Using a SWOT Analysis for Strategic Thinking​

Overview

The organizational leadership of your selected firm has requested that you provide them with an executive PowerPoint presentation synthesizing your internal and external analyses of the firm, as well as recommend potential strategic actions the company could take to address the issues raised by your analyses.

Preparation

If necessary, familiarize yourself with Microsoft’s PowerPoint program and a SWOT analysis format. Both are required to complete this assessment.

You will need to include at least five current, scholarly, or professional resources to support your presentation.

Requirements

Develop a PowerPoint presentation of 8–12 slides (with speaker’s notes) that synthesizes the internal and external analyses for your selected firm. Your presentation must include a well-developed SWOT analysis, a summary of potential strategic actions, and the following:

Summary of SWOT Analysis

• Examine the internal resources, capabilities, and competencies of the selected firm using key strategic management tools and models such as the VRIO Framework and Value Chain.
  • Look specifically for capabilities that are required for the company’s competitive advantage.
  • Be specific about the firm’s resources (both tangible and intangible) that seem most strategically important, now and in your vision of the company’s future strategic development.
  • Cleary state where firm Strengths and Weaknesses are found.
• Analyze the firm’s external environment including its general environment, industry, and competitive position. Choose a strategic management model such as PEST analysis or Porter’s Five Forces Model to use in this analysis. Clearly state where external Opportunities and Threats are found.
• Illustrate the key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats using a SWOT table. You might also develop a SWOT figure that depicts your findings in a way that allows for more effective integration and synthesis of your key ideas.

Strategic Actions Based on SWOT Analysis

• Relate the SWOT analysis to the key strategic actions the selected firm could take to further its alignment and long-term success.
  • How can you relate internal strengths and weaknesses with opportunities and threats in the external environment? Are there capabilities that need to be enhanced in order to capitalize on opportunities or reduce threats? Are there capabilities that can be divested because they are no longer needed in the current or projected environment?
  • What are the strategic actions that would align specific strengths and weaknesses with specific opportunities and threats?

Your presentation should be written clearly and be communicated effectively to organizational leadership in a business environment. Keep in mind that the audience is an upper level leadership audience, so formatting your content to appeal to that audience will help your presentation be on point.

Additional Requirements

• References: Support your PowerPoint presentation with at least five academic resources from the Capella University Library. You must use proper APA style and format for citations and references.
• Length: 8–10 PowerPoint slides (with speaker’s notes), plus references.
• Written communication: Demonstrate graduate-level writing skills through accurate communication of thoughts that convey the overall goals of the analysis and do not detract from the message.
• Font: Times New Roman, 12 point.