SWOT & Stakeholder analysis.

This week focuses on SWOT & Stakeholder analysis. First, let's take a look at SWOT. After looking through different videos, I find this the least time-consuming, yet most informative video I've found.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNXYI10Po6A

Here's an example of how it is being done too !
McDonald's SWOT analysis

The presenter in the video does make a strong argument. She makes it sound like it is easy to make this analysis that anybody could do it, and it is true --- anyone can do that analysis. That's the problem with the SWOT analysis.

SWOT analysis is not exactly 100% clear as many factors can be omitted if the inexperienced or unspecialised personnel conducting that analysis, factors that are possibly omitted could cause disastrous mistakes for the company. The SWOT analysis is not specific enough.

I feel that SWOT analysis sees each of its components individually, not as possible merging factors. The presenter shows that how you can take a factor and use it to link to other factors, so does various other resources I've encountered. A factor of strength could be a factor of threat; an possible example is that if a business strive well, other companies would up their game or merge with each other in order to try to topple the business. A factor of weakness can be seen as an opportunity too! Placing the word "Strength" and "Weakness" would also probably put people off.

 People are probably most likely think that their strength are too good to become a threat, and weakness as an opportunity. SWOT also doesn't see the possibilities of changes caused by individual staffs. Individual staff are important, especially in organisations that needs innovative ideas. Each minds are different, and if one quits, promoted or get fired, the company's possible services or new products would change differently too, maybe little bit, but in total, it would change and affect customer and ultimately the company itself.

After learning what SWOT is, it does feel a little like it is just a five year old's maths problem, anybody could've done it. I feel that the SWOT analysis needs a few tweaking to improve itself.

Now, onto Stakeholders, here's a little thing or two about stakeholder mapping.

                                     

I believe that the stakeholder analysis fails to see the integration of problems caused by different sectors of the analysis. Media, for examples, would probably be at high influence and low risk, where as customers whose at another sector. This stakeholder analysis fails to identify the chain of problems that could arise from just one sector. An unsatisfied customer may report to the media, which may cause a change of events, causing bad publicity, leading to fall of goodwill and less people may want to invest in the company.

It is, however, a good tool for guidance.