In the 1960’s and 70’s, Albert Humphrey is said to have developed this strategic planning tool using data from the top companies in America at the time. A SWOT Analysis looks at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that are relevant to an organization in a new venture. A SWOT Analysis is a tool which allows users to look at the direction a company or organization may wish to move towards in the future. A SWOT Analysis is a useful tool, which in conjunction with others can help make informed decisions.
Definition of SWOT
Many people see SWOT as synonymous with strategic planning. In fact, a SWOT analysis is only one of many tools that can be used in an organization’s strategic planning process. SWOT is short for “Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats”.
By specifying clear objectives and identifying internal and external factors that are either helpful or not, a short and simple SWOT analysis is a useful resource which may be incorporated into an organizations strategic planning model.
Strengths
Internal attributes those are helpful to the organization to achieving its objective Weaknesses Internal attributes that are harmful to the organization to achieving its objective Opportunities External factors that help the organization achieve its objective
Threats External factors those are harmful to the organization to achieving its objective. After identifying the SWOT’s, identification of the factors and their interdependence helps clarify the steps needed to achieve the ending objectives.
Internal and External Factors
The aim of any SWOT analysis is to identify the key internal and external factors that are important to achieving the objective. SWOT analysis groups key pieces of information into two main categories: * Internal factors – The strengths and weaknesses internal to the organization *
References: 1.Chapman, A. (2007). SWOT analysis. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from http://www.businessballs.com/swotanalysisfreetemplate.htm 2.JRC European Commission. (2007). SWOT (strengths weaknesses opportunities and threats) analysis. Re- trieved October 19, 2007, from http://forlearn.jrc.es/guide/2_design/meth_swot-analysis.htm 3.SWOT analysis.(2007). British Airways, PLC SWOT Analysis, , 5. 4.Tuckwell, K. J. (2007). Strategic planning principles. Integrated marketing communications: Strategic plan- 5.ning perspectives (2nd ed., pp. 47-51). Toronto: Pearson Education Canada. Wikipedia. (2007). SWOT analysis. Retrieved October 20, 2007, from 6.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_Analysis 7.www.bhpinfosolutions.co.uk 8. www.mbaskool.com/brandguide