Cross analysis. Swot-analysis of the enterprise on the example of a store, school, cafe and bank

One of the most popular methods for collecting the necessary information is SWOT analysis, which is widely used today in practice by serious and successful businessmen.

You will learn:

• What is a SWOT analysis.
• What tasks are solved with its help.
• What are the rules for conducting a SWOT analysis?
• What is a SWOT table.
• How is SWOT analysis carried out?

Deciding whether to launch a new business or choose the direction of an existing business is a complex task. Correct application helps to correctly assess its prospects and increase the likelihood of success. SWOT analysis, allowing to make an objective and comprehensive assessment of the enterprise.

The success of a business largely depends on making the right decisions at the right time. A prerequisite for this is to obtain comprehensive information about both your own enterprise and the state of the market, as well as other external factors.

SWOT analysis definition

In short, SWOT analysis is a method that allows you to assess the current situation by considering it from several aspects, including: the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise, as well as external opportunities and threats.

The first letters of the English words denoting each of the listed terms gave the name to the method:

• strengths - S trends;
• weak sides - W eaknesses;
• opportunities - O pportunities;
• threats - T hreats.

An important feature of the method is the consideration of both internal factors, which include the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise itself, and external factors, which are understood as opportunities and threats. It is an integrated approach to studying the current state of the company in the market and its development prospects that is the main reason for the popularity of SWOT analysis.

Fact. For the first time the term "SWOT analysis" was used more than half a century ago - in 1963. It was used on one of conferences taking place at Harvard, Professor Kenneth Andrews.

Two years after the appearance of SWOT analysis, it began to be used in practice in the development of strategies for various companies. Today it is actively used in all countries whose economies are developing according to market principles.

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Tasks of the SWOT analysis

The main purpose of applying the method is to develop a business strategy based on maximizing the strengths of the company and minimizing potential risks.

It is important to note that SWOT analysis is deservedly considered a universal tool that, when properly applied, is effective not only in relation to the enterprise as a whole, but also to individual divisions or products. Moreover, the most important principles of analysis are often used in assessing a particular person and determining directions for his further professional or personal growth.

Despite this, the main scope of SWOT analysis is still business. In addition to the task indicated above, it allows you to solve other important tasks, such as:

• Analysis and evaluation of competitors and their activities. At the same time, the considered method is usually used in combination with others, for example, the Porter model, various marketing tools or PEST.
• Development of a step-by-step plan measures aimed at implementing the chosen development strategy of the company.
• Concept formation, tasks and main goals of the advertising campaign.
• Conducting competitive intelligence in order to compare the product planned for release with similar products already on the market, etc.

Important. A characteristic feature that SWOT analysis has is the absence of categories strictly tied to a particular type of activity. This allows you to successfully apply the method in a variety of areas and business areas.

The popularity and widespread use of analysis based on the assessment of four key factors is explained not only by its universality, but also by the possibility of adapting to the specific conditions of an economic entity. As a result, an individual model is created on the basis of general principles, which increases the efficiency of analysis and the accuracy of the resulting estimates and forecasts.

Rules for conducting a SWOT analysis

Before describing the essence of the method, which consists in the so-called SWOT table, it is necessary to consider the basic rules for its application. Following a few fairly simple and obvious recommendations for experienced professionals will make the application of the analysis more objective and competent.

The most important rules for the practical application of the method under consideration are as follows:

• Selecting a specific area of ​​study. It is much more correct to consider a product, a division or a separate direction of development than to analyze the work of an enterprise as a whole. As a result, the conclusions and estimates obtained will be more accurate and more suitable for practical use.
• Clear delimitation of the constituent elements of the tableSWOT. Their detailed description is given below. It must be remembered that the essence of the method is to separately consider each of the factors and combine the resulting estimates and forecasts.
• Minimizing the subjectivity factor. Despite the absence of a large number of quantitative parameters, the influence of personal opinion on the evaluated and analyzed objects should be reduced as much as possible.
• Collection of information from the maximum number of sources. Continuation and development of the previous rule. The purpose of its implementation in practice is to increase the objectivity of the analysis.
• Concrete and clear statement of conclusions. It makes no sense to write, following the results of the analysis, phrases of the following content: "We need to work harder." It is much more correct and effective to set clear goals expressed in quantitative form.

SWOT analysis table

The basis of the method is a matrix, or SWOT table. It is conditionally divided into two parts - the internal environment and external factors. Each of them is positively affected by the company's strengths and existing market opportunities, and negatively by the company's weaknesses and potential threats. It is logical to consider each of the elements of the analysis and the parameters that affect it in more detail.

Internal environment and factors affecting it

Among the advantages of the SWOT method is the ability to adapt to the specific conditions of a company or an individual product. However, there are some general principles for studying the object of analysis, which are summarized in the table.

Internal environment
	Strengths	Weak sides
	Experience and duration of work in a specific market segment	Absence or shortage of own working capital
	Product quality
	Cost optimization and low cost of production	Low qualifications and lack of cohesion of the workforce
	High level of consumer confidence	Lack of clearly formulated tasks and goals of the business, as well as a strategy for its further development
	Detailed and well-established business model	The presence of internal conflicts in the team between individual employees or departments of the company
	Permanent staff of employees who are a close-knit team	Lack or low efficiency of employee motivation and incentive programs
	Large range of manufactured products	Lack of warranty for the goods supplied or work performed
	Availability of competent and well-trained staff	A small range of services provided or goods produced
	Own channels for distribution and sale of goods
	Diverse and quality services offered to customers
	Efficient marketing department

An important feature of the analysis and evaluation of the internal environment is the possibility of direct influence on it by the company's management. Therefore, one of the goals of the SWOT method is the development of measures to further develop strengths and minimize the impact of weaknesses in the work of the enterprise.

External environment including SWOT opportunities and potential threats

It is practically impossible for an economic entity to influence the parameters of the external environment. However, a well-conducted analysis allows the company to make the most of the opportunities available to the company and at the same time minimize the impact of existing threats and risks.

External environment
	Opportunities	Threats
	Development and launch on the market of a new product or service	The emergence of new products on the market that can displace the company's products
	Introduction of progressive technologies and use of modern equipment	Increasing the level of competition and the number of market participants
	The emergence of new needs among potential consumers who are the target audience	Failures in the work of suppliers and counterparties of the enterprise
SWOT analysis - pros and cons of practical use Like any analytical tool, the SWOT method has both obvious advantages and certain disadvantages. Some of the benefits of using it include: the ability to structure the available information about the company and its external environment; simplicity of the procedure for carrying out and taking into account the individual characteristics of the business and a particular enterprise; the use of a large number of qualitative factors with a small number of quantitative ones (which does not require a serious computational and mathematical base, making the method publicly available); the presence of a serious array of information that acts as a starting point for SWOT analysis. The main disadvantages of the considered method of analysis include the absence of a dynamic component and consideration of the time factor, as well as significant subjectivity of most of the considered factors. In addition, the small role of quantitative parameters and estimates significantly reduces the information content of the analysis results.

SWOT analysis (translation from English swot analysis) is one of the most effective tools in strategic management. The essence of swot analysis is the analysis of internal and external factors of the company, risk assessment and competitiveness of goods in the industry.

Definition of SWOT Analysis

The SWOT analysis method is a universal method of strategic management. Any product, company, store, factory, country, educational institution, and even a person can become the object of SWOT analysis. There are the following types of SWOT analysis:

• SWOT analysis of the activities of a company or manufacturing enterprise
• SWOT analysis of the activities of a state or non-profit organization
• SWOT analysis of the activities of an educational institution
• SWOT analysis of a specific territory: country, region, district or city
• SWOT analysis of a separate project, department
• SWOT analysis of a specific market or industry
• SWOT analysis of the competitiveness of a brand, product, product or service
• SWOT personality analysis

Companies often conduct SWOT analysis not only of their own product, but also of competitors' products, as this tool very clearly systematizes all information about the internal and external environment of any organization.

The advantages of SWOT analysis are that it allows you to look at the position of a company, product or service in the industry quite simply, in the right context, and therefore is the most popular tool in risk management and management decision-making.

The result of the SWOT analysis of the enterprise is an action plan indicating the deadlines, priority of implementation and the necessary resources for implementation.

Frequency of SWOT analysis. It is recommended to conduct a SWOT analysis at least once a year as part of strategic planning and budgeting. SWOT analysis is very often the first step in business analysis when drawing up a marketing plan.

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Part one: SWOT analysis, determination of the strengths and weaknesses of the product

Elements of a SWOT Analysis

Deciphering the abbreviations of SWOT analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, T=Threats.

S=Strengths

Strengths of the product or service. Those internal characteristics of the company that provide a competitive advantage in the market or a more advantageous position in comparison with competitors, in other words, those areas in which the company's product feels better and more stable than competitors.

The importance of strengths for a company in strategic planning: due to strengths, a company can increase sales, profits and market share, strengths provide a winning position for a product or service in comparison with competitors. Strengths must be constantly strengthened, improved, used in communication with the consumer of the market.

W=Weaknesses

Weaknesses or shortcomings of a product or service. Such internal characteristics of the company, which hinder business growth, prevent the product from leading the market, are uncompetitive in the market.

Significance of weaknesses for a company in strategic planning: company weaknesses hinder sales and profit growth, pull the company back. Due to weaknesses, the company can lose market share in the long run and lose competitiveness. It is necessary to monitor areas in which the company is not strong enough, improve them, develop special programs to minimize the risks of the impact of weaknesses on the company's efficiency.

O=Opportunities

A company's capabilities are favorable environmental factors that can influence business growth in the future. Significance of market opportunities for a company in strategic planning: market opportunities represent the sources of business growth. Opportunities need to be analyzed, evaluated and an action plan should be developed for their use, drawing on the strengths of the company.

T=Threats

Threats to the company are negative environmental factors that can weaken the company's competitiveness in the market in the future and lead to a decrease in sales and loss of market share. Significance of market threats for the company in strategic planning: threats mean possible risks for the company in the future. Each threat must be evaluated in terms of the probability of occurrence in the short term, in terms of possible losses for the company. Against each threat, solutions must be proposed to minimize them.

Drawing up a SWOT analysis

It is advisable to adhere to the following sequence of actions when conducting a SWOT analysis:

This SWOT analysis technique allows you to fully and in detail assess the risks and opportunities of the company, plan a working marketing strategy for the product:

• The analysis of the surrounding market environment of a product or service is carried out in the context of external and internal factors.
• Based on the analysis, the strengths of the business, weaknesses of the business, threats and market opportunities for the business are formed.
• The obtained parameters are entered into the SWOT matrix for ease of analysis
• Based on the SWOT matrix, conclusions are drawn about the necessary actions, indicating the priorities for implementation and deadlines.

In the process of conducting a SWOT analysis, involve people interested in making a decision, experts in various issues. A third-party opinion will allow you to make an analysis more objectively.

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Standard view of the SWOT analysis table

In the SWOT analysis table, it is desirable to indicate the factors in order of priority.

SWOT analysis- one of the most common methods that evaluate the complex internal and external factors affecting the development of the company. This is an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the organization, as well as opportunities and threats from the external environment. "S" and "W" refer to the state of the company, and "O" and "T" to the external environment of the organization.

SWOT analysis is a preliminary research stage in the preparation of strategic plans, the development of strategic goals and objectives of the company.

The term SWOT was first used by Kenneth Andrews in 1963 at the Harvard Business Policy Conference.

Term in English: SWOT analysis.

Main parameters of SWOT-analysis

SWOT stands for:

strengths- strengths

Weakness- weak sides,

Opportunities- opportunities,

Threats- Threats.

Based on the results of the situational analysis, it is possible to assess whether the company has the internal forces and resources to realize the existing opportunities and withstand external threats. Accordingly, an analysis of the internal and external situation is necessary.

When evaluating external situation worth considering:

• legislation and political climate,
• expected or possible changes that may affect the operation of the company. (Ex: changes in customs legislation);
• the economic situation of the country, region (changes in GNP indicators, possible major changes in the economy that potentially affect the company, expected inflation);
• socio-demographic factors;
• technology change (waiting for technical innovations);
• ecological environment.

During the analysis internal situation company, the resources of the company, its business processes are evaluated, competitiveness is analyzed.

In the course of the analysis, the formulation of the company's sustainable competitive advantages is confirmed or changed. Key analysis factors:

Method decoding

The main idea of ​​the technique SWOT Analysis is an attempt to calculate by calculation how much each of the possible development paths can affect the success of the current, tactical and strategic business processes of the enterprise. When ranking threats in the SWOT-analysis matrix according to the degree of impact, it is supposed to determine the estimated time at which the enterprise will reach a certain degree of destruction, and the sooner economic performance deteriorates, the more attention should be paid to eliminating this threat. After the full completion of work, based on a SWOT analysis and associated with identifying the greatest threats to the enterprise and determining priority areas for development that promise the greatest economic effect with the available financial and human resources, the next stage begins to optimize the work of personnel.

The results of the SWOT analysis are entered into tables.

Decisive for success are always specific actions (measures) associated with specific goals and consistently implemented.

Nextmistakesmost often found in SWOT analysis tables:

1. Conducting a SWOT analysis without a pre-established overall goal. SWOT is not an abstract analysis, its use implies the achievement of a specific goal

2. External chances are often confused with internal strengths (Strengths) of the company, while they should be strictly demarcated.

3. SWOT analysis is often confused with all kinds of strategies. We must not forget the main difference between one and the other (SWOT analysis describes states, and strategy describes actions)

4. In the process of SWOT-analysis, priorities are not identified, specific activities are not named. SWOT analysis.

Rules for conducting a SWOT analysis

No formal training is required to conduct a SWOT analysis. Any manager who understands the company and is familiar with the market can complete a simple SWOT form.
But this simplicity and ease of use has a downside. There is a risk of misuse, hasty and meaningless conclusions, use of vague and ambiguous concepts. In addition, do not forget that for the objectivity of the picture it is necessary to use only relevant, verified and fresh information for analysis, which many users simply forget about.
Here are a few simple rules that will help you avoid such mistakes and get the most out of your SWOT analysis.
Rule 1. For an objective SWOT analysis, a business must be segmented into areas or specific markets. A general analysis that covers the entire business is inappropriate, as the results will be too generalized and useless. Focusing the SWOT analysis on a specific segment will ensure that the company's most important strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats are identified.
Rule 2. One must be aware that the SWOT elements differ significantly from each other, in particular with regard to origin and spheres of influence. For example, strengths and weaknesses are internal characteristics of the company, therefore, they are under its control. Opportunities and threats are external, objective, independent characteristics of the market environment, and they are not subject to the influence of the organization.
Rule 3. The strengths and weaknesses of the company are subjective concepts. But opinions about these characteristics should be expressed not by managers or even competitors, but by customers, buyers, partners, investors. How they consider and perceive these elements is the way it is. Strengths will be considered as such as long as the market perceives them as competitive.
Rule 4 For objective analysis, diversified input data should be used. Even if it is not possible to obtain the results of extensive marketing research, this does not mean that it is enough to limit oneself to the achievements of one person. For accuracy and depth of analysis, it is best to organize a group discussion with an exchange of ideas, to learn and take into account the points of view of all functional departments of the company. Any information or source data must be supported by substantiated evidence (legal letters, verified citations, industry statistics, press reports, information from dealers, customer opinions and comments, government publications).
Rule 5. The more precise the formulations, the more useful the analysis will be. Therefore, long, unspecified, and ambiguous statements that mean nothing to most buyers should be avoided.

Pros and cons

SWOT analysis is often criticized. This is a standardized analysis scheme that is not suitable for all enterprises and firms.

Benefits of a SWOT Analysis

• Helps a company to use internal strengths or differentiating advantages in its strategy.
• If the company does not yet have strong distinctive advantages, it is possible to analyze its potential strengths and use them to achieve marketing goals.
• Analyze all the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the company in order to understand whether they affect competition, market position, can they be corrected based on strategic considerations?
• Know what resources and skills are best used to maximize opportunities.
• Identify the threats that are the most critical for the company, take a number of strategic actions for good protection.

disadvantages

• SWOT analysis is just a tool for obtaining visual structured information, it does not contain clear recommendations or specific formulated answers. Next is the work of the analyst.
• The simplicity of the SWOT analysis is deceptive; its results are extremely dependent on the completeness and quality of the source information. An objective SWOT analysis requires experts with a deep understanding of market development trends and its current state, or a large amount of work to collect and analyze primary information.
• In the process of generating tables, mechanical errors can be made (loss of important factors or inclusion of unnecessary ones, incorrect estimation of weight coefficients, etc.). They are difficult to identify, except for very obvious errors, but they affect the process of further analysis and lead to incorrect conclusions and erroneous strategic decisions.

Literature and references

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SWOT analysis is an intermediate link between the formulation of the mission of the enterprise and the definition of its goals and objectives. Everything happens

in this order (see figure 1):

1. You have determined the main direction of the development of the enterprise (its mission)

2. Then you weigh the strengths of the enterprise and assess the market situation to understand whether it can move in the indicated direction and how best to do it (SWOT analysis);

3. After that, you set goals for your enterprise, taking into account its real possibilities.

SWOT analysis helps to answer the following questions: - Are the company's weaknesses its vulnerabilities in competition and / or do they prevent it from taking advantage of certain favorable circumstances? What weaknesses require adjustment based on strategic considerations?

What opportunities give the company a real chance of success when using its skills and access to resources?

What threats should the manager be most concerned about and what strategic actions should he take to protect himself well?

So, after conducting a SWOT analysis, you will have a clearer idea of ​​the advantages and disadvantages of your enterprise, as well as the situation in the market. This will allow you to choose the best development path, avoid dangers and make the most of the resources at your disposal, while taking advantage of the opportunities provided by the market.

Even if you are sure that you are already well aware of everything, it is still better to conduct a SWOT analysis, since in this case it will help to structure the available information about the enterprise and the market and take a fresh look at the current situation and the prospects that are opening up.

In addition, the results of the analysis and the decisions made on its basis should be recorded and accumulated, because the accumulated structured experience (“knowledge base”) is the basis of the management value of any company.

Correctly and timely made strategic decisions today play a key role in the successful operation of the organization. Ultimately, it is they who have a decisive influence on the competitiveness of products and the enterprise as a whole.

Methodology for conducting a SWOT analysis

In general, conducting a SWOT analysis comes down to filling in the matrix shown

in Figure 2, the so-called "SWOT Analysis Matrix". In the appropriate cells of the matrix, it is necessary to enter the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise, as well as market opportunities and threats.

Strengths enterprise - something in which it excels or some feature that provides additional opportunities. The strength may lie in the existing experience, access to unique resources, the availability of advanced technology and modern equipment, highly qualified personnel, high quality products, brand awareness, etc.

Weak sides enterprise is the absence of something important for the functioning of the enterprise or something that the enterprise has not yet succeeded in comparison with other companies and puts it in an unfavorable position. As an example of weaknesses, one can cite a too narrow range of manufactured goods, a bad reputation of the company in the market, lack of funding, low level of service, etc.

Market Opportunities-- these are favorable circumstances that the company can use to gain an advantage. As an example of market opportunities, one can cite the deterioration of the positions of competitors, a sharp increase in demand, the emergence of new production technologies, an increase in the level of income of the population, etc. It should be noted that the opportunities from the point of view of SWOT analysis are not all the opportunities that exist on the market, but only those that can be used by the enterprise.

Market Threats- events, the occurrence of which may have an adverse effect on the enterprise. Examples of market threats: new competitors entering the market, tax increases, changing consumer tastes, declining birth rates, etc.

It should be noted that the same factor for different enterprises can be both a threat and an opportunity. For example, for a store that sells expensive products, an increase in the income of the population may be an opportunity, as it will lead to an increase in the number of customers. At the same time, the same factor can become a threat for a discount store, as its customers, with rising salaries, can move to competitors offering a higher level of service.

SWOT analysis should be carried out with the participation of all the most important members of this organization. This concerns the general identification of weaknesses and strengths, which should be clearly visible within the organization. However, this analysis should be as broad as possible. The most difficult thing is to determine the weaknesses of the organization, which may later appear in the attacks of competing organizations. Members of the organization speak about them rather reluctantly.

SWOT analysis can be performed using brainstorming techniques. However, if the task is to evaluate the leadership of the organization, this technique will be ineffective, since members of the organization may be afraid to express their real views in the presence of others. It follows that it is also necessary to apply other techniques that ensure the anonymity of specific authors of the analysis. To this end, it is possible, first of all, to collect the analysis performed by each member of the organization, and then submit the results of a general verification and discussion. Each of the points in all four directions of analysis can be evaluated by ordinary members of the organization according to the scheme: "yes", "no", must be corrected (how?).

The quality of the analysis can be improved by involving people outside the organization in its conduct. True, they can only perform auxiliary functions, since they do not know the organization enough to independently distinguish between its weaknesses and strengths. However, due to the fact that they are not involved in the internal “layouts” of the organization, such persons can act as impartial arbitrators who are able to evaluate proposals, and also, by posing specific questions, provoke the organization to a more thorough rethinking of its positions and actions. Of course, these persons must enjoy the indisputable trust of the members of the organization, because during the analysis, facts may be discovered that can be very dangerous to publicize.

When conducting a SWOT analysis, and in particular an analysis of chances and threats, previously conducted public opinion surveys should be used. Linking an organization to a specific problem, issue, attributing competence in any area to it can be a good chance for it. However, from an organization's point of view, assessing certain actions as highly unpopular can be a significant threat. Public opinion surveys can also confirm the conclusions of the analysis regarding weaknesses and strengths. Even if the organization has a strong leader, but this person is very unpopular in society, it is difficult to attribute his presence to the strengths of the organization. It may turn out that such a leader leads the organization very well (and in this sense this is a strong point), but it is his low popularity that is a threat to the organization.

Step 1. Determining the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise

The first step in a SWOT analysis is to assess your own strengths. The first stage allows you to determine what are the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise.

In order to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise, you need to:

1. Make a list of parameters by which the enterprise will be evaluated;

2. For each parameter, determine what is the strength of the enterprise and what is weak;

3. From the entire list, select the most important strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise and enter them into the SWOT analysis matrix (Figure 2).

Let's illustrate this technique with an example.

To assess the enterprise, you can use the following list of parameters:

1. Organization (here the level of qualification of employees, their interest in the development of the enterprise, the presence of interaction between departments of the enterprise, etc. can be assessed)

2. Production (production capacity, quality and wear and tear of equipment, quality of manufactured goods, availability of patents and licenses (if necessary), production cost, reliability of supply channels for raw materials and materials, etc.) can be assessed.

3. Finance (production costs, availability of capital, capital turnover rate, financial stability of your enterprise, profitability of your business, etc. can be estimated)

4. Innovation (here, the frequency of introducing new products and services at the enterprise, the degree of their novelty (minor or cardinal changes), the payback period for funds invested in the development of new products, etc. can be assessed)

5. Marketing (here you can evaluate the quality of goods / services (how this quality is assessed by consumers), brand awareness, completeness of the range, price level, advertising effectiveness, enterprise reputation, the effectiveness of the sales model used, the range of additional services offered, the qualifications of the attendants).

Next, you should fill in table 1. This is done as follows: the first column contains the evaluation parameter, and the second and third columns contain the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise that exist in this area. Table 1 provides some examples of strengths and weaknesses in the Organization and Production dimensions.

Table 1. Determining the strengths and weaknesses of your enterprise

After that, from the entire list of strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise, it is necessary to select the most important (the strongest and weakest aspects) and write them down in the appropriate cells of the SWOT analysis matrix (Figure 2). Optimally, if you can limit yourself to 5-10 strengths and the same number of weaknesses, so as not to experience difficulties in further analysis.

For the strategic perspective of the company, strengths are especially significant, since they are the cornerstones of the strategy and the achievement of competitive advantages should be built on them. At the same time, a good strategy requires intervention in weak areas. The organizational strategy should be well tailored to what needs to be done. Of particular importance is the identification of the distinctive advantages of the company. This is important for strategy development because:

Unique opportunities give the firm a chance to take advantage of favorable market conditions,

Create competitive advantages in the market

Potentially can be the cornerstones of the strategy.

Step 2. Identify market opportunities and threats

The second step of the SWOT analysis is a kind of "reconnaissance" - market assessment. This stage allows you to assess the situation outside your enterprise and understand what opportunities you have, as well as what threats you should be aware of (and, accordingly, prepare for them in advance).

The methodology for determining market opportunities and threats is almost identical to the methodology for determining the strengths and weaknesses of an enterprise:

1. A list of parameters is compiled, according to which the market situation will be assessed;

2. For each parameter, it is determined what is an opportunity, and what is a threat to the enterprise;

3. From the entire list, the most important opportunities and threats are selected and entered into the SWOT analysis matrix.

Consider an example.

The following list of parameters can be taken as a basis for assessing market opportunities and threats:

1. Demand factors (here it is advisable to take into account the market capacity, the rate of its growth or contraction, the structure of demand for the company's products, etc.)

2. Factors of competition(one should take into account the number of main competitors, the presence of substitute goods on the market, the height of barriers to entry and exit from the market, the distribution of market shares among the main market participants, etc.)

3. Sales factors (it is necessary to pay attention to the number of intermediaries, the availability of distribution networks, the conditions for the supply of materials and components, etc.)

4. Economic factors (taking into account the exchange rate of the ruble (dollar, euro), inflation rate, changes in the level of income of the population, tax policy of the state, etc.)

5. Political and legal factors(the level of political stability in the country, the level of legal literacy of the population, the level of law-abidingness, the level of corruption in power, etc.) are assessed.

6. Scientific and technical factors(usually, the level of development of science, the degree of introduction of innovations (new goods, technologies) into industrial production, the level of state support for the development of science, etc. are taken into account)

7. Socio-demographic factors(you should take into account the size and age and sex structure of the population of the region in which the enterprise operates, the birth and death rates, the level of employment, etc.)

8. Socio-cultural factors(traditions and the system of values ​​of society, the existing culture of consumption of goods and services, existing stereotypes of people's behavior, etc. are usually taken into account.)

9. Natural and environmental factors(taking into account the climatic zone in which the enterprise operates, the state of the environment, public attitudes towards environmental protection, etc.)

10. And, finally, international factors (among them, the level of stability in the world, the presence of local conflicts, etc. are taken into account)

Further, as in the first case, the table is filled in (Table 2): the first column contains the evaluation parameter, and the second and third columns contain the existing opportunities and threats associated with this parameter. The table provides examples to help you understand how to list the opportunities and threats in your business.

Table 2. Identifying Market Opportunities and Threats

After filling in Table 2, as in the first case, it is necessary to select the most important ones from the entire list of opportunities and threats. To do this, each opportunity (or threat) needs to be assessed on two dimensions, asking two questions: “How likely is it that this will happen?” and “How might this affect the business?”. Those events are selected that will occur with a high degree of probability and will have a noticeable impact on the business. These 5-10 opportunities and approximately the same number of threats are entered into the corresponding cells of the SWOT analysis matrix (Figure 2).

Step 3. Comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise with the opportunities and threats of the market

Matching strengths and weaknesses with market opportunities and threats allows you to answer the following questions regarding the further development of the business:

1. How can you take advantage of emerging opportunities using the strengths of the enterprise?

2. What weaknesses of the enterprise can interfere with this?

3. What strengths can be used to neutralize existing threats?

4. What threats, exacerbated by the weaknesses of the enterprise, should be most feared?

To compare the capabilities of an enterprise with market conditions, a SWOT matrix is ​​used, which has the following form (Fig. 3). On the left, two sections are distinguished (strengths and weaknesses), in which, accordingly, all the strengths and weaknesses of the organization identified at the first stage of the analysis are entered. At the top of the matrix, there are also two sections (opportunities and threats), in which all identified opportunities and threats are entered.

At the intersection of sections, four fields are formed: "SIV" (strength and opportunities); "SIS" (force and threats); "SLV" (weakness and opportunity); "SLU" (weakness and threats). In each of these fields, the researcher must consider all possible pair combinations and highlight those that should be taken into account when developing an organization's behavior strategy. For those couples that have been selected from the "SIV" field, a strategy should be developed to use the strengths of the organization in order to get a return on the opportunities that have appeared in the external environment. For those couples who find themselves in the “SLV” field, the strategy should be built in such a way that, due to the opportunities that have appeared, they try to overcome the weaknesses in the organization. If the couple is on the SIS field, then the strategy should involve the use of the strength of the organization to eliminate threats. Finally, for couples in the SLU field, the organization must develop a strategy that would allow it to both get rid of weaknesses and try to prevent the threat looming over it.

For the successful application of the SWOT methodology, it is important to be able not only to uncover threats and opportunities, but also to try to evaluate them in terms of how important it is for the organization to take into account each of the identified threats and opportunities in the strategy of its behavior.

To assess the opportunities, the method of positioning each specific opportunity on the opportunity matrix is ​​used (Fig. 4).

This matrix is ​​constructed as follows: from above, the degree of influence of the opportunity on the organization's activities (strong, moderate, small) is postponed; on the side is the probability that the organization will be able to seize the opportunity (high, medium and low). The ten fields of possibilities obtained within the matrix have different meanings for the organization. Opportunities that fall into the fields "BC", "VU" and "SS" are of great importance for the organization, and they must be used. Opportunities falling on the fields "SM", "NU" and "NM" practically do not deserve attention. With regard to the opportunities that have fallen into the remaining fields, management must make a positive decision on their use if the organization has enough resources.

Rice. 3. SWOT matrix

Example:

Microsoft SWOT analysis.

	I. Creation of new software II. Price drop III. Entering other markets	I. Antimonopoly policy II. Competition III. Decrease in demand
1. Reputation in the market 2. Large market share 3. Good staff 4. Secret technologies	I.- 3,4 II.- 2,4 III.- 1,4,5	I.- 2 II.-3,4 III.-4,5
1. Unfinished products 2. Low salary 3. Monopoly	I.- 1 II.- 1,3 III.- 2	I.- 3 II.- 1,2 III.- 1

A similar matrix is ​​compiled for threat assessments (Fig. 5) . Those threats that fall on the "VR", "VC" and "SR" fields pose a very great danger to the organization and require immediate and mandatory elimination. Threats that fall into the "BT", "SK" and "NR" fields should also be in the field of view of senior management and be eliminated as a matter of priority. As for the threats that are on the fields of "NK", "ST" and "VL", a careful and responsible approach to their elimination is required here.

Rice. 4. Opportunity Matrix

Rice. 5. Threat Matrix

The threats that have fallen into the remaining fields should also not fall out of sight of the organization's management, their development should also be carefully monitored, although the task of eliminating them as a priority is not set.

As for the specific content of the considered matrices, it is recommended to carry out the identification of opportunities and threats in three directions: market, product and activities for the sale of products in target markets (pricing, distribution and promotion of products). The source of opportunities and threats may be consumers, competitors, changes in macro-environment factors, for example, the legislative framework, customs policy. It is advisable to conduct this analysis by answering the following questions in relation to opportunities and threats in three areas:

1. The nature of the opportunity (threat) and the reason for its occurrence.

2. How long will it exist?

3. What power does she have?

4. How valuable (dangerous) is it?

5. What is the extent of its influence?

To analyze the environment, the method of compiling its profile can also be applied. This method is convenient to apply to compiling a profile separately of the macro-environment, the immediate environment and the internal environment. With the help of the method of compiling a profile of the environment, it is possible to assess the relative importance for the organization of individual environmental factors.

Success in life is probably possible when you use your talents to the fullest. You will also need to deal with your weaknesses so that they do not interfere with your life and work. It was for these purposes that the SWOT analysis was transferred to the field of self-development.

What makes the SWOT model especially powerful is that it helps to identify opportunities in our world that don't appear to be at first glance. It will also help in the development of your business or your work. The model considers four characteristics:

• S - Strengths (strengths)
• W - Weaknesses (weaknesses)
• O - Opportunities (opportunities)
• T - Threats (threats)

Let's consider them in more detail.

SWOT

Strengths

• What strengths do you have that others don't? For example, skills, education, connections.
• What do you do better than others?
• What resources do you have access to?
• What do other people see as your strengths?
• What accomplishments are you most proud of?
• What values ​​do you believe in that others do not believe in?
• Do you have connections with important people?

This list of questions is quite objective, because it takes into account not only your opinion, but also the opinion of others. Knowing your strengths makes a person happier and allows you to apply them in your work.

If you're having trouble identifying your strengths, write down a list of your personality traits. Some of them will be your strengths. Especially appreciated are those that others do not have. For example, if you know her very well and are surrounded by people who know her even better, this may not be your strong point. But if you are the kindest and most tactful among all your friends (and they confirm this), then it's them.

Weak sides

• What tasks do you most often avoid because you feel insecure?
• What exactly do people around you consider your weaknesses?
• Are you absolutely confident in the usefulness of your education and skills? If not, what are you weakest at?
• What are your negative work habits? For example, you are often late, disorganized, short-tempered, or unable to cope with.
• Do you have character traits that constantly hold you back and prevent you from progressing? For example, it could be a fear of speaking in public, even though this is your main responsibility.

Again, weaknesses are seen not only from your point of view, but also from the point of view of others. Listen to what is being said about you. Even if people are wrong, you are perceived that way, which means they will treat you accordingly.

Opportunities

• What new technologies will help you? What can you find on the Internet from what you need?
• Is your industry growing? What advantage can we get from this?
• Do you have strategic contacts with other people who will help you?
• What trends and patterns do you see in the world or your company that will help you in the future?
• Have your competitors failed trying to achieve something important? If so, what conclusions can you draw to avoid their mistakes?
• What does your company need?
• What are your customers and suppliers complaining about? What can you offer them?

You may find the following options useful:

• , courses, conferences.
• A new role in a company or project can enhance your existing skills and acquire new ones.
• Learn English in order to have more business opportunities.

Re-examine your sides and think about how to use them most effectively in order to open up new opportunities.

Threats

• What difficulties do you face at work?
• Are there colleagues who compete with you?
• Does the essence of your work and the requirements for it change?
• Is the development of new technologies a threat to you and your profession?
• Can your weaknesses become a threat to your future?

It is important to know what threats you face or will face in life, because being aware of them will help you figure out which strengths to develop and which weaknesses to get rid of.

Example

Here's what your SWOT analysis might look like:

Strengths

• I'm a creative person. I often surprise clients and boss with new ideas.
• I can communicate with people and convince them.
• I have the ability to ask the right questions.
• I can think and often make the right conclusions.

Weak sides

• I have an impulsive need to complete the things on my list as quickly as possible. This affects the quality of work.
• I lose myself in stressful situations.
• I have a fear of public speaking.

Opportunities

• I'm organizing a conference next week. This is a great chance to meet new and important people.
• Our art director is going on maternity leave soon. This is a great opportunity to develop my skills.

Threats

• I work too hard, so my creativity drops.
• A fall in the level of the economy can lead to a fall in our market.
• My colleague, who knows how to speak in public, and in general is more sociable than me, is applying for the position of art director.

By learning the four components, you can find the solution and be successful. Remember that the model itself is not capable of doing miracles, it only indicates and hints to you what needs to be done.

SWOT analysis is a great way to find a starting point and explore yourself. It allows you to face the truth, albeit sometimes unpleasant. SWOT empowers you to focus on strengths, minimize weaknesses, avoid threats, and seize opportunities.

We wish you good luck!