1.

INTRODUCTION
As technology changes business on a day-to-day basis, one thing continues to remain the
same; the human component of any business is critical. Although processes and tasks can
often be automated, saving valuable man-hours in the process, this automation means that
each human employee who is left is just that much more important. For this reason,
Human Resources and the functions they provide are critical to a company’s success.
Without a strong, innovative Human Resources team, with the processes and procedures
in place to allow them to work effectively, the best employees cannot be consistently
hired or retained. A company can have the best product or service in the world, but if
their staff is lacking, sooner or later their company will suffer. In the end, Human
Resources has a dramatic effect on a company’s bottom line. Cisco Systems, Inc. is one
of the companies that truly has an appreciation for this critical business component.
Founded in 1984, by a group of Stanford University computer scientists, Cisco Systems,
Inc. is now the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Since the company's
inception, Cisco engineers have been prominent in advancing the development of IP- the
basic language to communicate over the Internet and in private networks. The company's
tradition of innovation continues today with Cisco creating leading products and key
technologies that will make the Internet more useful and dynamic in the years ahead.
These technologies include: advanced routing and switching, voice and video over IP,
optical networking, wireless, storage networking, security, broadband, and content
networking. 
In addition to their leadership in the technology sector, Cisco Systems is also a leader in
how business is conducted, thanks in part to their innovation in Human Resources.
2. SWOT ANALYSIS 

A SWOT analysis evaluates the internal strengths and weaknesses, and the external
opportunities and threats in an organization's environment. The internal analysis identifies
resources, capabilities, core competencies and competitive advantages, using a functional
approach to review finance, management, infrastructure, procurement, production,
distribution, marketing, reputational factors and innovation. The internal analysis is critical in
identifying the source of competitive advantage. It pinpoints the resources that need to be
developed in order to remain competitive. The external analysis identifies market
opportunities and threats by looking at the competitors' environment, the industry
environment and the general environment. The competitors' environment is an analysis of the
resources and functions of each rival firm. The industry environment is reviewed through the
five forces framework of competitive rivalry, new entrants, suppliers, buyers and product
substitution. The external environment is analyzed in terms of political, economic, socio
cultural, technological, ecological, demographic, ethical, and regulatory implications. The
objective of a SWOT analysis is to use the knowledge an organization has about its
environments and to formulate its strategy accordingly.
1. ADVANTAGES OF SWOT ANALYSIS
1. Understand your business better
2. Address weaknesses
3. Deter threats 
4. Capitalise on opportunities
5. Take advantage of your strengths
6. Develop business goals and strategies for achieving them.

2.  LIMITATIONS OF SWOT ANALYSIS

1. Doesn't prioritise issues

2. Doesn't provide solutions or offer alternative decisions
3. Can generate too many ideas but not help you choose which one is best
4. Can produce a lot of information, but not all of it is useful.