Case Study Description of Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A)
The case presents the dilemma of Mr. Bhattacharya, the principal of Chandrabala Modi Academy, a three year old co-educational school, having classes up to grade VIII, located in the city of Ankleshwar in the industrial belt of Western India, in responding to a request made by a senior official of the Police Department and President of Rotary Club. He was informed by them that the menace of drug abuse in the city was increasing and how the children of the school might get affected. They had explored the possibility of the school initiating a campaign to educate the local community and the school children, against drugs. Mr. Bhattacharya wondered if the school could organise an activity that engaged the children in swimming across the river Narmada. This could draw the attention of the local community towards the issue. Such an event might also infuse a spirit of adventure among the children and build a positive image for the school. However, crossing the river involved considerable risk as children's lives could be at stake. Police authorities and the Rotary club had offered to support the event. However the consent of the school management, and of the parents whose children would be participating in the river crossing, needed to be taken.
Swot Analysis of "Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A)" written by Mukund Dixit, Rajeev Sharma includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that School Children facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) casestudy better are - – competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing transportation and logistics costs, technology disruption, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies,
increasing commodity prices, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the School Children, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which School Children 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 Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of School Children
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 School Children
Strengths Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of School Children in Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Training and development
– School Children has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) 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.
High brand equity
– School Children has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled School Children to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Successful track record of launching new products
– School Children has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. School Children 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– School Children is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) 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.
Digital Transformation in Leadership & Managing People segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For School Children digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. School Children has successfully integrated the four key components of digital transformation – digital integration in processes, digital integration in marketing and customer relationship management, digital integration into the value chain, and using technology to explore new products and market opportunities.
Ability to recruit top talent
– School Children is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (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.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) 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.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– School Children 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 Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) - 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 School Children in the sector have low bargaining power. Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps School Children to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Learning organization
- School Children 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 School Children is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Highly skilled collaborators
– School Children 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 Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Strong track record of project management
– School Children is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Weaknesses Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) are -
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of School Children is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. School Children needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help School Children to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Lack of clear differentiation of School Children products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, School Children needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (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 School Children has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (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.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
School Children 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 existing supply chain
– The disruption in the global supply chains because of the Covid-19 pandemic and blockage of the Suez Canal illustrated the fragile nature of School Children supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A), it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left School Children vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Mukund Dixit, Rajeev Sharma suggests that, School Children 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 Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A), is just above the industry average. School Children 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, School Children is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A), in the dynamic environment School Children has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. School Children has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, School Children 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.
Opportunities Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (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 Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) are -
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. School Children can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
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. School Children 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
– School Children 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 Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help School Children to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Developing new processes and practices
– School Children 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.
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 School Children 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for School Children 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for School Children 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 School Children to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help School Children to increase its market reach. School Children will be able to reach out to new customers. Secondly 5G will also provide technology framework to build new tools and products that can help more immersive consumer experience and faster consumer journey.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, School Children 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.
Buying journey improvements
– School Children can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) suggest that firm can provide automated chats to help consumers solve their own problems, provide online suggestions to get maximum out of the products and services, and help consumers to build a community where they can interact with each other to develop new features and uses.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects School Children can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, School Children can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that School Children operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at School Children 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 Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) are -
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.
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. School Children can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for School Children 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.
Regulatory challenges
– School Children 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 international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, School Children 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 Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A) .
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– School Children has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, School Children 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.
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 School Children business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (A), School Children 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 School Children in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Consumer confidence and its impact on School Children 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.
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 School Children is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– School Children 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (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 Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (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 Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (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 Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (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 Chandrabala Modi Academy, Ankleshwar (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 School Children needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
