SWOT-Manager was developed
for easy handling
as a Microsoft® Excel® workbook
(system requirements: Windows98® or later incl. Windows 7®)
You want detailed information? See >PDF Demo!
SWOT-Analysis What's it all about?
A short introduction
SWOT stands for: 
Part 1: Strengths and Weaknesses
The first two parts of the quartett refer to the company as such. We are talking strenghts and weaknesses as exhibited by the company in its economic efforts, i.e. the INTERNAL part of the analysis.
A strength can be a superior product with which the company has built something like a monopoly. A strength can also be an excellent sales team or a countrywide franchising network that reaches many customers.
A weakness might be an old information processing system, or one which does not integrate all parts of the business and thus causes delays and information deficits. A weakness might also be an ineffective sales team or a network of stores which are not profitable.
Some questions you need to ask to find out a company's strong and weak points are:
STRENGTHS
What do we do better than our competitors?
Where do we make most of our profit?
WEAKNESSES
Where have we been surpassed by our competitors?
Which product generates losses?
What part of our business is always lagging behind?
What causes customer complaints?
It is not easy to answer these questions honestly. Very often, you will find that just those traditions which are dear to the company are also most destructive to profit or that the bestselling product is the one which the least profit.
An honest SWOT analysis always ends up uncovering a number of uncomfortable truths. For most managers or shareholders that is a painful process.
On the other hand, you can also uncover some positive surprises about your company.
All in all: relentless honesty in the analysis process does pay.
Only a clear view prevents muddy decisions!
Part 2: Opportunities and Threats
The last two parts of the SWOT-analysis, opportunities and threats, refer to the company in its economic environment, i.e. the EXTERNAL part of the analysis. It is evident that they are no less important for the survival of the company since it is as vital for a company as for an individual to adapt to its environment; to use the opportunities that environment presents and to counter such threats as come its way.
An opportunity might lie in additional legal requirements for your products, provided that your company already complies with them but your competitors do not.
A threat might be an interest increase in the offing when you have to finance new investments. To get an overview of the opportunities and threats your company could face you should look at all external relations of your company.
What changes are foreseeable?
legal changes (national, international)?
tax changes?
environment protection laws?
changes in product liability?
price changes for commodities?
price changes for utilities?
a larger / smaller market for your products?
more / fewer competitors?
You can only use the opportunities that you see!
And you can only counter the threats that you perceive!
A SWOT-analysis is somewhat like an eye-opener for your company, both in itself and embedded in its economic environment.
If the analysis comes up with results that are not satisfactory or even threatening to company survival, you should initiate an ACTION PLAN to better the company position.
You will find a template for an action plan in this tool which ties in with the rest of the analysis. To facilitate the assessment of your SWOT-analysis we have added an appraisal system for all four parts of the analysis. With this appraisal system - remember: honesty counts! - you can map the position of your company on a scale from -100 to +100.
And last but not least we would like to mention that a SWOT-analysis does not have a long life-span. The rapid pace at which technological and economic progress is proceeding makes an analysis "old hat" in a very few months.
Here's to your strengths and opportunities!
Product Survey:
SWOT-Manager - The Analysis Tool for Company Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats
With separate action plan, evaluation and performance review!
The fast and easy way to perform a portfolio analysis!
You're trying to understand what SWOT is all about?
You're looking for a template that's easy to use?
You want to know what to prepare your company for?
You want to impress an investor?
Then SWOT-Manager is the tool for you!
System requirements of MagicWorkbooks:
Platform: Windows 98 or later operating system (incl. Windows 7)
Microsoft Excel Version: 2003 or later
|
