The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis methodology is one of the most popular tools among strategy professionals for examining and understanding the competitive positioning of their respective solution, organization, or company. Applied correctly, a SWOT analysis can help organizations identify and carve out significant and sustainable market opportunities — and identify and proactively avoid potential market disasters. However, because of the relative simplicity of the base SWOT framework, strategy executives do not always get the desired value from their investment. Corporate Strategies Group has seen and reviewed many SWOT approaches, structures, and their results and has identified common mistakes to avoid — as well as practical and structural improvements that strategy professionals can use to make their SWOT analysis more robust and revealing.

1. The Value of SWOT
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www.CorporateStrategiesGroup.com
The webinar will start in a few
minutes

2.  Facilitator – Chris Reardon; Managing
Director
 Corporate Strategies Group
 Increase Growth & Profit
 Time Sensitive
 15-20 minutes
 10 + minutes Q&A
 Value - Meat & potatoes

3.  What is SWOT
 SWOT Parts
 SWOT Detail
 SWOT Process
 SWOT Mistakes
 Benefit of SWOT
 Summary
 Q&A

4. Ted Turner is credited with saying…
“I will fire any manager who
could not make a decision
within 20 minutes after having
all the facts.”

5.  Make an informed Business Decision as a
manager
 A business operating without a written
and public plan operates in ANARCHY!
 The Three Foot Journey
Detailed information
---
Simplified implementation

6.  Stagnation
 Rapid Expansion
 Missed Targets
 Eroding Market Share
 Reduced Productivity
 Industry Shift
 Expansion
 When you just don’t know..

7.  A part of the planning process (Strategic
Plan)
 PEST(le)
 Value Chain Analysis
Strategic Analysis is:
…the process of conducting research on the
business itself and the environment the
business operates to gather information, for
the use in the design of a strategy of the best
and highest performance of the business.

8.  Business Plan
 Marketing Plan
 Funding Proposal
 HR
 Marketing
 Accountants

9.  Strategic Assets & Strategic Liabilities
 Internal & External
 Marketing
 Markets
 Sales
 Management/Operations
 Leadership/Communication
 Financial
 Resources/Assets

10.  Planning
 Discovery
 Analysis
 Development
 IMPLEMENTATION
Upstream & Downstream

11. Link to Strategy
The Four Step Strategic Planning Process
Your SWOT Analysis
will summarise your
Strategic Analysis
Strategic
SWOT
Analysis
Strategic
Choice
Strategic
Implementation
Strategic
Control

12.  Cross check & reference questions
 Benchmarking
 Compare to Mission Vision

13.  NOT involving all Stakeholders
 NOT seeing staff as SWOT asset/resource
 Or over time
 Not using it as a living document
(summarized)
 Objectivity
 Leading questions
 Preconceived outcomes
 Perceived retribution

14.  Not weighting the data
 Lack of Communication of intent and
results

16. Create a simple goals definitions
sheet
AND
Create a desk report (DDR) with
performance objectives
AND
Create a desk report (DDR) of
milestones with timelines.

17.  Have the facts to make an informed
business decision
 A game plan A Mckinsy survey reported
that over 76% surveyed
 Predictability companies had a formal
 Control strategic planning process.
Among those claiming to
have one, more than half said
the process played a
significant role in growth
and profit success.

18. Strengths
Strength Defined: A strength is a core
capability of your business where your
business have an advantage over your
competitor(s), which your customers
value i.e. you passed the better than
your competitors test.
You will find your strengths only when
completing your internal analysis.

19. Weaknesses
Weakness Defined: A weakness is a core
capability of your business where your
competitor(s) have an advantage over
your business, which your customers
value i.e. you failed the better than your
competitors test.
You will find your weaknesses only when
completing your internal analysis

20. Opportunities
Opportunity Defined: An opportunity is
an environmental condition in your
macro or industry environments that can
improve your organizations competitive
position relative to that of your
competitors.
You will find your opportunities when
completing your industry environment
analysis and your macro environment
analysis

21. Threats
Threat Defined: A threat is a forecast
environmental condition that is out of
your control and has the potential to
harm your businesses profitability.
You will find your threats when
completing your industry environment
analysis and your macro environment
analysis

22. SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
KFC continued to dominate the Chicken Segment, with sales of 4.4
billion in 1999.
Despite gain by Boston Market and Chick-fill A, KFC customer base
remained loyal to the KFC brand because of its unique taste.
KFC has continued to dominate the dinner and take out segment of
the Industry.
Strong trademarks recipes.
Ranks highest among all chicken restaurant chains for its
convenience and menu variety.
Generate $1B each year

23. WEAKNESSES
KFC was loosing market share as other Chicken chain increased
sales at a faster rate.
KFC share of Chicken Segment sales fell from 71 percent 1989, to
less than 56 percent in 1999, a 10-years drop of 15 percent.
KFC leadership in U.S market was so extensive that it had fewer
opportunities to expand its U.S restaurant base, which was only
growing at about 1 percent per year.
Failed to rank in top 20 in growth in 2000.
Lack of knowledge about their customers.
Question of over franchising leads to loss of control and quality.
Lack of focus on R&D.

24. OPPORTUNITIES
McDonald’s accounted for 35 percent of the Sandwich Segment while
Burger King ran a distant Second, with a 16 percent market share.
Per store sale at Burger King remained flat and Hardee’s per store sale
declined by 10 percent.
In family Segment, Friend’s and Shoney’s were forced to shut down
restaurants because of declining profits.
Within the Pizza Segment, Pizza Hat and Little Caesars Closed
underperforming restaurants.
Boston Market was a new restaurant chain that emphasized roasted rather
than fried chicken.
In 1999, Boston Market soon entered Bankruptcy proceedings.
Church’s broadened its menu to include buffalo chicken wings, macaroni
and cheese, beans and rice and collard greens.
Baby boomers aged 35 to 50 constituted the largest customer group for
fast-food restaurants.

25. THREATS
McDonald’s with sales of more than 19 billion in 1999, accounted for 15
percent of the sales of the nation’s top 100 restaurant chains.
McDonald’s generated per store sale 1.5 million per year.
Much of the growth in dinner houses came from new unit construction in
suburban market and small town.
In Family Segment, Steak n Shake and Cracker Barrel expend its
restaurant by more than 10 percent.
KFC nearest competitor Popeye, ran a distant second with sales of 1.0
billion.
In early 1990s’ many industry analysts predict that Boston Market would
challenge KFC for market leadership.
Boston market and Chick-fil-A market share gains were achieved primarily
by taking customer away from KFC.
Popeye’s replaced Boston market as the second largest chicken chain in
1999.