Swot Analysis of "Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B" written by Lyn Purdy, James O Brien includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that W12021 Jefferson facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Organizational culture, Strategy and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B casestudy better are - – there is backlash against globalization, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings,
technology disruption, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the W12021 Jefferson, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which W12021 Jefferson 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 Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of W12021 Jefferson
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 W12021 Jefferson
Strengths Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of W12021 Jefferson in Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B Harvard Business Review case study are -
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of W12021 Jefferson in the sector have low bargaining power. Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps W12021 Jefferson to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of W12021 Jefferson in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Highly skilled collaborators
– W12021 Jefferson 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 Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Learning organization
- W12021 Jefferson 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 W12021 Jefferson is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Strong track record of project management
– W12021 Jefferson is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– W12021 Jefferson 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 Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Ability to recruit top talent
– W12021 Jefferson is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Analytics focus
– W12021 Jefferson 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 Lyn Purdy, James O Brien 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.
Organizational Resilience of W12021 Jefferson
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that W12021 Jefferson 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
– Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled W12021 Jefferson to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped W12021 Jefferson to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Training and development
– W12021 Jefferson has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B 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.
Innovation driven organization
– W12021 Jefferson is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Weaknesses Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B are -
Need for greater diversity
– W12021 Jefferson 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of W12021 Jefferson is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. W12021 Jefferson needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help W12021 Jefferson to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B, it seems that the employees of W12021 Jefferson 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of W12021 Jefferson products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, W12021 Jefferson needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, W12021 Jefferson 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B, is just above the industry average. W12021 Jefferson 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.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B 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 W12021 Jefferson 's lucrative customers.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B, 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B, in the dynamic environment W12021 Jefferson has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. W12021 Jefferson has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B HBR case study mentions - W12021 Jefferson 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, Lyn Purdy, James O Brien suggests that, W12021 Jefferson 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.
Opportunities Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B | 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 Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B are -
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, W12021 Jefferson can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that W12021 Jefferson operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.
Manufacturing automation
– W12021 Jefferson 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help W12021 Jefferson to increase its market reach. W12021 Jefferson 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.
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 W12021 Jefferson 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– W12021 Jefferson 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. W12021 Jefferson can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– W12021 Jefferson 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 Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help W12021 Jefferson to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of W12021 Jefferson has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help W12021 Jefferson to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B case study. W12021 Jefferson can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, W12021 Jefferson is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B case study suggests that firm can utilize new technology to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Leadership & Managing People industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. W12021 Jefferson 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. W12021 Jefferson 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 W12021 Jefferson can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for W12021 Jefferson 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 W12021 Jefferson to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for W12021 Jefferson 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.
Threats Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B are -
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– W12021 Jefferson 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
– W12021 Jefferson 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.
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.
Increasing wage structure of W12021 Jefferson
– Post Covid-19 there is a sharp increase in the wages especially in the jobs that require interaction with people. The increasing wages can put downward pressure on the margins of W12021 Jefferson.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– W12021 Jefferson has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, W12021 Jefferson 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.
Environmental challenges
– W12021 Jefferson 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. W12021 Jefferson can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, W12021 Jefferson 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 Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B .
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. W12021 Jefferson can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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 W12021 Jefferson business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, 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. W12021 Jefferson needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for W12021 Jefferson 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents W12021 Jefferson with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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. W12021 Jefferson 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B 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 Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B 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 Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B 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 Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B 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 Margaret Jefferson: Performance Issue at a Performing Arts Company B 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 W12021 Jefferson needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
