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KNOT Offshore Partners LP (KNOP) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / MBA Resources

Introduction to SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix for KNOT Offshore Partners LP (United States)


Based on various researches at Oak Spring University , KNOT Offshore Partners LP is operating in a macro-environment that has been destablized by – competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, geopolitical disruptions, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, increasing energy prices, technology disruption, there is backlash against globalization, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of KNOT Offshore Partners LP


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University, we believe that KNOT Offshore Partners LP can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the KNOT Offshore Partners LP, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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 KNOT Offshore Partners LP can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning of KNOT Offshore Partners LP
2. Improving business portfolio management of KNOT Offshore Partners LP
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in United States
4. Making a Water Transportation sector specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of KNOT Offshore Partners LP




Strengths of KNOT Offshore Partners LP | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of KNOT Offshore Partners LP are -

Low bargaining power of suppliers

– Suppliers of KNOT Offshore Partners LP in the Transportation sector have low bargaining power. KNOT Offshore Partners LP has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps KNOT Offshore Partners LP to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.

Successful track record of launching new products

– KNOT Offshore Partners LP has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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.

Organizational Resilience of KNOT Offshore Partners LP

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

Innovation driven organization

– KNOT Offshore Partners LP is one of the most innovative firm in Water Transportation sector.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– KNOT Offshore Partners LP has innovation driven culture where significant part of the revenues are spent on the research and development activities. This has resulted in – KNOT Offshore Partners LP staying ahead in the Water Transportation industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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.

Diverse revenue streams

– KNOT Offshore Partners LP is present in almost all the verticals within the Water Transportation industry. This has provided KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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

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

Digital Transformation in Water Transportation industry

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

Ability to lead change in Water Transportation

– KNOT Offshore Partners LP is one of the leading players in the Water Transportation industry in United States. Over the years it has not only transformed the business landscape in the Water Transportation industry in United States but also across the existing markets. The ability to lead change has enabled KNOT Offshore Partners LP in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Water Transportation industry

– KNOT Offshore Partners LP has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled KNOT Offshore Partners LP to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Water Transportation industry. The sustainable margins have also helped KNOT Offshore Partners LP to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Analytics focus

– KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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 Water Transportation industry. The technology infrastructure of United States is also helping it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.






Weaknesses of KNOT Offshore Partners LP | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of KNOT Offshore Partners LP are -

Workers concerns about automation

– As automation is fast increasing in the Water Transportation industry, KNOT Offshore Partners LP needs to come up with a strategy to reduce the workers concern regarding automation. Without a clear strategy, it could lead to disruption and uncertainty within the organization.

Employees’ less understanding of KNOT Offshore Partners LP strategy

– From the outside it seems that the employees of KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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.

Need for greater diversity

– KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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 decision making process

– As mentioned earlier in the report, KNOT Offshore Partners LP has a very deliberative decision making approach. This approach has resulted in prudent decisions, but it has also resulted in missing opportunities in the Water Transportation industry over the last five years. KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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.

Skills based hiring in Water Transportation industry

– The stress on hiring functional specialists at KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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.

Low market penetration in new markets

– Outside its home market of United States, KNOT Offshore Partners LP needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.

Aligning sales with marketing

– From the outside it seems that KNOT Offshore Partners LP needs to have more collaboration between its sales team and marketing team. Sales professionals in the Water Transportation industry have deep experience in developing customer relationships. Marketing department at KNOT Offshore Partners LP can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as KNOT Offshore Partners LP is planning to shift buying processes online.

Compensation and incentives

– The revenue per employee of KNOT Offshore Partners LP is just above the Water Transportation industry average. It 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.

Lack of clear differentiation of KNOT Offshore Partners LP products

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

High dependence on KNOT Offshore Partners LP ‘s star products

– The top 2 products and services of KNOT Offshore Partners LP still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in Water Transportation industry has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though KNOT Offshore Partners LP has relatively successful track record of launching new products.

Increasing silos among functional specialists

– The organizational structure of KNOT Offshore Partners LP is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Water Transportation industry, but KNOT Offshore Partners LP needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help KNOT Offshore Partners LP to focus more on services in the Water Transportation industry rather than just following the product oriented approach.




KNOT Offshore Partners LP Opportunities | External Strategic Factors
What are Opportunities in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The opportunities of KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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, KNOT Offshore Partners LP can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that KNOT Offshore Partners LP operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Water Transportation sector.

Developing new processes and practices

– KNOT Offshore Partners LP can develop new processes and procedures in Water Transportation 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.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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.

Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions in Water Transportation industry

– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for KNOT Offshore Partners LP in the Water Transportation industry. Now KNOT Offshore Partners LP can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, KNOT Offshore Partners LP is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. KNOT Offshore Partners LP can utilize new technology in the field of Water Transportation industry to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.

Better consumer reach

– The expansion of the 5G network will help KNOT Offshore Partners LP to increase its market reach. KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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.

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of KNOT Offshore Partners LP has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in Water Transportation industry. This can help KNOT Offshore Partners LP to build a more holistic ecosystem for KNOT Offshore Partners LP products in the Water Transportation industry by providing – data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– KNOT Offshore Partners LP has spent a significant amount of money and effort to integrate analytics and machine learning into its operations in Water Transportation sector. This continuous investment in analytics has enabled KNOT Offshore Partners LP to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help KNOT Offshore Partners LP to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.

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. KNOT Offshore Partners LP can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

Low interest rates

– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, KNOT Offshore Partners LP can still utilize the low interest rates to borrow money for capital investment. Secondly it can also use the increase of government spending in infrastructure projects to get new business.

Buying journey improvements

– KNOT Offshore Partners LP can improve the customer journey of consumers in the Water Transportation industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. It 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.

Lowering marketing communication costs

– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for KNOT Offshore Partners LP in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Water Transportation industry, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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 Water Transportation industry.




Threats KNOT Offshore Partners LP External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats of KNOT Offshore Partners LP are -

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.

Environmental challenges

– KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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. KNOT Offshore Partners LP can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Water Transportation industry.

Increasing wage structure of KNOT Offshore Partners LP

– 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 KNOT Offshore Partners LP.

Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

– KNOT Offshore Partners LP has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Water Transportation industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, KNOT Offshore Partners LP needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Water Transportation 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.

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. KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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.

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for KNOT Offshore Partners LP in Water Transportation industry. The Water Transportation 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.

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 KNOT Offshore Partners LP business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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.

Barriers of entry lowering

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

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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 Water Transportation industry.

Learning curve for new practices

– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, KNOT Offshore Partners LP may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Water Transportation sector.

Consumer confidence and its impact on KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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 Water Transportation industry and other sectors.

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 KNOT Offshore Partners LP in the Water Transportation sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of KNOT Offshore Partners LP Template, Example


Not all factors mentioned under the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants in the SWOT Analysis are equal. Managers at KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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 KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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 KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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 KNOT Offshore Partners LP 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 KNOT Offshore Partners LP needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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