Categories: Strategic Management

SWOT OR TOWS Matrix Analysis

&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad1" id&equals;"quads-ad1" style&equals;"float&colon;left&semi;margin&colon;0px 0px 0px 0&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify">TOWS Matrix gives a set of strategies by analyzing internal capacity of the company and external environment of the industry&period; It is a matching tool for constructing four types of strategies which are&colon; SO&comma; WO&comma; ST&comma; and WT&period; Here it should be noted that there is no best set of matching external and internal factors due to which analysis becomes difficult to some extent&period; The explanation of SO&comma; WO&comma; ST&comma; and WT strategies is given below&colon; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 align&equals;"justify">SO Strategies<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<h3 align&equals;"justify">&&num;160&semi;<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify">Firms use such strategies to grab the external opportunities by using the internal strengths&period; For example&comma; A firm has a strong financial position but it is loosing its market share&semi; now with the help of strong financial position it can introduce innovative products by investing in research and development sector&period; Organizations always try to overcome major weaknesses and make them strengths&period; Similarly&comma; organizations try to avoid threats and concentrate on opportunities&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 align&equals;"justify">WO Strategies<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify"><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify">These strategies are used for the purpose of improving internal weaknesses by using external opportunities&period; It is possible that a firm has good external opportunity but can not avail it due to internal weakness&period; For example&comma; A firm may find an opportunity of increasing its production by introducing new technology but the firm may lack the skilled workers required for the production&period; In such case&comma; a possible WO Strategies would be to hire and train people with the essential technical skills&period;&&num;160&semi; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 align&equals;"justify">ST Strategies <&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify"><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify">Such strategies are used by the organization for the purpose of reducing the impact of external threats by using its internal strengths&period; For example&comma; a firm with strong legal department &lpar;strength&rpar; can avoid external threats such as copying ideas&comma; innovations&comma; and patented products&period; Similarly&comma; an organization with strong line of quality products may face the threat of low priced products of rivals&period; In such case the organization can apply ST Strategy of mass production to reduce the unit cost of production&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad2" id&equals;"quads-ad2" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px 0 0px 0&semi;text-align&colon;center&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<h3 align&equals;"justify">WT Strategies <&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify"><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify">WT Strategies are mainly used by those firms which are not in a good and stable position&period; Basically&comma; these strategies are defensive because organizations try to reduce internal weaknesses while avoiding the external threats&period; For example&comma; if an organization has weak financial position &lpar;weakness&rpar; and the demand for its products is reducing &lpar;threat&rpar; then the possible WT Strategies would be to retrench or merge&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify"><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 align&equals;"center">Steps in the Construction of SWOT Matrix <&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify">&&num;160&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<ol>&NewLine;<div align&equals;"justify">&&num;160&semi;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<li>&NewLine;<div align&equals;"justify">List down the important strengths of the firm <&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>&NewLine;<div align&equals;"justify">List down the important weaknesses of the firm <&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>&NewLine;<div align&equals;"justify">List down the important threats of the firm <&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>&NewLine;<div align&equals;"justify">List down the important opportunities of the firm <&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>&NewLine;<div align&equals;"justify">Now match internal strength with external opportunity and type the appropriate SO strategy in the SO cell&period; <&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>&NewLine;<div align&equals;"justify">Similarly&comma; match the internal weaknesses with external opportunities and type the appropriate WO strategy in WO cell&period; <&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>&NewLine;<div align&equals;"justify">Match internal strengths with external threats and type the appropriate ST strategy in ST cell&period; <&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>&NewLine;<div align&equals;"justify">Match internal weaknesses with external threats and type the appropriate WT strategy in WT cell&period; <&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ol>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify">&&num;160&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"center">&&num;160&semi;<strong>SWOT OR TOWS Matrix of Whirlpool<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify">&&num;160&semi;<a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;mba-lectures&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2011&sol;02&sol;image&period;png"><img title&equals;"image" style&equals;"border-top-width&colon; 0px&semi; display&colon; block&semi; border-left-width&colon; 0px&semi; float&colon; none&semi; border-bottom-width&colon; 0px&semi; margin-left&colon; auto&semi; margin-right&colon; auto&semi; border-right-width&colon; 0px" height&equals;"371" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;mba-lectures&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2011&sol;02&sol;image&lowbar;thumb&period;png" width&equals;"500" border&equals;"0" &sol;><&sol;a> <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify">&&num;160&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify">SWOT Matrix for Whirlpool is provided in the above figure&period; SWOT Matrix contains nine cells in which four are key factor cells&comma; four strategy cells and one blank cell&period; First of all&comma; the four key factor cells are completed which are labeled as&colon; S&comma; W&comma; O&comma; and T then the four strategy cells will be constructed which are labeled as&colon; SO&comma; WO&comma; ST&comma; and WT&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify">It is important to note that not all the strategies developed in the SWOT Matrix will be selected for implementation&period; The matrix only points out the possible strategies which can be implemented&period; It does not help in determining the best strategies for implementation&period; While constructing SWOT matrix&comma; one should include S1&comma; O2 type notation after each strategy because notation reveals the rationale for each alternative strategy&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 align&equals;"justify">&&num;160&semi;<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<h3 align&equals;"center">Limitations of SWOT Matrix <&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p align&equals;"justify">&&num;160&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<ol>&NewLine;<li>&NewLine;<div align&equals;"justify">SWOT matrix does not reveal the steps which need to be followed in order to achieve competitive advantage&period; The matrix does not show how to implement the strategies successfully&period; <&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>&NewLine;<div align&equals;"justify">Organizations always face changing competitive environment&period; Due to continuous improvements it becomes difficult for the organizations to reveal the dynamics of a competitive environment in a single matrix&period; <&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>&NewLine;<div align&equals;"justify">TWOS Matrix does not show interrelationships among the key internal and external factors&period; Organizations may overemphasize a single internal or external factor in formulating strategies&period; Whereas&comma; interrelationships among the factors also impact the strategies&period; <&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ol>&NewLine;&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad3" id&equals;"quads-ad3" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

kasi

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  • It is true, the swot matrix doesnt show the specific step how to implement the strategy, but gives a macro view of the scenary

    Regards

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