Module 2 – SLP

PROMOTION MANAGEMENT & SWOT ANALYSIS

Here is the brief overview of this cumulative Session Long Project
(SLP). In this research project, you would work as a marketing
consultant to develop a feasible marketing plan for your client. You
would conduct both secondary research in SLP1 and SLP2 to glean the
necessary information for your marketing plan in SLP3 and SLP4.

It is important to conduct quality market research on your focal
product/company in order to develop realistic and workable marketing
plans. Generally speaking, there are two types of research. One is
secondary research, which refers to data collection using existing
sources, and the other is primary research, which is your own data
collection for the specific study at hand. The purpose of market
research is to collect usable information to make more informed
decisions on the business problem, thus increasing the chance of
business success in the marketplace.

Please check the outline of the marketing plan, which provides information on:

1. The final format for this cumulative session long project;
2. A list of topics for the whole project;
3. The continuity and connections among SLPs 1-4.

In this module SLP 2, conduct SWOT analysis for your charge based
on the situation analysis in SLP1. This is the second step of this
cumulative research project. Be sure to revise the sections in SLP1 and
include them in this paper following the marketing plan outline provided
above.

SWOT Analysis

A thorough situation analysis in the Module 1 SLP is the foundation
for a SWOT analysis. Develop statements of the company’s internal
strengths and weaknesses, and external opportunities and threats. If
there is any question as to whether a fact or issue is external (these
lead to opportunity and threat statements) or internal (these lead to
strength and weakness statements), ask this key question, “Would this
issue exist if the company did not exist?” If the answer is yes, then
the issue should be classified as external.

Note: Remember that alternative marketing
strategies and tactics are not opportunities. Opportunities and threats
exist independently of the firm. Strategies and tactics are what the
firm intends to do about its opportunities and threats relative to its
own strengths and weaknesses.

The SWOT will play a critical role (along with an in-depth
understanding of target market needs/preferences and competition) in the
development of goals, objectives, and marketing strategies and
programs. Key strengths need to be matched to opportunities and
converted to capabilities that help serve customer needs better and lead
to competitive advantage. Goals, strategies, and program ideas stem
from an attempt to convert weaknesses into strengths and threats into
opportunities. Some alternatives will also come from thinking about how
to minimize the repercussions of weaknesses and threats that cannot be
converted, and/or how to avoid them altogether. Follow the instructions
below to identify strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats.

A. Strengths and Weaknesses (Internal)

Think about internal conditions; those things that management has
some control over that are relevant to future success and effectiveness.
The task is to identify internal strengths, which must be taken into
consideration as management plans for the future.

Remember, a strength is any internal characteristic that improves
effectiveness. Look for factors that help the company improve
positioning in the marketplace, enhance financial performance, and most
importantly, fight off threats and take advantage of opportunities in
the external environment.

A weakness is any internal characteristic that limits effectiveness,
performance, and the ability to accomplish objectives, meet threats, and
take advantage of opportunities.

It is also important to point out that a particular fact about the
internal environment may have a weakness and a strength dimension. For
example, we might say that the company’s technical skills are of the
highest quality and this is a strength, but since these skills are
possessed by only a few employees, it is also a weakness in that we need
more people with such skills and would be hurt if a few key people left
the company.

Using the following 16 internal factors to stimulate your thinking,
list all of the company strengths you can think of for each category.
Then review the same list of 16 internal factors and develop a list of
company weaknesses. (You may not have access to all of the information
below, but try your best to identify at least five of them for your
project).

Internal Factors

The following categories of internal factors are commonly used to
generate a list of specific company strengths and weaknesses. This list
is to be used to stimulate your thinking about internal strengths and
weaknesses.

1. Management leadership/capabilities.
2. Organization structure and management systems.
3. Facilities, equipment, and materials.
4. Technical skills and expertise.
5. Dedication, morale, and motivation of employees.
6. Capacity to meet demand—production capacity, including excess available for growing demand.
7. Marketing effectiveness/efficiency—advertising, personal selling,
   public relations, products/services, prices, distribution, marketing
   research and planning, customer service, warranties, sales support,
   sales promotion, etc.
8. Ability to deliver what the market wants.
9. Ability to deliver in a timely manner.
10. Image and reputation as perceived by customers and within the industry.
11. Customer (and potential customer) perception—likes, dislikes, and perceptions of service, quality, etc.
12. Financial performance—sales, market share, customer satisfaction/loyalty, and profits.
13. Financial situation—availability of capital, internal funding, financial stability, etc.
14. Cost of operations—high cost vs. low cost, rising costs, costs compared to competition (manufacturing, distribution, etc.)
15. Geographic location(s).
16. Other relevant competencies/resources that translate into strengths
    that have not been mentioned. Also, any weaknesses we have missed
    related to a lack of competencies and/or resources that are needed in
    the future.

B. Opportunities and Threats (External)

Think about the most significant trends in the organization’s
external environment that will have an impact on future success. The
challenge is to identify relevant opportunities and threats outside
management’s control that must be taken into consideration during the
planning process. You will need to list and describe the factors/issues
forming industry trends that may influence future efforts one way or the
other, either as a positive force (opportunity) or as a barrier
(threat).

An opportunity is the result of some trend or fact in the external
environment that represents a marketplace and/or financial performance
advantage. It may indicate a new direction, product or service, and/or
resource requirement for the company. It represents an attractive arena
for marketing action in which the company would enjoy a competitive
advantage.

A threat is the result of some trend or fact in the external
environment that represents an area of concern for management. It
represents a challenge posed by an unfavorable trend or development that
would lead, in the absence of effective marketing action, to the
erosion of the company’s or industry’s position. A threat may:

1. Directly or indirectly affect the business.
2. Indicate an area to be avoided.
3. Demand a strategic response.
4. Represent an opportunity if responded to properly.

It should be pointed out that a particular trend in the external
environment (for example, mergers/acquisitions, technological
advancements, and/or a recent change in the way competitors operate and
what they are offering the market) can imply both a threat and an
opportunity. Sometimes in strategic planning we say that behind each
threat (or problem) lies an opportunity. Or an optimist in strategic
planning will look at threats and try to turn them into opportunities.
Thus, it should be remembered that if management can adapt properly to a
threat (such as mergers and acquisitions), this trend may be viewed as
an opportunity as well as a threat.

Review the following 13 categories of external environmental trend
factors and list the trends or issues that are relevant to the company
and industry. Then translate each factor identified into a specific
opportunity and/or threat statement. That is, what are the implications
of each environmental trend or issue outside the company in terms of
specific opportunities and/or threats? (You may not have access to all
the information below, but try your best to identify at least five of
them for your project).

External Environmental Trend Factors

The following categories of external environmental trend factors are
commonly considered in the planning process. They are used to develop a
specific list of company opportunities and threats. This list is to be
used to stimulate your thinking about opportunities and threats in the
external environment.

1. Mergers and acquisitions—(e.g., among customers, potential customers, suppliers, competitors, and/or within the industry).
2. Competitive trends—specific competitive strategies and programs, or recent changes such as lower prices or new products.
3. Economic trends—forces and changes in the economy such as inflation, interest rates, recession.
4. Technological trends—new technological innovations.
5. Technical requirements—within the industry.
6. Market/industry trends—size of firm related to industry, financial
   performance of the industry compared with the firm, size/growth rate of
   current and future potential market characteristics and trends in
   markets and industry.
7. Customer and potential customer attitudes—preferences, expectations, problems, wants, needs, etc. What changes are anticipated?
8. Legal trends—government regulations and policies.
9. Societal/lifestyle trends—changes in people’s values, attitudes, and activities.

10. New products/services—on the market.

11. Supply sources.

12. Declining or increasing productivity—in the industry or economy.

13. Other industry trends not previous mentioned that are relevant to the future.

Based on the detailed discussion of strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats, use SWOT tables for the SWOT analysis. In
other words, first state the facts based on your research, and then
summarize the findings in a SWOT table. Note the examples below and
follow the “best statements” to describe the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for your company and charge in SWOT table(s).

	Examples	Not Useful Statement	Better Statement	Best Statement
Internal Strengths	Customer loyalty/brand image	We have a strong brand image.	We have a 42% market share and our brand is known worldwide.	Our global market share has grown from 25% to 42% over the past four years. Independent surveys show our quality and image is rated No. 1 in our industry in the U.S. and Asia and No. 2 in Europe behind XYZ.
	Sales/ Distribution	Our distribution is the best in the industry.	Our product is available in more locations than our competitors’.	Our extensive distribution network provides product within 10 miles of the home or work location of 95% of our target market. Our competitors only achieve this level for 40%-65% of the market.
Internal Weaknesses	Product cost	Our costs are high.	Our major competitors, ABC and XYZ, produce in China for less cost.	Our labor costs average $40/unit (in Detroit) vs. $12/unit for our competitors (in China). With product market prices of $120/unit we barely break even.
	Product Life	We have product problems.	Our product life is less than the competition.	Typically, our product fails after one year. Our major competitor’s product lasts 2-3 years. Customers are willing to pay 50% more for our competitors’ product.
External Opportunities	Alternative Distribution College Campus	We can leverage new distribution channels.	Internet could be used to increase sales to college students.	Direct Sales (via campus Intranet) and on-campus kiosks would more than double our coverage of our targeted Generation Y market.
	Export Growth via Strategic Alliances	Export markets can help us grow.	Europe and Asia provide good opportunities to grow by partnering.	Strategic alliances with ABC in Europe and XYZ in Asia would allow us to double international sales in two years.
External Threats	Substitutes	Substitutes are a threat.	ABC’s new sugar-free sweetener may hurt us.	In six months, ABC’s sugar-free sweetener has achieved 20% market share. Its share is expected to grow to 40% by next year.
	Mergers	Competitor mergers could hurt us.	Competitor XYZ is expected to acquire ABC.	If XYZ acquires ABC, it will dominate the distribution network and limit our access.

Check the following link for some exercises to better understand SWOT elements.

SWOT Analysis Exercises (2010). Retrieved from http://www.cengage.com/marketing/book_content/1439039429_lamb/interactive_exercises/exercise03.html