SWOT Analyses
SWOT is an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats related to organizations. The table below contains a brief illustration of Dell SWOT analysis: Strengths 1. Charismatic and effective leadership by Michael Dell 2. Market leadership in corporate usage. 3. Leadership in cloud 4. Leadership in healthcare sector Weaknesses 1. Lack of patents for breakthrough innovations 2. Long purchasing process 3. Extensive dependency on suppliers 4. Limited differentiation of products Opportunities 1. Investment in research and development 2. Engaging in mergers and acquisitions 3. Increasing presence in tablet and smartphone market 4. Concentrating in emerging markets Threats 1. Data security 2. Competition from emerging economies 3. Economic crisis 4. Decline of desktop and laptop market Dell SWOT Analysis Strengths 1. The company’s founder and CEO Michael Dell is a respected business leader around the globe. Michael Dell’s reputation is not constrained within consumer electronics industry and he is the first UN Global Advocate for Entrepreneurship. Starting the business in 1984 at the age of 19 from his freshman dorm room in the University of Texas, Michael Dell has been the main driving force behind the rapid growth of the business. Michael Dell stepped down as CEO in 2004 and had to return to the role in 2007 due to the decline in financial growth and the overall customer satisfaction. Michel Dell’s return has been marked with the company regaining its leadership position in the market proving his value as one of the most important assets of the business. 2. Dell products and services are popular among organizational consumers from both, private and public sectors. Dell products are used by 98% of Fortune 500 Companies[1] and 90% of Fortune 1000 companies use Dell software. It has been estimated that around 10 million small business owners function with Dell globally[2]. By…
Strengths Warner Bros. has a solid financial position with USD 12 billion revenues generated during the year of 2012 alone with more than USD 1.2 billion operating income (Annual Report, 2012). Moreover, Warner Bros. has produced a series of successful franchises such as The Lord of the Rings, Batman, Harry Potter and Hangover that have immense contributions to the level of profitability of the company. Knowledge and experiences associated with the production of these successful franchises can be specified as strengths of Warner Bros. The agreement of Warner Bros. with Netflix Inc. that allows the company to stream previous sessions of shows’ series shown on CW network can be added to the list of its strengths due to the associated potentials for profit maximisation. Weaknesses Overdependence of Warner Bros. on the home market in the US is its major weakness in global competition. US government debt issues and implications of this issue on consumer spending patterns in the future increases the level of urgency of this weakness on long-term perspectives. Moreover, recent damage to Warner Bros. brand image for being used for infringing Cat Meme Copyright can be listed as weakness for the company that has to be addressed by senior level management. Opportunities There is an attractive profit maximisation opportunity for Warner Bros. through introducing new instalments to its successful franchises such as The Lord of the Rings, Batman, Harry Potter and Hangover. Expansion of digital distribution capabilities represents opportunity for Warner Bros. to strengthen its role as a leader of technological changes in the industry. Moreover, the levels of Warner Bros. revenues can be further increased through higher integration of product placement marketing strategy. Threats Business threats faced by Warner Bros. are diverse and they primarily include further decline of the sales of DVDs due…
Longleat Adventure and Safari Park, owned by Owned by Longleat Enterprises Limited has been operating from April 1966 and comprises more than “15 fabulous attractions, including the new multi pound Jungle Kingdom and Longleat House, one of the most stunning stately homes in Britain” (About Longleat, 2013, online). The following table illustrates Longleat Safari Park SWOT analysis: Strengths Lack of competition in the UK High quality of customer services Affordable prices for Longleat Hotels Weaknesses Not possible to reach the park by public transport “Mercedes Destroyed by Monkeys at Longleat Safari Park” and some other similar videos on YouTube demotivating people to attend to park Opportunities Increasing ranges of services Possibilities of attracting sponsors Increasing ranges of animals Threats Negative impacts of various environmental groups Visitors being attacked by animals Environmental changes posing risks for animals in Longleat Safari Park
Thorpe Park is one of the most popular theme parks in the UK and it belongs to Merlin Entertainments Group, the world’s second biggest visitor attraction operator with more than 30 million visitors annually and about 13,000 employees (Merlin Entertainment Group, 2013, online). Merlin Entertainments Group management have specified its mission statement as ‘The delivery of memorable experiences to our millions of guests underpinned by the very highest Health & Safety standards’. Besides Thorpe Park, Merlin Entertainments Group portfolio includes a range of famous entertainment brands such as Legoland, Chessington World of Adventures, Madame Tussauds, Heide Park, The London Eye, Warwick Castle, Sea Life, Alton Towers, Gardaland, and London Dungeons (Merlin Entertainment Group, 2013, online). SWOT analysis can be used in order to represent relevant secondary data in an appropriate format to assist in decision-making. SWOT analysis can be explained as a “review that helps planners compare internal organisational strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats” (Boone and Kurtz, 2013, p.46). The following table illustrates Thorpe Park SWOT analysis Strengths Greater ranges of ages of target customers (not only children) A wide range of rides Effective website design World-famous rides such as SAW, STELTH, and COLOSSUS Weaknesses High level of seasonality Geographical location not far from Chessington World of Adventures and Windsor’s Legoland Expensive prices Opportunities Introduction of new, innovative rides Increasing ranges of services Formation of strategic collaborations with other companies in catering and entertainment industry Threats Injuries to customers due to technical or other faults Further increasing influence of indirect competition – video games Negative impacts of relevant government legislations References Boone, L.E. & Kurtz, D.L. (2013) “Contemporary Marketing” Cengage Learning Merlin Entertainments Group (2013) Available at: http://www.thorpepark.com/misc/merlin-entertainments.aspx
SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with a business and it is an effective strategic analytical tool used to assess businesses. The following table illustrates GlaxoSmithKline SWOT Analysis : Strengths Increased level of R&D potential Strong financial position Global coverage with presence in more than 100 countries Weaknesses Considerable damage made to brand image because of Avandia drug scandal Ineffective online presence Low level of flexibility due to the large size of the company Opportunities Increasing the level of presence in China and India Following diversification strategy Improving the level of online presence Threats Lawsuits to damage the brand image New competitors joining the market Worsening of economic situation in Europe
SWOT analysis stands for strengths weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in relation to a business and it is an effective strategic analytical tool for company analysis. The following table illustrates John Lewis SWOT Analysis in relation to its entry into the Chinese market: Strength Strong brand image Strong online presence Effective level of employment relationships Extensive product range Weaknesses Absence of international business experience Recent slump in profits Lack of effective marketing strategy Lack of competitive advantage Opportunities International market expansion Development of new unique selling propositions Formation of strategic partnerships in global markets New product development Threats Failure in new markets due to cultural differences Negative effects of new legislations Cash flow problems Emergence of new competitors with stronger competitive advantage John Lewis SWOT analysis
The following table illustrates Caffe Nero SWOT Analysis: strengths High profitability Rapid growth Big market share Number of outlets Using brand name to sell own branded products Strong brand name Geographical locations Partnerships with other big brands Weaknesses Not adoptability in case of change Dependence on one supplier Majority of the outlets are located only in UK, therefore risk is not well spread Opportunities Internet café Product diversification Further 400-450 new stores until 2015 Future expansion plans Threats Starbucks with 15000 outlets Currency exchange rates Bargaining power of supplier Rising pressures from pressure groups for fairer prices for suppliers(fair trade) Exposed to price rises in coffee Future changes in trend, if customers may change from coffee culture to tea or something else
SWOT analysis can be used to illustrate the current position of Skanska in UK construction market and factors affecting the business, the abbreviation standing for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with the business. The following table illustrates Skanska SWOT analysis for UK. Strengths Large portfolio of construction services Positive brand image contributed by ‘green’ initiatives Presence of some iconic projects in portfolio (e.g. London’s The Gherkin) Weaknesses Occasional cashflow issues High operational costs Overall higher costs of services Opportunities Development of separate division for lower-budget projects Entering the marketplace of emerging economies e.g. China and India Development of new niche markets Threats Delay of expected recovery of UK construction industry New competitors with access to cheaper resources entering the market Legislative changes in UK with possible negative impacts
SWOT analysis is one of the most effective tools for critically assessing a range of internal and external factors in order to assist the decision-making (Callen, 2009). SWOT abbreviation stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with a business. Strengths First of all, Guest-Tek as a brand possesses a set of advantages that have been used as sources of competitive advantage by the company and thus leadership position has been obtained by the company in Northern American market. These business advantages include the high profit margin of 35-45% generated by the business, increasingly high customer retention rate of 99% due to effective value offer appreciated by customers, attractive prices of the services of the business, as well as, preferred vendor status of Guest-Tek with well-known hotels such as Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott. Moreover, the fact that the company employs young, energetic and entrepreneurial leaders can be highlighted as additional strengths of the brand. Furthermore, there are competitive points associated with GlobalSuite offer of the company that also can be considered as Guest-Tek strengths that maximise the chances of its success in the Russian marketplace. These points include the possibility of contacting support desk and communicate in a wide rage of languages, no need to change the laptop settings in order to connect to the internet, and the fact that network equipment is obtained from high-call technology manufacturers. Moreover conveniences provided to hotel managers to set the price of the internet or offer free-of-charge services, as well as, short payback period of the GlobalSuite installation further contribute to the attractiveness of this specific offer in Russian marketplace. Weaknesses A set of weaknesses are associated with Guest-Tek business strategy in general, and its GlobalSuite installation offer that need to be eliminated in order to succeed in Russian marketplace. First…
SWOT analytical framework is an effective tool to be used for strategic decision making and the abbreviation stands for strengths weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the business. The application of SWOT analysis for Jamie’s Italian Sydney is necessary in order to assist in decision making and the formulation of the marketing strategy. Jamie’s Italian brand has considerable strengths in the marketplace that are primarily associated with the positive image of the owner of the brand Jamie Oliver who has won positive acclaim for initiatives aimed at increasing the quality of food in schools and he is also a well-known author of various recipes distributed by his numerous books. Moreover, Jamie’s Italian menu mainly consists of healthy foods and the range of foods introduced by Jamie Oliver, as well as the decoration of restaurants can be described as innovative. These strengths are needed to be build upon in order to increase the competitive advantage of the business and thus ensure the growth of Jamie’s Italian in Australian marketplace in long-term perspective. At the same time, there are certain weaknesses associated with Jamie’s Italian brand that primarily relate to the high prices of the food. Also, the level of service in a number of Jamie’s Italian in UK has faced critical reviews, and this fact can also be considered as a weakness of the brand in general with positive negative impact on its branch in Sydney. The analyses of weaknesses of the business provide the most valuable data for the management for further consideration. Specifically, if these weaknesses are not addressed timely and effectively the whole amount of financial resources invested in Austrian market would be exposed to the great risk. There are set of attractive business opportunities for Jamie’s Italian in Australian marketplace in general, and in Sydney in…