Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B)
This case is available in only hard copy format (HBP does not have digital distribution rights to the content). As a result, a digital Educator Copy of the case is not available through this web site.Designed to be used with the (A) case.
Swot Analysis of "Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B)" written by Boston Globe includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Site.designed Copy facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Communication, Corporate governance, Decision making, Leadership, Managing people and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) casestudy better are - – increasing transportation and logistics costs, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, wage bills are increasing, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing energy prices, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation,
increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Site.designed Copy, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Site.designed Copy 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 Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Site.designed Copy
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 Site.designed Copy
Strengths Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Site.designed Copy in Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Organizational Resilience of Site.designed Copy
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Site.designed Copy does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Analytics focus
– Site.designed Copy 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 Boston Globe 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 Site.designed Copy 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Site.designed Copy is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Site.designed Copy has innovation driven culture where significant part of the revenues are spent on the research and development activities. This has resulted in, as mentioned in case study Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Site.designed Copy in the sector have low bargaining power. Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Site.designed Copy to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Learning organization
- Site.designed Copy 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 Site.designed Copy is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field
– Site.designed Copy 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 Site.designed Copy in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Site.designed Copy in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Site.designed Copy is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Site.designed Copy has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Site.designed Copy 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.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Site.designed Copy 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.
Weaknesses Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) are -
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) 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 Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Site.designed Copy is planning to shift buying processes online.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Site.designed Copy is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Need for greater diversity
– Site.designed Copy 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.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Site.designed Copy 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B), 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 dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) 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 Site.designed Copy has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Site.designed Copy 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. Site.designed Copy 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B), it seems that the employees of Site.designed Copy 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Site.designed Copy, firm in the HBR case study Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B), in the dynamic environment Site.designed Copy has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Site.designed Copy has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Site.designed Copy 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 - Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Opportunities Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) | 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 Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) are -
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Site.designed Copy is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Site.designed Copy to increase its market reach. Site.designed Copy 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Site.designed Copy 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.
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. Site.designed Copy can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Developing new processes and practices
– Site.designed Copy 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Site.designed Copy 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, Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B), to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
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 Site.designed Copy 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.
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. Site.designed Copy can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Site.designed Copy 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 Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Site.designed Copy to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Site.designed Copy has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Site.designed Copy to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) case study. Site.designed Copy 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 Site.designed Copy can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Site.designed Copy 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Site.designed Copy 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 Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) are -
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Site.designed Copy 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.
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. Site.designed Copy 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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Site.designed Copy is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Site.designed Copy has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Site.designed Copy needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Leadership & Managing People sector. According to Mckinsey study top managers believe that the adoption of technology in operations, communications is 20-25 times faster than what they planned in the beginning of 2019.
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. Site.designed Copy needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Site.designed Copy with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Increasing wage structure of Site.designed Copy
– 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 Site.designed Copy.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Site.designed Copy 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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Site.designed Copy 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.
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 Site.designed Copy business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Environmental challenges
– Site.designed Copy 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. Site.designed Copy can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.
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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B), Site.designed Copy 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 .
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) 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 Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) 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 Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) 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 Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) 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 Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (B) 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 Site.designed Copy needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
