Understanding SWOT Analysis

Understanding SWOT Analysis To most business and management students, the SWOT (which stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis probably looks and feels like an uninteresting scholastic exercise; it’s either the sort of thing instructors like to make students do to make sure they’ve actually read the assigned case study, or alternately, a good way to pad out an essay with a challenging word limit. Yet despite its deceptive simplicity and its age – the method has been a staple of strategic planning and management textbooks for about 40 years – the SWOT analysis is still a very current and very useful planning tool for business, and well worth learning. What Is a SWOT Analysis? The SWOT analysis is attributed to Dr. Andrew S. Humphrey, who developed the method while working at the Stanford Research Institute in the early 1970s. SWOT can best be described as an environmental analysis tool; it combines an assessment of the company’s internal environment (Strengths and Weaknesses) with the relevant external environment (Opportunities and Threats). The SWOT typically takes the form of a 22 matrix, which allows planners to look at all the factors at the same time. Here is an example of a brief SWOT analysis, from a strategic assessment of a pharmaceutical company: Strengths Weaknesses Leading position in R D spending and organization Well-developed presence in global markets. Facilities are strategically dispersed to increase research volume. Testing processes are highly automated. Market reach and diversity help moderate effects of downturns in any one segment or market. Strong brand identity. Strong corporate responsibility images with the initiative to increase generic drug availability in underprivileged markets. Good financial position with respect to current assets liabilities: current ratio of 1.64, and acid-test ratio of 1.31. Less-than-ideal debt liability position High tax liability of 9.46%. Short-term debts greatly reduced in 2008, but long-term obligations correspondingly increased. Debt-to-equity ratio (at end of 2008) of 1.95. Opportunities Threats Consumer health issues are opportunities for new products High rates of vascular and heart disease increase demand for drugs to treat these conditions and their symptoms. Lower smoking rates increase demand for smoking-cessation drugs. Increasing obesity rates increase demand for weight-control drugs. Growing emerging markets, for example in Asia and Africa. Government support in the form of scheduled pharmaceutical price increases from 2009 2011. Strong generic drug competition in established markets, primarily the UK and the US. Mandated generic drug availability policies in large markets, for example, the UK and Brazil. Expiry of patents on some key products. Cautious or skeptical assessments from financial analysts can weaken investor confidence. Want to know more? Go here: Five Forces Analysis Critical Success Factors Analysis Critical Analysis Writing The ADL Matrix and Gap Analysis Advantages of the SWOT Analysis: The biggest advantage in using the SWOT analysis as a basic strategic planning tool is that it is an uncomplicated way to gather all the necessary information in one place; the methodology behind the SWOT is largely self-explanatory, and thus almost everyone in the organization can have input to it. This was the overall objective of Dr. Humphrey in developing it, as he was a champion of what he called â€Å"Total Action Management† (or TAM), an early conceptualization of what we know today as â€Å"flat† or â€Å"horizontal† organizational architecture, Total Quality Management (TQM), and the stakeholder approach to strategic planning. The SWOT analysis has an advantage over more complex and detailed environmental analysis methods like the PESTEL analysis because it categorizes the important factors – internal or external, good or bad. This can help the organization more easily determine which factors need attention. Finally, the arrangement of factors can help to identify other points that may have been overlooked; for example, an obvious threat from the external environment might reveal an internal weakness. Disadvantages of the SWOT Analysis: The biggest advantage of the SWOT analysis – its simplicity – is in some ways its biggest weakness; the analysis is only as good as the information put into it, and if key factors are not included, subsequent strategic planning can be adversely affected. One of the biggest flaws of SWOT analysis is not in the tool itself, but in its users, according to Professor Malcolm McDonald of Oxford University, who has called the SWOT, as it is taught in business schools these days, the SWAG (which stands for â€Å"Scientific Wild-Ass Guess†). The common problem, in McDonald’s view, is that many weaknesses and threats are generic and applicable to any organization’s environment – things like the threats of natural disaster, political instability, or poor global economic conditions – and are therefore not very helpful in planning for the specific circumstances of a particular organization and its market. The SWOT analysis is also not a stand-alone tool. It is an effective way to gather and organize information needed for strategic planning, but it gives no priority to the factors. In the example above, for instance, the various points are presented in a completely random order, as they were recalled by the managers helping to build the SWOT; beyond arranging the factors into their correct places in the matrix, the analysis by itself does not suggest which ones are the most important. Alternatives to the SWOT Analysis: In a regularly-cited 1997 article (â€Å"SWOT Analysis: It’s Time for a Product Recall,† Long Range Planning, Vol. 30, February 1997) authors Terry Hill and Roy Westbrook argue that the SWOT analysis produces ineffective results so often – largely due to the SWAG factors described by Professor McDonald – that it ought to be scrapped altogether. To compensate for some of the method’s shortcomings, variations of the SWOT analysis such as the POWER SWOT, the TOWS analysis and the Defensive/Offensive Evaluation (DOE) have been developed in recent years. These variations add depth and detail to the standard SWOT analysis and are valuable tools in the strategic planning toolbox. The traditional SWOT analysis, however, remains important for management studies even if its capital as a real-life assessment tool may be a bit diminished these days because it is the basis for more advanced and complex tools that followed. Understanding the SWOT not only makes i t possible to use this very simple tool to its full advantage but provides a necessary background for learning and applying more sophisticated strategic planning tools. offers professional academic writing services since 2005. In case you are in need of a paper on SWOT analysis, please feel free to visit our order page and our professional writers will be happy to assist.

Free Essays on El Nino

El Nino El Nino has been a reoccurring phenomenon for centuries. Man has only started to realize how much of the worlds weather is effected by it. The term El Nino refers to an irregular warming of the seas surface. During the last 40 years there have been 10 significant El Nino occurrences. Most affecting the coast of South America. Water temperatures increase along the coast as far as the Galapagos islands. Weak events will raise the water temperature 2 to 4 degrees Celsius and will have minor impact on fishing. However strong events such as the 1982-83 event will disrupt climate conditions around the world as well as local conditions. It has been linked to floods and droughts all over the world. Hurricanes and tropical storms are also altered in their numbers by El Nino. Therefore it would be very helpful for people if El Nino could be predicted and prepared for in some form. During a El Nino cycle there are many biological changes. Due to a depressed thermocline there is less photosynthetic activity resulting in a decrease in the primary life forms that form the beginning of the food chain. The warmer waters that are brought by these changing cycles hold less dissolved oxygen forcing fish to go deeper or venture elsewhere. Due to a lack of data during El Nino occurrences it is not fully known if fish populations are depleted solely due to exposure to El Nino. A decrease in their growth and reproductive success has been observed by many surveys in coastal waters. The link between climatic effects around the world and El Nino is now well established. It has taken many years of studying to understand how the pieces of the puzzle, from ocean currents to winds and heavy rains fit together. During the 1920s a scientist was on assignment in India trying to predict the Asian monsoons. As he sorted through his records he discovered a connection between barometer readings at stations on the eastern and western sides of the ... Free Essays on El Nino Free Essays on El Nino El Nino El Nino has been a reoccurring phenomenon for centuries. Man has only started to realize how much of the worlds weather is effected by it. The term El Nino refers to an irregular warming of the seas surface. During the last 40 years there have been 10 significant El Nino occurrences. Most affecting the coast of South America. Water temperatures increase along the coast as far as the Galapagos islands. Weak events will raise the water temperature 2 to 4 degrees Celsius and will have minor impact on fishing. However strong events such as the 1982-83 event will disrupt climate conditions around the world as well as local conditions. It has been linked to floods and droughts all over the world. Hurricanes and tropical storms are also altered in their numbers by El Nino. Therefore it would be very helpful for people if El Nino could be predicted and prepared for in some form. During a El Nino cycle there are many biological changes. Due to a depressed thermocline there is less photosynthetic activity resulting in a decrease in the primary life forms that form the beginning of the food chain. The warmer waters that are brought by these changing cycles hold less dissolved oxygen forcing fish to go deeper or venture elsewhere. Due to a lack of data during El Nino occurrences it is not fully known if fish populations are depleted solely due to exposure to El Nino. A decrease in their growth and reproductive success has been observed by many surveys in coastal waters. The link between climatic effects around the world and El Nino is now well established. It has taken many years of studying to understand how the pieces of the puzzle, from ocean currents to winds and heavy rains fit together. During the 1920s a scientist was on assignment in India trying to predict the Asian monsoons. As he sorted through his records he discovered a connection between barometer readings at stations on the eastern and western sides of the ...

Aristotle, Eudaimonia, and Egoistic Hedonism Essay

Aristotle, Eudaimonia, and Egoistic Hedonism - Essay Example This cultivation of excellence is what Aristotle defines as happiness. There is a pleasure that derives from the achievement of living well or living ethically. The ultimate goal of the Nicomachean Ethics is then the establishment of what is good and how it is obtained teleologically, or purpose-driven. As Aristotle proposed, "every art and investigationseems to aim at some good," and that this end was happiness. (Bk. I, Ch. 1). In order to answer what role pleasure plays in a happy life it is necessary to differentiate and define what happiness and pleasure respectively mean first. Happiness and pleasure are not synonymous terms, though pleasure can be obtained through living in accordance to the happy life. In the Nicomachean Ethics, the word that was translated to "happiness" is derived from the Greek word "eudaimonia" that carries with it a connotation meaning excellence and high value. Happiness should not be mistaken, as it is defined in contemporary and popular usage as a relative state characterized by the amount of pleasure received from something or liking to something. Instead happiness is instead living a virtuous life, or as Aristotle wrote, happiness is "the activity of the soul in accordance to virtue." (Bk. I, Ch. VII). Requisite in this is the explanation regarding how the soul can be engaged in accordance to virtue and what virtue itself means. Virtue did not pertain to being highly morali stic as it does today, but rather it pertained to its degree of excellence and value. Virtue was translated from the Greek word "arte" that directly relates to the means excellence. Therefore, something was virtuous if it achieved its goal or end well. For example, a computer was virtuous if it processed information well, and performed the myriad of other tasks with proficiency and skill. For a person, this meant that they were virtuous if they lived and achieved happiness. The arte of man is his ability to reason and the more well or excellently he reasoned, the more virtuous he or she was. Living rationally then is living excellently and doing well, and reason is the activity of the soul, or as Aristotle defined as "the exercise of the soul's faculties in conformity with virtue in a complete life." (Bk. I, Ch VII). Pleasure on the other hand holds a different meaning in the Nicomachean Ethics. Pleasure is the positive feelings one obtains through the actions, as opposed to the aim of the actions themselves. For example, if an individual decides to exercise vigorously daily, they may improve their physical appearance to others as a result. Any compliments by others would make the individual feel good, and that good sensation is pleasure. While the aim of exercising might be something else, that is better health and more energy, and the compliments made by others are secondary. The virtuous act of exercise and physical fitness is to get into better health while the pleasurable act would be the compliments towards a more attractive physical appearance. Aristotle would not consider the intended purpose of receiving compliments because of exercise to of excellent virtue, but rather of hedonistic pleasure. Pleasure should not be the end goal, but part of

HIS 101 MOD 3 CA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

HIS 101 MOD 3 CA - Essay Example Change is considered to be a phenomenon which is continuous and is bound to continue so long there is life on earth and time variation. Change is a social setting result in the difference in way of social lives and the social phenomena is exhibited constantly. This is so since the society continually experiences civilization and changes in telecommunication and technology and the ways of living. It is evident that human society is wholly governed with values, ethics and rules in every human activity. Therefore, the pattern of response to the changes is what interests the study of technology and social change. Social change is the social institutions and culture throughout time. Social change is usually brought about by a collection of behaviors (Kendall 2004). Since the mobile phone has been widely adopted as a tool for entertainment and communication, this has led to the revolutionization of the society and the redefinition of patterns of social relationships and contacts among individuals. The mobile phones have succeeded in the transformation of daily life of different and many individuals to a great extent that the technology is considered as an agent of social change. Since it is a personalized device, this has made it possible to provide individuals with greater personal freedom. In addition, the mobile technology has distorted the boundary that existed between public and personal life. Besides being used as communication device, the mobile phone is also considered as a fashion tool which has shaped people’s prestige and identity thus resulting to the creation of a subcultur e especially in adolescents. Mobile phones have been used largely to promote social change. Since early 1990s, Information Communication Technology (ICT) has been considered to be the powerful tools in strengthening the impacts of the development

You can choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

You can choice - Essay Example Agricultural bio-systems and structures are among the most promising solutions that can be applied on the problem. There is increased need to address the issue of global warming especially considering that global population is increasing by the day. More importantly, urbanization and industrialization is increasing the rate of global warming. Therefore, more focus on measures to control the rate of global warming to ensure that the future ecosystem is sustainable. However, agricultural biosystems seems to be one of the ways in which the issue of global warming can be addressed. By articulating different aspects of agricultural biosystems, it is possible to realize long-term benefits in the efforts of controlling global warming. It is important to consider that global warming has largely been caused by human activities. Therefore, it will take human efforts to reverse the effects and control the present rate. Otherwise, it will be increasingly difficult for the future generations to survive in this world if meaningful efforts are not applied at the

Critical Thinking at Work Essay Example for Free

Critical Thinking at Work Essay The aforementioned â€Å"Rational Model† actually entails following 4 processes including: First of all is to pinpoint or identify the problem; second is to bring into being diverse alternatives/answers to the problem that has just been identified; third is to choose or pick a solution from the second stage or process; and last but not least is to implement the chosen solution before finally assessing it (Decision Making, n. d. ). The description provided will be further understood in the following example taken from my personal experience at the William Smith Sr. Tri-County Early Head Start. Example from My Personal Experience at William Smith Sr. Tri-County Early Head Start Keith A. , a student of the William Smith Sr. Tri-County Early Head Start has often been exhibiting temper tantrums. There are times when he would throw objects at other kids, slap them, lash out at them, etc. He does not seem to know how to calm down. The same thing happened during one of the weekly field trips. All of a sudden, he pushed his seatmate in the bus, yelled at her, and then eventually hit her. Following that incident, a school official seated behind him stood up and sat next to him. I thought she was just going to speak to the child, remind him that what he did was an unacceptable behavior, and oblige him to apologize to his seatmate, etc. But instead of doing so, he held the boy’s hands tightly and angrily told him to behave. When the young boy yelled at the school official, he held Keith’s cheek tightly, said â€Å"you better show some respect young man†. Keith spit at the school official as a response and so he was slapped in return. I did not protect the child. I did not have the courage to tell the school official that he should not treat the young boy that way even if what he did was wrong. Later that day, I was torn between telling the truth and just letting the occurrence pass. I knew in my heart that what the school official did was wrong. It clearly defies the philosophy/vision/mission, as well as, goals of the programs offered in William Smith Sr. Tri-County Early Head Start (William Smith, Sr. , Tri-County Child Development Council, Inc. , n. d. ). I would like to tell the head of the school about what I saw so that the school official who did that to Keith would be subjected to disciplinary action/s and so that such an untoward incident would never happen again because if it did so many students will probably be traumatized if that is how they will be treated if they misbehaved. It is quite difficult on my part to go to the head of the school though and relay what I had just witnessed earlier that day because I am only an ordinary â€Å"rank-and-file employee†. It would be my word as an ordinary employee against the high and mighty school official. It could mean loss of a job on my part. Importance/Benefits of Critical Thinking in the Decision-making Process I utilized the â€Å"Rational Model† here. First, I have identified the problem, which is whether or not to report the untoward incident that I witnessed. Second, I have realized the choices: a) I will tell the head about it to prevent such occurrence in the future; or b) I will just keep it to myself so as to keep my job as well. Third is to pick choice â€Å"a† because it is the right thing to do. Finally, carry it out. Critical thinking played a large role in the decision-making process that I had engaged in since I was able to balance/weigh everything before I moved. Without the â€Å"Rational Model† and without the process of critical thinking, I would not be able to decide objectively and probably arrived at the wrong/unethical decision. References Decision Making. (n. d. ). Retrieved January 17, 2008 from http://72. 14. 253. 104/search? q=cache:ycQOog9jFygJ:www. unf. edu/~gbaker/Man6204/Decision. PDF+decision-making+modelshl=tlct=clnkcd=2gl=phclient=firefox-a William Smith, Sr. , Tri-County Child Development Council, Inc. (n. d. ). About Us. Retrieved January 17, 2008 from http://www. wsstricounty. org/About. html

The Characters of Hamlet and Holden Essay -- compare, contrast, compari

To some, this argument may seem the most blatant form of mistruth, horrendous, even, in its lack of taste, a kind of literary sacrilege, in fact. Surely we have reached the end, one might say, when one can considerer comparing the immortal Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, with the adolescent protagonist of Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Salinger’s hero has been compared to many literary figures, from Huckleberry Finn to David Copperfield. So many different attitudes have been taken toward him. Let’s stop talking about him and write something else. Isn’t the subject getting boring? Perhaps so, but Holden will not go away. He continues to pester the mind, and while reading A.C. Bradley’s analysis of Hamlet’s character, it was hard to resist the idea that much of what Bradley was saying about Hamlet applied to Holden as well. Perhaps the comparison is not as absurd as it first appears. Of course, there is no similarity between the events of the play and those of the novel. The fascinating thing while reading Bradley was how perfectly his analysis of Hamlet’s character applied to Holden’s, how deeply, in fact, he was going into Holden’s character as well, revealing, among other things, its potentially tragic nature. After demolishing the theories of other critics, Bradley concluded that the essence of Hamlet’s character is contained in a three-fold analysis of it. First, that rather than being melancholy by temperament, in the usual sense of â€Å"profoundly sad,† he is a person of unusual nervous instability, one liable to extreme and profound alterations of mood, a potential manic-depressive type. Romantic, we might say. Second, this Hamlet is also a person of â€Å"exquisite moral sensibility, â€Å" hypersensitive to goodness, a m... ...dy view holden as symbolizing the plight of the idealist in the modern world. Most importantly, however, it suggests why Holden Caulfied will not go away, he continues to remain so potent an influence on the now aging younger generation that he first spoke to, and why he continues to brand himself anew on the young. In fact, in this age of atrophy, in this thought-tormented, thought-tormenting time in which we live, perhaps it is not going too far to say that, for many of us, at least, our Hamlet is Holden.  Works Cited Bradley, A.C. â€Å"Hamlet.† Shakespearean Tragedy. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1981. 89-174. Sanders, Wlibur, and Howard Jacobson. â€Å"Hamlet’s Sanity.† Shakespeare’s Magnanimity: Four Tragic Heroes, Their Friends and Families. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978. 22-56. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992.