Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries
This is an issues-oriented note designed to stimulate discussion of the ethical aspects of the sale of pesticides which are not approved for any use or only for restricted use in the United States to less developed countries. It is organized as follows: the problem, some examples, what a pesticide is, the pesticide industry, benefits of pesticides, risks to humans, the industry response, and regulation of pesticides.
Authors :: Kenneth E. Goodpaster, David E. Whiteside
Swot Analysis of "Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries" written by Kenneth E. Goodpaster, David E. Whiteside includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Pesticides Pesticide facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Ethics, Globalization, Health, Social responsibility and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries casestudy better are - – banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing energy prices, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, increasing commodity prices,
increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Pesticides Pesticide, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Pesticides Pesticide 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 Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Pesticides Pesticide
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 Pesticides Pesticide
Strengths Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Pesticides Pesticide in Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries Harvard Business Review case study are -
Innovation driven organization
– Pesticides Pesticide is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Analytics focus
– Pesticides Pesticide 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 Kenneth E. Goodpaster, David E. Whiteside 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.
Training and development
– Pesticides Pesticide has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Pesticides Pesticide is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Strong track record of project management
– Pesticides Pesticide is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Pesticides Pesticide has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Pesticides Pesticide 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.
Learning organization
- Pesticides Pesticide 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 Pesticides Pesticide is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Pesticides Pesticide in the sector have low bargaining power. Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Pesticides Pesticide to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Organizational Resilience of Pesticides Pesticide
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Pesticides Pesticide does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Pesticides Pesticide 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.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Pesticides Pesticide 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 Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Pesticides Pesticide 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 Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries are -
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Kenneth E. Goodpaster, David E. Whiteside suggests that, Pesticides Pesticide 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.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries 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 Pesticides Pesticide has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Pesticides Pesticide 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Pesticides Pesticide products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Pesticides Pesticide needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries, 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 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 Pesticides Pesticide supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Pesticides Pesticide vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries 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 Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Pesticides Pesticide 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, Pesticides Pesticide is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries, it seems that the employees of Pesticides Pesticide 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 Pesticides Pesticide 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 - Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Pesticides Pesticide, firm in the HBR case study Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Opportunities Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries | 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 Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries are -
Buying journey improvements
– Pesticides Pesticide can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Pesticides Pesticide 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, Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Pesticides Pesticide can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Pesticides Pesticide in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Leadership & Managing People segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Pesticides Pesticide to increase its market reach. Pesticides Pesticide 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Pesticides Pesticide can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Pesticides Pesticide operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Pesticides Pesticide has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Pesticides Pesticide to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries case study. Pesticides Pesticide can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Developing new processes and practices
– Pesticides Pesticide 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.
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. Pesticides Pesticide 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. Pesticides Pesticide can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Pesticides Pesticide is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries 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.
Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions
– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Pesticides Pesticide in the consumer business. Now Pesticides Pesticide can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Pesticides Pesticide 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 Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries are -
Consumer confidence and its impact on Pesticides Pesticide 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Pesticides Pesticide with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Pesticides Pesticide 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.
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 Pesticides Pesticide in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Environmental challenges
– Pesticides Pesticide 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. Pesticides Pesticide can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Pesticides Pesticide has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Pesticides Pesticide 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries, Pesticides Pesticide 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 .
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 Pesticides Pesticide.
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. Pesticides Pesticide 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.
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.
Regulatory challenges
– Pesticides Pesticide 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.
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. Pesticides Pesticide needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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 Pesticides Pesticide business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries 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 Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries 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 Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries 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 Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries 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 Note on the Export of Pesticides from the United States to Developing Countries 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 Pesticides Pesticide needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
