Several years ago, I started making notes when I read books on business and other topics that are of interest to me. The reason I started making notes is I would read a book and want to refer to a portion of it at a later date. I would then wonder ... what book was it? ... where was the section I wanted to re-read? My solution is to make notes as I am reading the book.
After completing my BBA, I also found I wanted to refer to information that had been presented in the course work. Again, where do I begin my search? Was it in a book? � a handout? � or in a lecture? As I approach the end of MBA, I�m reminded that I might want to access some of the information at a future date. My solution is to gather notes and handouts and place them on the Web.
Why place my notes on the Web? I'm not always at home when I want to look something up and I'm not always on the same computer at home. The solution: put my notes on a site so I can access the info at any time and from almost anywhere.
The following page is my notes from BADM at OLLU during Fall 2001. It contains notes and handouts from lectures of Peter Kirby.
David Schoen's Notes On
lecturer/professor: Peter Kirby, PhD
SWOT Analysis
SWOT
S = Strengths
W = Weakness
O = Opportunities
T = Threats
Opportunities and Threats
Defining The External Market
- Short Term Perspective
- Long Term Impact
Analysis Of The External Markets
- Scanning
- Those environmental segments that do or will impact our business. Looking for Trends and Signals
- Monitoring
- Tracking specific trends and events with Facts and Data
- Forecasting
- Projecting future Patterns and Events that do and will impact our business
- Assessment
- How does all this influence Current and Future Strategies
Defined By Five Segments (in the Global Environment)
- Markets
- Competition
- Technology
- Society
- Government
Example
X Corporation
Environmental Evaluation Sheet
General Environment:
- International
(may want to look at this by product)
What is the nature of our international sales?
What share do we have in each of the markets?
What is the nature of the competition?
What changes in the international environment are to our advantage?
- How will we capitalize on them?
Do we have the right products for international growth?
How important is international growth to our long-term strategy?
How do we monitor the international markets?
X Corporation Example Continued
Markets
- Customers:
- Industrial
- consumer
- government
- not-for-profit
- Locations:
- regional
- national
- international
- Types of products:
- Goods and/or services
- Stages of product life cycle
- Nature of products:
- Nature of buying decision:
- Impulse
- formalized analysis
- Purchase decision factors:
- Price
- packaging
- service
- maintenance
- availability
- convenience
- credit/financing
- reputation
- other factors
- Market structure:
- Competitive/commodity to regulated oligopoly/monopoly
X Corporation Example Continued
Task environment:
- Customers
- Product: _____________________________
Who are the customers?
What do they want?
Will their business change? How?
What do we need to know about them?
What systems do we have in place that helps us to know our customers?
What do our customers think we do well?
Strengths And Weaknesses
Defining the internal situation
- Short Term Impact
- Long Term Impact
Strengths and Weaknesses
- Employees
- Past, current, future productivity
- Moral and motivation
- Participation in decision making
- Non-productive time (absenteeism and turnover)
- Training and development
- Wage and salary system (rewards, satisfaction, growth)
X Corporation Example Continued
Analysis of strengths and weaknesses
Resources (intangible)
Managerial Processes and skills
- Procedures
- Processes
- Skills
Special Relationships
- Dealers
- Customers
- Suppliers
- Government
Special Skills/ Synergies
- Bringing together of what we do
Legal relationship
- Patents
- long term contracts
Distinctive Competence
Distinctive
Defined as serving to identify or set apart an individual or group
- Business
- Government agency
- University
- etc
Competence
Is an ability or faculty
Is a strategic strength that:
1. Meets a market need
AND
2. Gives the organization a competitive advantage over competition.
X Corporation Example Continued
POSITION OF ADVANTAGE
superior customer value
lower relative cost
| SOURCES OF ADVANTAGE | PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES |
| superior skills | satisfaction loyalty |
| superior resources | market share |
| superior controls | profitability |
X Corporation Example Continued
POSITION OF ADVANTAGE
high quality products
stable operation
distribution system
Sources of advantage performance outcomes
1-customer service skills supplier relationships
1-customer support systems customer service satisfaction
2-supplier relationships
2-financial resources
3-internal control systems(?)
1 = superior skills
2 = superior resources
3 = superior controls
Example
Big Hotel Chain SWOT Analysis Sheet
Environmental Analysis Organizational Analysis
Opportunities Strengths
High market growth for low-cost lodging solid hotel business
Increased leisure time solid food services business
Increased foreign travel strong management team
Increased business travel good, central hotel sites
Fast good growth strong common thread among all businesses
Threats Weaknesses
Low market growth for high-cost lodging poor performance from cruise, travel, and theme park businesses
Legal challenges to franchising high-cost locations for hotels
International political instability/terrorism weak cash position
Fast-food growth ineffective advertising
Growth in budget inn chains lack of clear �image�
Decline in the dollar
Inflation
Example
Retirement center SWOT analysis
Strengths weaknesses
Management team stability, competence and maturity missing link of communication, accountability, and commitment
Shared values of leadership inconsistent use of policies and procedures
Quality care & the employees who provide it increasingly aging residents and physical plant
Manageable size of facilities literacy of employees giving care
Clean and helpful environment employee instability
CDP financial and philosophical support reactive long range planning
Employee benefits
Positive relationships among management team
Educational opportunities
Marriott partnerships
Opportunities Threats
Availability of employees Government rules, regulations (nursing practices, taxes, minimum wage)
Develop expertise in Medicare/Medicaid Possible changes in Medicare/Medicaid
Expansion of facilities Environmental problems such as water availability and waste disposal
Serve others rather than limit to CDP�s Cost of staffing � competitive wages
Make wages competitive capacity to expand facilities on an on-going basis
Safety and security of residents and staff
Management turnover
Crea
last update: 4/26/2002