Week 2 – Assignment

SWOT Analysis

Prior to completing this assignment, review your prior research on the company you selected for research in this Weeks Environmental Scanning interactive assignment. Also watch the video How to Perform a SWOT Analysis (Links to an external site.) (2016). In approximately 250 words,

• Describe the companys history, products, and major competitors by accessing the Mergent Ashford University Library online database which offers company financials, descriptions, history, property, subsidiaries, officers and directors and by accessing the Business  Insights database. (View the Mergent tipsheet and Business Insights tipsheet documents for suggested methods of searching Ashford University Library databases generally as well as specific advice for searching these two databases).
• Assess the financial performance and condition of the organization.

Next, conduct a SWOT analysis using the SWOT Analysis Template. Detail the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that may affect the organization. Copy and paste the completed table from the template into your SWOT analysis paper.

In the evaluation portion of your paper of your SWOT analysis:

• Describe the specific areas that indicate a need for change.
• Determine what changed objectives, or newly implemented interventions, are required to improve the companys position within its market.
• Assess the trending performance of the company and provide recommendations for improvement.

(NOTE: Incorporate the feedback you receive from your instructor and save your work. It will be part of your Strategic Plan Final Project for this course).

The SWOT Analysis paper

• Must be from five to six double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Centers APA Style (Links to an external site.) resource.
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of SWOT Analysis
  • Students name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructors name
  • Date submitted
• Must use at least two scholarly and/or credible sources in addition to the course text.
  • The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
• Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Centers Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Required Resources

Text

Abraham, S. (2012). Strategic management for organizations. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

• Chapter 4: External Environmental Analysis
• Chapter 5: Assessing the Company Itself

Multimedia

virtualstrategist. (2016, October 19). How to perfom a SWOT analysis (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_161788243&feature=iv&src_vid=GNXYI10Po6A&v=I_6AVRGLXGA

• In this video, the presenter examines how to analyze the information obtained from a SWOT analysis and will assist you in your SWOT Analysis assignment this week.
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Recommended Resources

Articles

Conner, C. (2014). Top online reputation management tips for brand marketers (Links to an external site.). Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2014/03/04/top-online-reputation-management-tips-for-brand-marketers/

• This article provides information about management tips and may assist you with your assignments this week.
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Dyer, J. & Gregersen, H. (2014). How we rank the world’s most innovative growth companies 2014 (Links to an external site.). Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/search/?q=Assessing+a+company

• This article provides a list of global companies based on innovation and may assist you with your assignments this week.
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Moore, K. (2011). Porter or Mintzberg: Whose view of strategy is the most relevant today? (Links to an external site.) Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/karlmoore/2011/03/28/porter-or-mintzberg-whose-view-of-strategy-is-the-most-relevant-today/

• This article compares two points of view to consider which may be the most relevant today and may assist you with your assignments this week.
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Trefis Team. (2014). Better market conditions complement Gap Inc.s strong position and brands (Links to an external site.). Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/06/16/better-market-conditions-complement-gap-incs-strong-position-and-brands/

• This article provides information about Gap, Inc. and their brands and may assist you with your assignments this week.
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Multimedia

Harvard Business Review. (2008, June 30). The five competitive forces that shape strategy (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYF2_FBCvXw&feature=player_detailpage

• This  video discusses five points thought to contribute to shaping a companys strategy and may assist you with your assignments this week. This video has closed captioning and a transcript.
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