SWOT Analysis

The basic steps required for the comprehensive assignment is as follows:
1) Identify a local company or organization that interests you. Provide a summary of the company
or organization, as well as your reason for selecting the company or organization.
2) Situational Analysis
 A good marketing plan starts with a situation analysis to see where the business is now.
 This section should basically cover an analysis of the internal, external, and customer
environment, which will be used to carry out a SWOT analysis.
 This should be based on company literature or research based on published sources or
through primary research.
 If you decide to conduct primary research, you may choose any research technique,
such as in-depth interviews, observation, surveys, or a combination of methods. Given
the current situation (‘stay-at home’ & ‘social distancing’), please utilize subjects
already in close proximity (e.g., family members, friends), and utilize online technology
if applicable (e.g., phone interview, zoom, online survey).
3) SWOT Analysis
 A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis builds on the
information you gathered in step two and identifies the major strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats with which the organization faces.
 It is important to further summarize the implications of your findings. What is your
overall impression of the company, when looking at all of the elements (S + W + O + T)
together? Can you identify any themes/trends?
4) Marketing Goals and Objectives
 Having done your SWOT analysis you can then work out the issues you need to focus
your plan around.
 You should list the issues that the marketing plan will address, explain why these are
the key issues that needs to be addressed (why not something else?), and form goals and
strategies to help you do that.
 Next, objectives should be stated as goals. These objectives should be phrased so that
you can easily measure your results against them – for example:
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 “We want to attract 100 new customers by….” or
 “We will increase our sales by 5% within the next six months.”
 Please remember to explain your rationale for the selected goals and objective. Why are
these goals and objectives important for this company to pursue at this moment?
5) Marketing Strategy
 You now need to outline a marketing strategy, while setting out the logic you’ll use to
achieve those objectives.
 This strategy will outline your target markets by going through the “STP”
(Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning) process, and give specifics of the “4 P’s”
(Product, Price, Promotion, and Place).
 It is important to explain how each part of your strategy responds to the items identified
in your SWOT analysis, and how it helps you achieve your goals and objectives.
It is in your best interest to select a company as early as possible. I will be happy to give you input on
narrowing down a list of potential companies.
Also, I would be more than happy to review your work prior to your final submission (as many times
as needed). While you can send me a draft for review via email as early as you wish, the final date to
submit a draft for review is 3 days prior to the due date (April 28, Tuesday), so that there is enough
time for me to review your work – send you my review – and for you to revise your work.
2. Individual Comprehensive Assignment Format and Due Date:
1) Format: The paper should be a maximum of 8 pages (double-spaced, 12-point Times New
Roman font, normal margin) excluding references.
st
. On Moodle, there will be a new
section titled ‘Individual Comprehensive Assignment Submission’ with a Turnitin portal. Please
upload your individual assignment (word document) here.