How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility
Grade inflation is rampant across universities, colleges, academic majors, and certainly in American business schools. Extensive evidence shows that the distribution of college GPAs is skewed sharply toward high grades. Consequently, GPAs often poorly convey students' relative academic achievement, sending a muddled message to prospective employers. This article explores the causes and consequences of grade inflation. It concludes with six recommendations for employers who want to encourage college administrators to control collegiate grade inflation, thereby strengthening the accuracy and value of a GPA in the processes of applicant evaluation and job placement.
Swot Analysis of "How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility" written by John A. Pearce includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Gpas Grade facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Education and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility casestudy better are - – technology disruption, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, wage bills are increasing, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic ,
competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, geopolitical disruptions, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Gpas Grade, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Gpas Grade 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 How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Gpas Grade
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 Gpas Grade
Strengths How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Gpas Grade in How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility Harvard Business Review case study are -
Successful track record of launching new products
– Gpas Grade has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Gpas Grade 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Gpas Grade to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Gpas Grade to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Digital Transformation in Leadership & Managing People segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Gpas Grade digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Gpas Grade 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.
Strong track record of project management
– Gpas Grade is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Gpas Grade is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Gpas Grade in the sector have low bargaining power. How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Gpas Grade to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Gpas Grade 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 How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Innovation driven organization
– Gpas Grade is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Diverse revenue streams
– Gpas Grade is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility 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.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Gpas Grade 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 How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Learning organization
- Gpas Grade 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 Gpas Grade is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Gpas Grade 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 How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility are -
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Gpas Grade 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Gpas Grade 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility, it seems that the employees of Gpas Grade 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Gpas Grade 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 - How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility, is just above the industry average. Gpas Grade 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 decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Gpas Grade 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. Gpas Grade 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.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility 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 Gpas Grade 's lucrative customers.
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 Gpas Grade supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Gpas Grade vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Gpas Grade 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Gpas Grade is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. Gpas Grade needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Gpas Grade to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Gpas Grade has created an environment where the organization is dominated by functional specialists rather than management generalist. This has resulted into product oriented approach rather than marketing oriented approach or consumers oriented approach.
Opportunities How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility | 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 How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility are -
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Gpas Grade is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Gpas Grade can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Gpas Grade operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Gpas Grade 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.
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. Gpas Grade can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Manufacturing automation
– Gpas Grade 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.
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. Gpas Grade 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. Gpas Grade 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Gpas Grade can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Gpas Grade to increase its market reach. Gpas Grade 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 Gpas Grade 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Gpas Grade has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Gpas Grade to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility case study. Gpas Grade can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
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. Gpas Grade can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Gpas Grade 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, How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Gpas Grade 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 How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility are -
Environmental challenges
– Gpas Grade 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. Gpas Grade can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.
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 Gpas Grade in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Gpas Grade 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 How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility .
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Gpas Grade has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Gpas Grade 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Gpas Grade 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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Gpas Grade 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility, Gpas Grade 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 .
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Gpas Grade 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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Gpas Grade 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.
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 Gpas Grade.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Gpas Grade is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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 Gpas Grade business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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. Gpas Grade can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility 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 How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility 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 How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility 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 How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility 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 How Employers Can Stanch the Hemorrhaging of Collegiate GPA Credibility 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 Gpas Grade needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
