×




American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership


A summary of the major themes discussed in the thirteenth class of The Moral Leader (EC curriculum).

Authors :: Sandra J. Sucher

Topics :: Leadership & Managing People

Tags :: Influence, Leadership, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership" written by Sandra J. Sucher includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Summary Thirteenth facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Influence, Leadership and Leadership & Managing People.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership casestudy better are - – talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, increasing energy prices, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, wage bills are increasing, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, geopolitical disruptions, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, etc



12 Hrs

$59.99
per Page
  • 100% Plagiarism Free
  • On Time Delivery | 27x7
  • PayPal Secure
  • 300 Words / Page
  • Buy Now

24 Hrs

$49.99
per Page
  • 100% Plagiarism Free
  • On Time Delivery | 27x7
  • PayPal Secure
  • 300 Words / Page
  • Buy Now

48 Hrs

$39.99
per Page
  • 100% Plagiarism Free
  • On Time Delivery | 27x7
  • PayPal Secure
  • 300 Words / Page
  • Buy Now







Introduction to SWOT Analysis of American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Summary Thirteenth, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Summary Thirteenth 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 American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Summary Thirteenth
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 Summary Thirteenth




Strengths American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Summary Thirteenth in American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership Harvard Business Review case study are -

Ability to recruit top talent

– Summary Thirteenth is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership 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 Summary Thirteenth in the sector have low bargaining power. American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Summary Thirteenth to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.

Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field

– Summary Thirteenth 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 Summary Thirteenth in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Summary Thirteenth 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.

Organizational Resilience of Summary Thirteenth

– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Summary Thirteenth does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry

– American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Summary Thirteenth to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Summary Thirteenth to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Highly skilled collaborators

– Summary Thirteenth 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 American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

Operational resilience

– The operational resilience strategy in the American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership 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.

Strong track record of project management

– Summary Thirteenth is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.

Innovation driven organization

– Summary Thirteenth is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

Digital Transformation in Leadership & Managing People segment

- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Summary Thirteenth digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Summary Thirteenth 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.

High brand equity

– Summary Thirteenth has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Summary Thirteenth to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.






Weaknesses American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership are -

Aligning sales with marketing

– It come across in the case study American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership 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 American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Summary Thirteenth is planning to shift buying processes online.

Interest costs

– Compare to the competition, Summary Thirteenth 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.

High dependence on star products

– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership 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 Summary Thirteenth has relatively successful track record of launching new products.

Lack of clear differentiation of Summary Thirteenth products

– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Summary Thirteenth needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.

Slow decision making process

– As mentioned earlier in the report, Summary Thirteenth 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. Summary Thirteenth 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.

Need for greater diversity

– Summary Thirteenth 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.

Slow to strategic competitive environment developments

– As American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership HBR case study mentions - Summary Thirteenth takes time to assess the upcoming competitions. This has led to missing out on atleast 2-3 big opportunities in the industry in last five years.

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Sandra J. Sucher suggests that, Summary Thirteenth 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.

Slow to harness new channels of communication

– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Summary Thirteenth is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential 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 Summary Thirteenth supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Summary Thirteenth vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.

High operating costs

– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership 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 Summary Thirteenth 's lucrative customers.




Opportunities American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership | 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 American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership are -

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Summary Thirteenth 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, American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

Developing new processes and practices

– Summary Thirteenth 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.

Increase in government spending

– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Summary Thirteenth can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Summary Thirteenth operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Summary Thirteenth 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 Summary Thirteenth to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Summary Thirteenth 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.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Summary Thirteenth is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership 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.

Manufacturing automation

– Summary Thirteenth 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.

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 Summary Thirteenth 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.

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. Summary Thirteenth 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. Summary Thirteenth 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 Summary Thirteenth has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Summary Thirteenth to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership case study. Summary Thirteenth can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Lowering marketing communication costs

– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Summary Thirteenth 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.

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Summary Thirteenth 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.

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– Summary Thirteenth 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 American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Summary Thirteenth to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.




Threats American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership are -

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.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Summary Thirteenth 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 American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership .

Environmental challenges

– Summary Thirteenth 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. Summary Thirteenth can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Summary Thirteenth 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.

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. Summary Thirteenth will face different problems in different parts of Europe. For example it will face inflationary pressures in UK, France, and Germany, balance sheet expansion and demand challenges in Southern European countries, and geopolitical instability in the Eastern Europe.

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that Summary Thirteenth is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

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. Summary Thirteenth needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.

Regulatory challenges

– Summary Thirteenth 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.

Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

– Summary Thirteenth has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Summary Thirteenth 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.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Summary Thirteenth 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.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Summary Thirteenth 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 Summary Thirteenth.

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.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership 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 American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership 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 American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership 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 American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership 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 American Ground Summary: Assuming Leadership 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 Summary Thirteenth needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



--- ---

Wilford College SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Arar Han, Jim Ellis, J.P. Flaum, Neel Bhatia , Organizational Development


Note on the FDA Review Process for Medical Devices SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg, James Leonard , Strategy & Execution


Wil's Grill SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Leonard R. Hostetter, Nita L. Paden , Strategy & Execution


Charles Veillon, S.A. (B) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Lynn Sharp Paine, Howard Firestone Reitz , Technology & Operations


Oakville Hydro Optimum Engine Selection SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Peter C. Bell, Scott Mudie, Mark Visscher, Aman Raina , Technology & Operations


Digital Equipment Corp.: The Kodak Outsourcing Agreement (A) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Lynda M. Applegate, Herminia Ibarra, Keri Ostrofsky , Technology & Operations


Goodwin House, Inc. SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

James G. Clawson, Greg Bevan , Leadership & Managing People


Katherine Schuler at Boxes & Bins, Inc. SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Linda A. Hill, James Kindley , Leadership & Managing People


Heineken NV: Workplace HIV/AIDS Programs in Africa (A) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Diana Barrett, Daniella Ballou , Leadership & Managing People