STRATEGIC

PLANNING MODELS
What Is a SWOT Analysis?

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and

Threats, and so a SWOT Analysis is a technique for assessing these
four aspects of your business.

You can use SWOT Analysis to make the most of what you've got, to
your organization's best advantage. And you can reduce the
chances of failure, by understanding what you're lacking, and
eliminating hazards that would otherwise catch you unawares.

Better still, you can start to craft a strategy that distinguishes you
from your competitors, and so compete successfully in your
market.
How to Do a SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Strengths are things that your organization does particularly well, or in a
way that distinguishes you from your competitors. Think about the
advantages your organization has over other organizations. These might be
the motivation of your staff, access to certain materials, or a strong set of
manufacturing processes.

Your strengths are an integral part of your organization, so think about

what makes it "tick." What do you do better than anyone else? What
values drive your business? What unique or lowest-cost resources can you
draw upon that others can't? Identify and analyze your organization's
Unique Selling Proposition (USP), and add this to the Strengths section
Weaknesses
Now it's time to consider your organization's weaknesses. Be honest! A SWOT
Analysis will only be valuable if you gather all the information you need. So, it's
best to be realistic now, and face any unpleasant truths as soon as possible.

Weaknesses, like strengths, are inherent features of your organization, so

focus on your people, resources, systems, and procedures. Think about what
you could improve, and the sorts of practices you should avoid.

Once again, imagine (or find out) how other people in your market see you.
Do they notice weaknesses that you tend to be blind to? Take time to examine
how and why your competitors are doing better than you. What are you
lacking?
Opportunities

Opportunities are openings or chances for something positive to happen, but you'll need to
claim them for yourself!

They usually arise from situations outside your organization, and require an eye to what
might happen in the future. They might arise as developments in the market you serve, or in
the technology you use. Being able to spot and exploit opportunities can make a huge
difference to your organization's ability to compete and take the lead in your market.

Think about good opportunities you can spot immediately. These don't need to be game-
changers: even small advantages can increase your organization's competitiveness. What
interesting market trends are you aware of, large or small, which could have an impact?

You should also watch out for changes in government policy related to your field. And
changes in social patterns, population profiles, and lifestyles can all throw up interesting
opportunities.
Threats
Threats include anything that can negatively affect your business from the
outside, such as supply chain problems, shifts in market requirements, or a
shortage of recruits. It's vital to anticipate threats and to take action against
them before you become a victim of them and your growth stalls.

Think about the obstacles you face in getting your product to market and
selling. You may notice that quality standards or specifications for your
products are changing, and that you'll need to change those products if
you're to stay in the lead. Evolving technology is an ever-present threat, as
well as an opportunity!
Always consider what your competitors are doing, and whether you should
be changing your organization's emphasis to meet the challenge. But
remember that what they're doing might not be the right thing for you to
do, and avoid copying them without knowing how it will improve your
position.

Be sure to explore whether your organization is especially exposed to

external challenges. Do you have bad debt or cash-flow problems, for
example, that could make you vulnerable to even small changes in your
market? This is the kind of threat that can seriously damage your business,
so be alert.
https://www.mindtools.com/media/Diagrams/SWOT_Analysis_New_Figure_1.jpg
Political Factors:

These factors are all about how and to what degree a government
intervenes in the economy or a certain industry. Basically all the
influences that a government has on your business could be
classified here. This can include government policy, political
stability or instability, corruption, foreign trade policy, tax policy,
labour law, environmental law and trade restrictions.
Furthermore, the government may have a profound impact on a
nation’s education system, infrastructure and health regulations.
These are all factors that need to be taken into account when
assessing the attractiveness of a potential market.
Economic Factors:

Economic factors are determinants of a certain economy’s

performance. Factors include economic growth, exchange
rates, inflation rates, interest rates, disposable income of
consumers and unemployment rates. These factors may
have a direct or indirect long term impact on a company,
since it affects the purchasing power of consumers and
could possibly change demand/supply models in the
economy. Consequently it also affects the way companies
price their products and services.
Social Factors:

This dimension of the general environment represents the

demographic characteristics, norms, customs and values of the
population within which the organization operates. This includes
population trends such as the population growth rate, age
distribution, income distribution, career attitudes, safety
emphasis, health consciousness, lifestyle attitudes and cultural
barriers. These factors are especially important for marketers
when targeting certain customers. In addition, it also says
something about the local workforce and its willingness to work
under certain conditions.
Technological Factors:

These factors pertain to innovations in technology that may affect the

operations of the industry and the market favorably or unfavorably. This
refers to technology incentives, the level of innovation, automation,
research and development (R&D) activity, technological change and the
amount of technological awareness that a market possesses. These factors
may influence decisions to enter or not enter certain industries, to launch or
not launch certain products or to outsource production activities abroad. By
knowing what is going on technology-wise, you may be able to prevent your
company from spending a lot of money on developing a technology that
would become obsolete very soon due to disruptive technological changes
elsewhere.
Environmental Factors:

Environmental factors have come to the forefront only relatively

recently. They have become important due to the increasing scarcity of
raw materials, pollution targets and carbon footprint targets set by
governments. These factors include ecological and environmental
aspects such as weather, climate, environmental offsets and climate
change which may especially affect industries such as tourism, farming,
agriculture and insurance. Furthermore, growing awareness of the
potential impacts of climate change is affecting how companies operate
and the products they offer. This has led to many companies getting
more and more involved in practices such as corprate social
responsibility (CSR) and sustainability
Legal Factors:

Although these factors may have some overlap with the political
factors, they include more specific laws such as discrimination laws,
antitrust laws, employment laws, consumer protection laws,
copyright and patent laws, and health and safety laws. It is clear that
companies need to know what is and what is not legal in order to
trade successfully and ethically. If an organisation trades globally this
becomes especially tricky since each country has its own set of rules
and regulations. In addition, you want to be aware of any potential
changes in legislation and the impact it may have on your business in
the future. Recommended is to have a legal advisor or attorney to
help you with these kind of things.

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