SWOT Analysis With Example

Introduction:

In this Article lets see What is SWOT analysis? its Importance & How to do SWOT Analysis with Example.

What is SWOT analysis?

• A SWOT Analysis is a technique that enables organisations or individual to move from everyday problems and traditional strategies to a fresh prospective.
• SWOT is a popular 4-box strategy analysis and strategy development model.

The acronym SWOT is derived from:

• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats

The Importance of SWOT Analysis

• SWOT analysis looks at your strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats your business faces. SWOT can help your company face its greatest challenges and find its most promising new markets.
• The SWOT Analysis framework is a very important and useful tool to use in marketing Management and other business applications
• A clear understanding of SWOT is required for business majors.

What is SWOT Analysis for?

Needs of SWOT Analysis:

• To help decision makers share and compare ideas.
• To bring a clearer common purpose and understanding of factors for success.
• To organize the important factors linked to success and failure in the business world.
• To help individual or organization to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
• It promotes strategic thinking

Who needs SWOT Analysis?

Business Unit:

• When the team has not met its targets
• Customer service can be better
• Launching a new business unit to pursue a new business
• New team leader is appointed

Job Holder:

• When supervisor has issues with work output
• Assigned to a new job
• New financial year – fresh targets
• Job holder seeks to improve
• performance on the job

Company:

• When revenue, cost & expense targets are not being achieved
• Industry conditions are unfavorable
• Launching a new business venture

SWOT Analysis Company

Basic Elements of The SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis With Example

Strengths (internal, positive factors)

• Characteristics of the business or individual that give it an advantage over others in the industry.
• Positive tangible and intangible attributes, internal to an organization or individual
• Beneficial aspects of the organization or the capabilities of an organization, process capabilities, financial resources, products and services, customer goodwill and brand loyalty.

Examples – Abundant financial resources, Well-known brand name, Lower costs [raw materials or processes], Superior management talent, Better marketing skills, Good distribution skills, Committed employees

Weaknesses (internal, negative factors)

• Characteristics that place the firm or individual at a disadvantage relative to others.
• Detract the organization from its ability to attain the core goal and influence its growth.
• Weaknesses are the factors which do not meet the standards we feel they should meet. However, weaknesses are controllable. They must be minimized and eliminated.

Examples – Limited financial resources, Very narrow product line, Limited distribution, Higher costs, Weak market image, Poor marketing skills, Limited management skills, Under-trained employees

Opportunities

• Opportunity in SWOT analysis Are external attractive factors that represent reasons your business is likely to prosper.
• Chances to make greater profits in the environment – External attractive factors that represent the reason for an organization to exist & develop.
• Arise when an organization can take benefit of conditions in its environment to plan and execute strategies that enable it to become more profitable.
• Organization should be careful and recognize the opportunities and grasp them whenever they arise.

Examples – Rapid market growth, Rival firms are complacent, Changing customer needs/tastes, New uses for product discovered, Economic boom, Government deregulation, Sales decline for a substitute product.

Threats (external, negative factors)

• External elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the business – External factors, beyond an organization’s control.
• Arise when conditions in external environment jeopardize the reliability and profitability of the organization’s business.

 Examples – Entry of foreign competitors, Introduction of new substitute products, Product life cycle in decline, Changing customer needs/tastes, Rival firms adopt new strategies, Increased government regulation, Economic downturn.

SWOT Analysis for Person

“Those with keen understanding of their strengths and needs are in much better position than those with limited or faulty self-knowledge“

– Howard Gardner, Frames of Mind

• Personal SWOT analysis is a great tool to assess yourself in order to plan your career.
• You can use it to assess yourself, compare yourself against your peers/competitors and also use it to find
• career growth opportunities.

When to do a personal SWOT Analysis ?

• When going to an interview – So you can focus on your strengths and talk about them more. It will help in preparing the CV as well. If you have a very good idea about the job requirements beforehand you can modify the CV to match them as well.
• When applying for a promotion – Helps you to assess yourself against other candidates. You’ll have a good understanding of your strengths against your competitors so you can focus on them rather than your general strengths.
• Before a career switch – Helps you to figure out whether your skills match the opportunities in your new career or whether they are much suited for your current job

SWOT analysis Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages of SWOT analysis

SWOT has many advantages, a few of which are

• It is easy to understand — a simple diagram and no mathematics.
• It is applicable to many levels in an organisation — from an individual, a team, a business unit or division, up to the corporate strategy.
• It can be applied at many different depths from quick and easy, to highly detailed.
• With proper use, it can be linked to corporate objectives and to strategy deployment.
• Being highly visual, it is easy to communicate.

Disadvantages of SWOT analysis

 Despite its popularity and the advantages above, SWOT has several disadvantages

• It is tempting to undertake SWOT analysis using qualitative or subjective (anecdotal or hearsay) rather than quantitative data.
• Issues are easily expressed as broad generalisations rather than specifics.
• Easily biased by perceptions, personality types and preferences.
• Data collection, evaluation, and decision-making are easily confused.
• It is often drawn incorrectly; this has an impact especially when the underlying principles are ignored.
• The surrounding method is often ignored (or worse, being unaware that there is a surrounding method).

SWOT Analysis Example

Lets see the SWOT Analysis example for McDonald’s

SWOT Analysis for Mcdonald’s

STRENGTHS (INTERNAL)

• Ranks very high on the Fortune Magazine’s most admired list
• Community oriented
• Global operations all over the world
• Cultural diversity in the foods
• Excellent location
• Assembly line operations.
• Use of top quality products S

WEAKNESSES(INTERNAL)

• Failing pizza test market thus limiting the ability to compete with pizza providers.
• High training costs due to high turnover.
• Minimal concentration on organic foods.
• Not much variation in seasonal products .
• Quality concerns due to franchised operations.
• Focus on burgers / fried foods not on healthier options for their customers

OPPORTUNITIES (EXTERNAL)

• Opening more joint ventures.
• Being more responsive to healthier options.
• Advertising wifi services in the branches. 
• Expanding on the advertising on being more socially responsible
• Expansions of business into newly developed parts of the world.
• Open products up to allergen free options such as peanut free

THREATS (EXTERNAL)

• Marketing strategies that entice people from small children to adults.
• Lawsuits for offering unhealthy foods.
• Contamination risks that include the threat of e-coli containments.
• The vast amount of fast food restaurants that are open as competition.
• Focus on healthier dieting by consumers.
• Down turn in economy affecting the ability to eat that much.

How to do the SWOT Analysis?

Tips of conducting SWOT analysis

DO’S

• Be analytical and specific.
• Record all thoughts and ideas.
• Be selective in the final evaluation.
• Choose the right people for the exercise.
• Choose a suitable SWOT leader or facilitator.
• Think out of the box
• Be open to change

DON’T S

• Try to disguise weaknesses.
• Merely list errors and mistakes.
• Lose sight of external influences and trends.
• Allow the SWOT to become a blame-laying exercise.
• Ignore the outcomes at later stages of the planning process

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