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A LevelBusinessAQARevision Notes7. Analysing the Strategic Position of a Business (A Level)7.1 Mission, Objectives and StrategySWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis (AQA A Level Business): Revision Note

Exam code: 7132

Lisa Eades

Written by: Lisa Eades

Reviewed by: Steve Vorster

Updated on

The value of SWOT analysis

  • SWOT Analysis is an analytical tool used by businesses to identify

    • Internal strengths and weaknesses

    • External opportunities and threats

  • Effective SWOT analysis can help senior managers to understand the current business position and future changes that may occur so that appropriate strategic decisions may be made

Factors affecting the usefulness of SWOT analysis

Factor

Explanation

The quality and relevance of data used

  • The accuracy and reliability of the data used for SWOT analysis greatly influence its usefulness

  • If the information used for analysis is outdated, incomplete or biased, it can lead to flawed conclusions and ineffective decision-making

Objectivity and bias

  • SWOT analysis requires a fair and unbiased assessment of the organisation's internal and external factors

  • If the analysis is influenced by personal biases, preconceived notions or subjective opinions, it can undermine the usefulness of the analysis

Depth of analysis

  • Superficial analysis may overlook important factors or fail to capture the complexity of the organisation's environment

  • A comprehensive and thorough analysis can provide more accurate insights and improve the usefulness of SWOT analysis

Stakeholder involvement

  • SWOT analysis should involve input from various stakeholders within the organisation, including employees, managers, customers, suppliers, and industry experts

  • Their diverse perspectives can provide a broader understanding of the organisation's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, thus increasing the usefulness of the analysis

Dynamic nature of the business environment

  • As market conditions, technology and consumer preferences change over time, the relevance of identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats may also shift

  • Regular updates and revisions to the analysis are necessary to ensure its usefulness

Constructing a SWOT analysis

  • Before a SWOT analysis can be compiled:

    • It should be determined whether the whole business, a specific product or a new project is to be analysed

    • Financial and operations data and staff or customer feedback should be reviewed to identify real strengths and weaknesses rather than rely on hunches

    • Economic, social, technological and competitive trends should be carefully reviewed to identify expected opportunities and threats

    • Findings should be cross-checked with independent reports before the most important factors are considered in the analysis

Factors considered in a SWOT analysis

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

  • What the business is good at
    For example:

    • Qualities that separate the business from rivals

    • Internal resources such as skilled staff or a particular innovation

    • Possession of assets such as capital, patents or intellectual property

    • A loyal customer base

    • Effective leadership

  • What the business does poorly
    For example:

    • Ways in which the business lags behind competitors

    • Resource or capital limitations, including labour and finance

    • Lack of a competitive advantage

    • Lack of a unique selling proposition (USP)

    • Poor online presence

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

  • Options a business may exploit to enjoy further success

    For example:

    • Developing markets for specific products become apparent

    • Few competitors exist

    • A changing legal or political environment positively impacts on business processes and decisions

    • Social or technological developments create an emerging need for the businesses' products

    • Economic indicators becoming more favourable

    • A potential for positive media coverage of the business

  • Hazards that have the potential to damage business performance

    For example:

    • New or emerging competitors are gaining market share

    • A changing legal or political environment negatively impacting on business processes and decisions

    • Social or technological developments threaten obsolescence of products

    • Economic indicators becoming less favourable

    • Negative press coverage

    • Changing customer attitudes towards the business

  • Once a SWOT Analysis has been completed by a business, appropriate decisions can be made to improve performance

    • Strengths should be harnessed

    • Weaknesses should be eliminated

    • Opportunities should be seized

    • Threats should be mitigated

Example SWOT analysis

An example of a SWOT Analysis for a small cafe business
An example of a SWOT Analysis for a small cafe business

  • Having compiled the SWOT Analysis the owner of the cafe may conclude that the business should

    • Seize the opportunity presented by the growing interest in locally sourced ingredients by promoting the cafe's strength of its seasonal, locally sourced menu, especially given the threat from large competitors

    • Make use of the government funding for staff training to attempt to reduce staff turnover

    • Increase the volume of sales to a geographically wider target market by teaming up with delivery apps and establishing an inexpensive social media presence

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    Author
    Reviewer
    Lisa Eades

    Author: Lisa Eades

    Expertise: Business Content Creator

    Lisa has taught A Level, GCSE, BTEC and IBDP Business for over 20 years and is a senior Examiner for Edexcel. Lisa has been a successful Head of Department in Kent and has offered private Business tuition to students across the UK. Lisa loves to create imaginative and accessible resources which engage learners and build their passion for the subject.

    Steve Vorster

    Reviewer: Steve Vorster

    Expertise: Economics & Business Subject Lead

    Steve has taught A Level, GCSE, IGCSE Business and Economics - as well as IBDP Economics and Business Management. He is an IBDP Examiner and IGCSE textbook author. His students regularly achieve 90-100% in their final exams. Steve has been the Assistant Head of Sixth Form for a school in Devon, and Head of Economics at the world's largest International school in Singapore. He loves to create resources which speed up student learning and are easily accessible by all.