Grutter Bollinger products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Grutter Bollinger needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Grutter Bollinger is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis 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 Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Grutter Bollinger is planning to shift buying processes online.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis HBR case study mentions - Grutter Bollinger 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.
Opportunities Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis | 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 Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis are -
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. Grutter Bollinger can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Grutter Bollinger 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
– Grutter Bollinger 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.
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 Grutter Bollinger in the consumer business. Now Grutter Bollinger can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Grutter Bollinger 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Grutter Bollinger 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 Grutter Bollinger to increase its market reach. Grutter Bollinger 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Grutter Bollinger has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Grutter Bollinger to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis case study. Grutter Bollinger can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Grutter Bollinger can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Grutter Bollinger is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Grutter Bollinger 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 Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Grutter Bollinger to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Manufacturing automation
– Grutter Bollinger 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Grutter Bollinger 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.
Threats Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis are -
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Grutter Bollinger 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.
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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Grutter Bollinger 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 Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis, Grutter Bollinger 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 .
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 Grutter Bollinger in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Grutter Bollinger 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.
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 Grutter Bollinger.
Increasing wage structure of Grutter Bollinger
– 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 Grutter Bollinger.
Regulatory challenges
– Grutter Bollinger 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.
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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Grutter Bollinger is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Grutter Bollinger 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 Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis .
Environmental challenges
– Grutter Bollinger 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. Grutter Bollinger can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis 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 Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis 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 Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis 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 Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis 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 Grutter v. Bollinger: A Synopsis 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 Grutter Bollinger needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.