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Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B)


Supplement to case 909C13

Authors :: Denis Shackel, Ken Mark

Topics :: Leadership & Managing People

Tags :: Customers, Human resource management, Leadership, Sales, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B)" written by Denis Shackel, Ken Mark includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that 909c13 Blair facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Customers, Human resource management, Leadership, Sales and Leadership & Managing People.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) casestudy better are - – competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, increasing commodity prices, increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, geopolitical disruptions, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B)


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the 909c13 Blair, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which 909c13 Blair 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 Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of 909c13 Blair
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 909c13 Blair




Strengths Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of 909c13 Blair in Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) Harvard Business Review case study are -

Superior customer experience

– The customer experience strategy of 909c13 Blair in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.

Diverse revenue streams

– 909c13 Blair is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) 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.

High brand equity

– 909c13 Blair has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled 909c13 Blair to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.

Learning organization

- 909c13 Blair 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 909c13 Blair is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

Successful track record of launching new products

– 909c13 Blair has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. 909c13 Blair 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

– Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled 909c13 Blair to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped 909c13 Blair to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Innovation driven organization

– 909c13 Blair is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that 909c13 Blair 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.

Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field

– 909c13 Blair 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 909c13 Blair in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.

Analytics focus

– 909c13 Blair 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 Denis Shackel, Ken Mark 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.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– 909c13 Blair 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 Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (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.

Highly skilled collaborators

– 909c13 Blair 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 Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.






Weaknesses Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) are -

Products dominated business model

– Even though 909c13 Blair 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 - Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.

Aligning sales with marketing

– It come across in the case study Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) 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 Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as 909c13 Blair is planning to shift buying processes online.

Ability to respond to the competition

– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B), in the dynamic environment 909c13 Blair has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. 909c13 Blair has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.

Slow decision making process

– As mentioned earlier in the report, 909c13 Blair 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. 909c13 Blair 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.

Slow to harness new channels of communication

– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, 909c13 Blair is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.

Interest costs

– Compare to the competition, 909c13 Blair 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.

Increasing silos among functional specialists

– The organizational structure of 909c13 Blair is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. 909c13 Blair needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help 909c13 Blair to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.

Need for greater diversity

– 909c13 Blair 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.

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 909c13 Blair supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B), it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left 909c13 Blair vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.

Skills based hiring

– The stress on hiring functional specialists at 909c13 Blair 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 909c13 Blair products

– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, 909c13 Blair needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.




Opportunities Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (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 Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) are -

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, 909c13 Blair is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (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.

Developing new processes and practices

– 909c13 Blair 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.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for 909c13 Blair 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 909c13 Blair to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.

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 909c13 Blair 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.

Manufacturing automation

– 909c13 Blair 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.

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– 909c13 Blair 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 Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help 909c13 Blair to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.

Loyalty marketing

– 909c13 Blair has focused on building a highly responsive customer relationship management platform. This platform is built on in-house data and driven by analytics and artificial intelligence. The customer analytics can help the organization to fine tune its loyalty marketing efforts, increase the wallet share of the organization, reduce wastage on mainstream advertising spending, build better pricing strategies using personalization, etc.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for 909c13 Blair 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 909c13 Blair has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help 909c13 Blair to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) case study. 909c13 Blair can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Better consumer reach

– The expansion of the 5G network will help 909c13 Blair to increase its market reach. 909c13 Blair 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.

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at 909c13 Blair 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.

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. 909c13 Blair 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. 909c13 Blair can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.




Threats Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) are -

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that 909c13 Blair is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– 909c13 Blair 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.

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 909c13 Blair business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– 909c13 Blair 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.

Regulatory challenges

– 909c13 Blair 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.

Consumer confidence and its impact on 909c13 Blair 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.

Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

– 909c13 Blair has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, 909c13 Blair 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.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, 909c13 Blair 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 Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (B) .

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 909c13 Blair in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.

Environmental challenges

– 909c13 Blair 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. 909c13 Blair can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.

Barriers of entry lowering

– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents 909c13 Blair with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.

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. 909c13 Blair can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.

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.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (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 Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (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 Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (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 Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (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 Blair Howard: Developing an Exceptional Presentation (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 909c13 Blair needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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