Why Is Strategy Important to Business

3. The acronym SWOT stands for an organizations strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A SWOT analysis is strategic planning method that evaluates the internal and external performance of an organization to see if it’s favorable or unfavorable to achieve whatever objective you are set out to accomplish. Strengths and weaknesses usually arise from the internal aspect of an organization, whereas opportunities and threats evolve from external components. By performing a SWOT analysis it provides information to managers to help formulate a successful strategy to achieve goals.

identified objectives which align with their mission and vision. A SWOT analysis is essential to

While there are many aspects in developing a strategic goal, I would need a greater understanding of its business and mission statement before I would attempt to make any kind of strategic decisions. In order to do a thorough and complete SWOT analysis, I would want to see how well the organizational culture operates, what policies, procedures, and rules are currently in place. I would also want to evaluate Quality and

Strategy is not easily defined and furthermore the term is not exclusively related to just the business world. We can confidently say strategy is key to survival, not only in business but also in the animal kingdom. All animals under go a process of constant change in their physical appearance and in their behaviour. These changes take place over millions of years and the species that survive, do so because throughout their evolution they have perfected certain strategies that have enabled them to develop more successfully in the environment they inhabit. One such case of this successful development is the great hammerhead shark.

A SWOT analysis is also an important aspect of the strategic plan as it helps management anticipate challenges, take advantage of opportunities and mitigate risk (Balanced Scorecard Institute, 2014). These are key elements that

Another approach to strategy development begins with an analysis of external and internal factors, followed by some visioning, then planning. Including in the analysis phase is often a “SWOT,” a thorough examination of internal Strengths and Weaknesses, as well as external Opportunities and Threats. SWOTs are praised for capturing both the positive (strengths and opportunities) and negative (weaknesses, threats); and organizations embrace this approach with the hope of gaining a “balanced” analysis of itself, inside and out (Hetzel and Silbert, 2007).

“A SWOT Analysis is the most used tool for audit and analysis of the overall strategic position of the business and its environment. Its principal purpose is to identify the strategies that will create a firm-specific business model. The plan aligns the organization’s resources and capabilities to the requirements of the environment in which the firm operates. The analysis is to evaluate any potential and limitations and the probable/likely opportunities and threats from the external environment. The results provide the positive and negative factors inside and outside the firm that affect the success.” A SWOT analysis is conducted to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and potential threats to the organization. ("SWOT

Primarily, one must consider how to prepare adequately and constructing a strategic thinking and decision-making. Secondly, optimizing a SWOT analysis can also help identify challenges, weaknesses, and threats to an organization. Bryson (2001) stated in order to determine internal strengths and difficulties for the organization to monitor resources (inputs), present strategy (process), and performance (outputs). In alignment with an organization's structure, new opportunities are identified and achieved through short, long-term goals, and integrating a SWOT analysis. The SWOT analysis allows one to explore the organizations, environments opportunities, along with threats, organizational strengths, weaknesses and challenges. Granted, organizational shift and cultural changes within the ARC also has caused for accountability and transparency to emerge, which is also a challenge. However, continual goal setting for the entity will provide thorough guiding principles to overcome challenges and view how future performance plans will fit within the mission of the

Percy and Giles (1989), stresses that the SWOT analysis is the most applied tool for strategic planning. The SWOT analysis is an approach that is structured and straightforward in evaluating and identifying strategic positioning, strengths, and weakness and making comparisons to opportunities and threats (p. 5). Percy and

SWOT has been used by countless practitioners, marketing researchers, and is a frequent and popular tool for business marketing and strategy students. Its simplicity and catchy acronym perpetuates its usage in business and beyond as the tool is used to assess alternatives and complex decision situations. In the business arena the grouping of internal and external issues is a frequent starting point for strategic planning. It can be constructed quickly and can benefit from multiple viewpoints as a brainstorming exercise. Typically, managers first consider internal strengths and weaknesses (at the top row of the 2 × 2 grid) which can include image, structure, access to natural resources, capacity and efficiency, and financial

SWOT analysis is a popular analysis tool used in different situations that include not just business and marketing but also project planning and personal career development (Chapman 1995-2012). As for the strategic planning, Kenneth Andrews popularized his idea that good strategy means keeping a fit between the external situations a firm faces and the internal capabilities (Hill and Westbrook, 1997). The format the SWOT analysis presented is a 2x2 'internal/external' matrix, in which questions and relative answers can be listed for analysis (chapman 1995-2012). And according to Hill and Westbrook (1997), the output of SWOT analysis comes from meetings facilitated by consultants or managers to contribute the final analysis. Brainstorming can be used for filling in the sections to answer the questions. In addition, similar arguments should be concluded and ranked according to their answers in meetings (Rauch, 2007). As for the newly developed analysis, the TOWS matrix matching the various factors enables companies to stimulate new strategic initiative (Dyson, 2004).

Additionally, to the SWOT, I will choose three areas and why they are essential to the strategic plan. I will also, use theories that support these three areas.

SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favourable and unfavourable to achieving that objective. The technique is credited to Albert Humphrey, who led a research project at Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune 500 companies.[1]

A company 's strategy consists of the competitive moves and business approaches that managers are employing to grow the business, attract and please customers, compete successfully, conduct operations, and achieve the targeted levels of organizational performance.

Future- oriented: Strategic management encompasses forecasts, what is anticipated by the managers. In such decisions, emphasis is placed on the development of projections that will enable the firm to select the most promising strategic options. In the turbulent environment, a firm will succeed only if it takes a proactive stance towards change.