Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A)
The Global Health Initiative (GHI) is a tripartite collaboration among Northwestern University, non-profit donors, and commercial diagnostics companies. GHI attempts to bridge the gap between the market for sophisticated medical diagnostics equipment in wealthy nations and the need for point-of-care diagnostics in resource limited settings. In 2006 GHI narrowed its focus to HIV diagnostics for underserved nations. The case examines the accuracy-access tradeoff related to the roll-out of infant HIV diagnostics in Tanzania. Tanzania has a prevalent HIV/AIDS problem, particularly in children. As of 2007, Tanzania had an estimated 140,000 children infected with HIV. Existing lab-based diagnostic equipment was either inaccurate for use in infants or required highly skilled health workers. Tanzania's limited infrastructure also forced healthcare providers to choose between providing advanced care to a minority of the population and offering minimal care to the majority with poor access. A Kellogg MBA student research team performed more than thirty in-country interviews to collect data on stakeholder perceptions of three infant test concepts: the strip test, the squeeze test, and the filter paper test. Across the three tests, access decreased as accuracy increased-rural labs could not find or afford health workers skilled enough to conduct the test. In general, interviewees closely affiliated with the government preferred accuracy over access. In contrast, private health facilities had to follow fewer regulations and preferred access over accuracy. The case focuses on the decisions facing Kara Palamountain, the executive director of GHI, in her roll-out recommendations for infant HIV tests in Tanzania. It examines key factors of working in a developing country, including the need to operate in the absence of sufficient market research, balance the competing agendas of different stakeholders, and mitigate external risks such as major international funding drying up.
Authors :: Kara Palamountain, Sachin Waikar, Andrea Hanson, Katherine Nelson
Swot Analysis of "Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A)" written by Kara Palamountain, Sachin Waikar, Andrea Hanson, Katherine Nelson includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Diagnostics Hiv facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Emerging markets, Entrepreneurship, Health, Marketing, Product development, Strategy, Technology and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) casestudy better are - – competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, there is backlash against globalization, increasing commodity prices, increasing energy prices, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, 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%, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Diagnostics Hiv, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Diagnostics Hiv 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 Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Diagnostics Hiv
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 Diagnostics Hiv
Strengths Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Diagnostics Hiv in Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Successful track record of launching new products
– Diagnostics Hiv has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Diagnostics Hiv 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.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Diagnostics Hiv 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.
High brand equity
– Diagnostics Hiv has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Diagnostics Hiv to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Strong track record of project management
– Diagnostics Hiv is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Diagnostics Hiv in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field
– Diagnostics Hiv 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 Diagnostics Hiv in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Diagnostics Hiv to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Diagnostics Hiv to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Diagnostics Hiv is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Organizational Resilience of Diagnostics Hiv
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Diagnostics Hiv does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Innovation driven organization
– Diagnostics Hiv is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Diagnostics Hiv in the sector have low bargaining power. Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Diagnostics Hiv to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Diagnostics Hiv 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 Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Weaknesses Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) are -
Lack of clear differentiation of Diagnostics Hiv products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Diagnostics Hiv needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Diagnostics Hiv 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 bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Kara Palamountain, Sachin Waikar, Andrea Hanson, Katherine Nelson suggests that, Diagnostics Hiv 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Diagnostics Hiv is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. Diagnostics Hiv needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Diagnostics Hiv to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Diagnostics Hiv has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) 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 Diagnostics Hiv has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Diagnostics Hiv, firm in the HBR case study Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) 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 Diagnostics Hiv 's lucrative customers.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A), 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Diagnostics Hiv 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 - Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A), in the dynamic environment Diagnostics Hiv has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Diagnostics Hiv has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Opportunities Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) | 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 Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) are -
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Diagnostics Hiv can still utilize the low interest rates to borrow money for capital investment. Secondly it can also use the increase of government spending in infrastructure projects to get new business.
Reconfiguring business model
– The expansion of digital payment system, the bringing down of international transactions costs using Bitcoin and other blockchain based currencies, etc can help Diagnostics Hiv 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Diagnostics Hiv to increase its market reach. Diagnostics Hiv 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 Diagnostics Hiv 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.
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. Diagnostics Hiv 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
– Diagnostics Hiv 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 Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Diagnostics Hiv to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Diagnostics Hiv is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) 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.
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. Diagnostics Hiv 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. Diagnostics Hiv 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Diagnostics Hiv has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Diagnostics Hiv to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) case study. Diagnostics Hiv can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Diagnostics Hiv 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Diagnostics Hiv 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Diagnostics Hiv 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Diagnostics Hiv 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, Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A), to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Threats Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) 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 Diagnostics Hiv.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Diagnostics Hiv with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Diagnostics Hiv 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.
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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Diagnostics Hiv 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.
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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Diagnostics Hiv 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Diagnostics Hiv has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Diagnostics Hiv 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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Diagnostics Hiv 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 Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) .
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. Diagnostics Hiv can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Regulatory challenges
– Diagnostics Hiv 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.
Increasing wage structure of Diagnostics Hiv
– 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 Diagnostics Hiv.
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. Diagnostics Hiv needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) 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 Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) 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 Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) 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 Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) 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 Balancing Access with Accuracy for Infant HIV Diagnostics in Tanzania (A) 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 Diagnostics Hiv needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
