Swot Analysis

Increasing interest for environment and natural values Third party reliance- manufacturing, distribution, retailers retailer consolidation decreasing consumer consumption New aggressive incoming companies on the action sports market Fierce competition Competition Quicksilver, Inc. Has developed from a sass broadsword company into a multinational apparel and accessory company grounded in the philosophy of youth. Their mission is to become the leading global youth apparel company; to maintain their core focus and roots while bringing their lifestyle message of boarding, independence, creativity and innovation to this global community.

Profile Volcano Soot By elementariness 23 Sector: Lifestyle and Retail Tagging/ Slogan: Ride the hazardous wave; When the sun runs our I’ll use the moon USPS: Complete surf-wear and board-sportswear brand. Segment: Sporty Men, Women and kids Target Group: Urban men women and kids from the middle and upper middle class Positioning: Exclusive sportswear brand. Competitors: Nikkei, Aids, Puma, Rebook Quicksilver, Inc. Designs, develops, markets, and distributes branded apparel, outwear, accessories, and related products primarily for men, women, and children.

The company provides its products for various activities, including casual and outdoor lifestyle associated with surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, BMW and motocross, beach and board riding sports, rally car, and other activities. Quicksilver, Inc. Offers its products primarily under the Quicksilver, DC, and Rosy brands through a range of distribution points, including wholesale accounts, such as surf shops, skate shops, snow shops, sporting goods stores, discount centers, specialty stores, and elect department stores; 874 owned or licensed company retail stores; and e- commerce Websites.

It primarily operates in the United States, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Spain, Japan, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, and Mexico. The company’s sales fluctuate from quarter to quarter due to these seasonal consumer demand patterns, as well as the effect that the Christmas and holiday seasons have on consumer spending. Trademarks The company owns the Quicksilver and Rosy trademarks and the related mountain and wave and heart logos in every country in the world.

Other trademarks it owns include and the DC Star logo, among others. Licensing Agreements and Patents The company owns rights throughout the world to use and license the Quicksilver and Rosy trademarks in apparel, footwear and related accessory product classifications. It also owns rights throughout the world to use and license the DC related trademarks for the footwear, apparel and accessory products that it distributes under such brand. The company directly operates all of the global Quicksilver and Rosy businesses with the exception of licensees in certain countries.

The company licenses its Hawk brand in the United States to a department store chain. Under the license agreement, the licensee has the exclusive right to manufacture and sell Hawk branded apparel and some related products in its U. S. Stores and through its Website. The company receives royalties from the licensee based upon sales of Hawk branded products. Under the license agreement, it is responsible for product design, and the licensee manages sourcing, distribution, racketing and all other functions relating to the Hawk brand.

The company retains the right to manufacture and sell Hawk branded products outside of the United States. The company’s patent portfolio contains patents and applications primarily related to wetsuits, skate shoes, watches, broadswords, and snowboard boots. Quicksilver SOOT Analysis largest manufacturer strong presence across the world The financial restructuring has been a success Diverse product lines Good advertising and brand presence Fake imitations and replica products

Low market share in the global market Difficulties to attract new customers Drop of sales for 4 years Loss of core clients (surfers) Online sales The company can further concentrate on brand-building of its new product lines Sponsor emerging competitions Increasing interest for good health Emerging markets, expansion abroad environmental regulations for the sport from across the world counterfeit products which have caused significant losses The fluctuations in the currency rates Streetwise market is dominated by giants such as Aids, Nikkei Economic slowdown

In this part of my investigation I am constructing a SWOT analysis for Nokia. I will have to analyse the external factors that may prevent Nokia from re-launching WAP enabled mobile phones onto the market. SWOT Analysis What is a SWOT analysis? A SWOT analysis conducts an external and internal scan of Nokia’s business environment, it is an important part of the strategic planning process. Environmental factors internal to the firm usually can be classified as strengths (S), or weaknesses (W), and those external to the firm can be classified as opportunities (O) or threats (T).

Such an analysis of the strategic environment is referred to as a SWOT analysis. The SWOT analysis provides information that is helpful in matching the firm’s resources and capabilities to the competitive environment in which it operates. As such, it is instrumental in strategy formulation and selection. Strengths Of Nokia One of Nokia’s main strengths is it is the market leader, this point is recognised by many of the general public. From this we can see that the public must see Nokia, and the products it produces as by far the highest quality and best selling available in the current market.

Therefore because of such high public opinion of Nokia, a new successful product can almost be guaranteed. Nokia offer the most reliable products available in the current market. This therefore makes it appealing and alluring for a consumer, because they feel secure that the Nokia phone they purchase will offer a reliable and steadfast product. The mobile phone market is currently very unstable. The majority of the mobile phone manufacturers are struggling financially currently.

Motorola have had a torrid couple of years in terms of sales and profits, Eriksson’s share price has been hit badly and Hutchison Wampona are encountering financial funding issues as the launch of their 3G phones has been delayed. Against this background Nokia’s financial results have been very steady and although their share price has seen a low of 10. 40 and a high of  21. 30, they are currently trading at around the  15 pound mark and have been for the past few months. This gives them financial credibility and support in uncertain times.

Nokia have a very popular image amongst the public. The public see Nokia as a modern and fashionable company that produce stylish phones, which offer simple yet, sound services on their phones. This will obviously increase sales of their products and limit the failure of new products Nokia are a very environmentally conscious company, who place an emphasis on recycling. This positive environmental stance promotes public opinion of them and minimizes the chances of bad press, which will reflect poorly upon them. This could affecting sales and popularity amongst the public. Weaknesses Of Nokia

A major weakness of Nokia is their employment and production of products. They currently manufacture their phones in Salo, Finland. They believe the production of their phones in this area of the world improves the quality and precision of their mobile phones as a final product. However, if they were to operate a manufacturing plant in somewhere such as Taiwan they would be able to save money on production and therefore increase profit. Fragmentation of the market may bring unwanted problems for Nokia in the future.

For instance if competitors began the production of specialists products (e.g. gaming phones), Nokia may be left behind because they currently operate machinery that may not be able to cope with the needs of the new products. This therefore will enable competitors to exploit this gap in the market and leave Nokia trailing. If they don’t anticipate such changes their adaptability may be to slow. Nokia are currently located in Salo, Finland. Due to their location in relation to their predominant market (United States Of America) the great distance between them means the costs of transporting their goods is very high. Opportunities For Nokia

When WAP was first launched it was aimed at the business sector of the market. Its main selling point was it enabled business people to access their e-mails whilst not at their desk. However the vast majority of businesses operate on the intranet. This is an internal Internet that can only be accessed when someone is within the company. It is also where the business peoples e-mail services are based. Because a WAP phone only offered connection to the internet people where unable to collect e-mails of their companies personnel intranet, without breeching security measures such as firewalls.

This meant a lot of companies discouraged the use of WAP enabled mobile phones and encouraged employees to purchase other phones. If Nokia can address this problem by altering the capabilities to fit the requirements of business people more specifically they can make a success of WAP phones. Nokia may be able to address the problem, concerning the assembly of new masts in certain areas by developing disguised masts. For instance by designing and constructing masts disguised as trees other natural features they may be able to erect them in areas where they have currently been restrictions mainly due to local protests.

If this were possible it would enable them to offer their customers a signal in a wider area than their competitors, giving them an advantage. Nokia realize that their production is still not enough to currently meet customer demands. There is therefore an opportunity to increase production, increase sales and in turn increase the profit Nokia make. Threats Upon Nokia If the world economy were to become inconsistent, this would greatly affect Nokia’s growth as a company, because they would be unable to exploit possible opportunities.

This is because they will be unable to construct accurate financial plans to budget the execution of their plans, due to continually fluctuating interest rates, inflation, growth rates and tax. Another big threat to Nokia may be the changes made within a competitors business. For instance their competitors may offer the market phones at a cheaper price or they may also offer phones with capabilities currently unavailable on the market, allow them to exploit a new market sector (e. g. Hutchinson with the first 3G phones).

This may therefore decrease the sales of Nokia products and increase the sales of their competitors enabling them to take a higher market share and possibly in the future contest for the position of market leader. The media can also offer up a threat to Nokia and much of the mobile phone industry. Via bad publicity in papers on TV or via any other mediums, consumers may be affected by false or inaccurate reports. For instance in 1999 scientists apparently discovered that mobile phone handsets give of radiation, which may give the user cancer to the brain.

This obviously discouraged the public from buying mobile phones. Since however this theory has been successfully disapproved, but it will take the public a long time to realize this and respond. In the mean time sales of phones will decrease and the market will dip. Finally current affairs such as the war on Iraq affect the economy, consumer spending and the availability of raw materials. Many of the public will limit their spending money for luxury items such as a mobile phone, because they are unsure of how the war might affect them and would prefer to save money in case they required it for emergency needs.

They are therefore content to keep their current phone as appose to upgrading it. The prices of raw materials will also increase due the obvious risks that may be apparent in the transportation of them. This will obviously increase the overall price of production and reduce profit intake. However this is a relatively short-term affect and will come to a close at the end of the war. It may also mean that there’s a market boom at the end of the war. This is because the people who were reluctant to upgrade or buy a new phone during this period are now able to purchase it due to the fade of their previous reasons for not purchasing one.

Chipolata is a Mexican restaurant that was opened in 1993 with the one goal to serve high quality and tasty food quickly with an experience that exceeded but refined the fast food experience. Chipolata also focus on using the best ingredients, and upholding their mission statement “Food with Integrity’. It is important to have all of the above qualities in owning a business, but every company has strength and nakedness, which I will be discussing in this paper.

I will discuss the strengths of Chipolata and also their weaknesses, and explain how their strengths can improve their weaknesses. Chipolata has so many great qualities and that makes the company have more opportunities for the community they serve along with revenue, but most important is the company’s strengths that helps to uphold recession and a shaky stock market. Three important strengths that Chipolata possess are community involvement; food made in front of customers, and strong customer loyalty, and along with the strengths come the weaknesses.

Chipolata has many weaknesses as many as their competitors. There are three main weaknesses that Chipolata has expanding into market with more diverse foods, advertisement, expansion. Chipolata has been involved with the community by hosting events for local schools and charities. It keeps the integrity of the food by buying from local farmers and buying organic products. This strength is great it keeps chipolata close to the communities, and interlarding healthy food into their products.

This is a way to stay in touch with customers and receive new ideas from the community. In the Orlando Business Journal It did and article on how Chipolata donated 100% of it proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity. Chipolata also held a fund raiser for dogs-loving patrons willing to assist the Orlando- based regional center of the Canine Companions for independence. (unknown, 2004)

Management Leadership and Organizational Change Introduction In general, SOOT Analysis is applied to strategic planning for a firm of some kind. In order to successfully earn my PhD in Walden University, I should have a strategic Soot Analysis on My Preparation for Phd in Management By Salami opportunities for achieving my goals and threats to achieving my goals. The SOOT Analysis will help me determine how best to plan my Walden studies. Analyze your academic strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths My personal characteristics are; self-discipline; ability to work under pressure, throng work ethics, creative, innovative and optimistic. I had Bachelor of Science Hon… In Computer Science and Statistics at University of Ghana, Logon in 1988 and Masters Information Communication Technology at Labor University, Denmark in 2010. As my degrees are in Computers, Information and Technology; I am good at working with CIT gadgets. I studied Management Information Systems, so I its principles a lot in doing my managerial work as an CIT Manager.

I have been working in the IT/CIT environment for the past twenty five years. I am in network with professional organizations e. Rotary and have good contacts with MAFIA workers. Being CIT Manager for than twenty years I may say I have some leadership skills, good communicator, team player and good at transferring skills. I have A tablet with WebMD, laptop with WebMD and a desktop with WebMD; all connected to the internet. Walden Library, Walden Writing Center, Walden Student Readiness Orientation downloads for revisiting. Walden Alumni, Live chat, Message board. I had a personal loan from my bank.

My family is in full support of my pursuit for PhD in Management. Weaknesses My writing skills in regards of PAP style or format need improvement. I lack American standards of doing things. Not too fast at assimilating things. I have Low GAP. I am the shy type and emotional. I struggle a little bit with some statistical formulas and concepts. Opportunities The enormous managerial skills I am getting in PhD in management will enable me satisfy my passion and motivations as a person and professional work. I know that passion, theory, topic or an issue motivates my curiosity in choosing and developing my research topic.

In my country, Government has seen the usefulness of integrating Sits in Agriculture activities to enhance and boost production. The Principles of Management Information Systems I have been using in my profession as CIT Manager will be integrated into new ideas I will acquire in the doctoral program. We are deploying Wide Area Networks in my ministry with Microsoft products and this calls for managerial, leadership, strategic thinking, critical thinking and time management skills. I have to see to it that the ministry’s websites is regularly updated which calls for session or planning, monitoring and implementation among others. Acquired skills from Walden University. As a Rotarian, I will gain more insight of socializing and networking which will positively impact on my community. Excellent resources of Walden University e. G. Walden portal, Library with scholarly materials, Student Success, Faculty members; Masters in CIT degree online skills are helping me to sail through the PhD program with a little difficulty. This was manifested in a statement by Richardson (2006) that “substantive knowledge of the field”(p. 261) I possess will enable me build upon my previous experience and even learn more Threats My loan will not cover the duration of my PhD program.

My reputation will be tarnished if I am not able to complete my doctoral program. The slow adaptation of PAP style may affect the strength of my grades. The needed writing skills including the discovery of my “scholarly voice”. (Walden, 2013). I am at risk of “Plagiarism”. (Walden, 2013) when I fail to adequately cite the original source material from which I take words and ideas. I fall ill and cannot submit assignments on time which affect my grades. Residencies will take me away from my family Write the descriptions in complete sentences. Improving Strengths: The strengths I have stem from the experiences of my past educational pursuits.

I will build on the online methods of teaching to further my education. My exposure and usage of the scholarly resources of Walden University will further strengthen my skills. Solicitation through residencies and being an Alumni improves my networking with scholarly people all over the world which will make me fill I belong to a community. I take my doctoral studies seriously and avail myself to new teaching and managing methods embedded in the PhD program. I will uphold the mission and vision statements of Walden university to become a scholar- practitioner; and be a beneficiary of the learning outcomes of Walden programs.

Addressing Weakness: My weaknesses are the adaptation of PAP style or format erectly which requires of me continuous reading and practice. I must avoid plagiarism by following the rules American Psychological Association has set forth. The formatting and frequency guidelines to cite all sources used in a paper helps to give credit to sources authors are quoting and paraphrasing; tells the reader when authors are using sources to support ideas; and directs the reader to the reference list and the full publication information for sources cited(Walden, 2013).

Statistical skills are necessary for research purposes and I will constantly revised my notes very ell and have more tuition. The three-week activities with Walden University has made me to quickly find solutions to my weaknesses which are surmountable. Maximizing Opportunities: I have realized that my current experiences will be greatly enhanced by skills I am acquiring in my PhD in Management with traits of managerial, leadership and organizational change skills. Deployment of Wide Area updated, more MAFIA staff will be efficiently and effectively trained in ‘CT.

I will be classified as scholar-practitioner in the world one day and impact positively on society. I will become a proud Walden Alumni member upholding the mission and vision of Walden University. Shania’s Millennium Development Goals will be met and appropriately declared a “Middle Income country’ where standard of living will be improved. Agricultural stakeholders will be satisfied with the enabling environment that will be created in the country to achieve their aims and objectives.

Mitigating Threats: The threats I have identified are risks and cannot be eradicated completely but only minimized. In case of finance, I have identified other sources that I can source for assistance. Falling ill can be managed by paying attention to my eating habit and taking appropriate medication: I will manage all odds to finish the course so that my reputation will be tarnished if I am not able to complete my doctoral program. The slow adaptation of PAP style may affect the strength of my grades, therefore I will do frequent assignments with it to enable me become use to it.

The needed writing skills including the discovery of my “scholarly voice”. (Walden, 2013) will be tackled with the assistance of my instructor, faculty members, peers etc,. I will cite my sources accurately and go by the guidelines given so I will not be at risk of “Plagiarism”. Walden, 2013) when I fail to adequately cite the original source material from which I take words and ideas; My family is willing that I become successful in this course so my Residencies days will not be felt.

References Richardson, V. (2006). Stewards of a field of an enterprise: The doctorate in education in C. M. Gold & G. E. Walker (Des), Envisioning the future of doctoral education: Preparing stewards of the discipline (up. 251-267). Stanford, CA: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Walden University, (2013) Scholarly voice. Retrieved from http:// Herrington. Walden. Du/1082. HTML

A British airway was the worst rated airlines in 1981 and was called Very Troubled airlines with severe losses, bad quality, overstaffed and very near to bankruptcy. But with the Survival Plan Initiated by John King, the chairman in 1981 changed the image and turned failure into success. The things which he did was simple following the SOOT analysis by analyzing the internal and external factors leading to failure and dissatisfaction. By 1990 British Airways was converted into a profitable entity. This could be done through SOOT analysis.

Definition of SOOT : A SOOT Analysis is a helpful tool which helps in analyzing the strength, weakness, Opportunity, and threats of any business venture and It helps in giving a direction to planning and assists in taking informed decisions too . Internal Factors: Strengths: It has international Operations and the employee productivity is very high. It has got strong presence on the busiest airport of Europe that is the London Heathers International Airport. Strengths of British Airways : 1. Very strong Brand Image . 2. It ash Openness Agreement along with international operations. . Skilled staff. 4.

Expansion of Aircraft fleet. 5. Economies of scale have been designed by using spare space in passenger aircraft for carrying cargo and give cargo services too. Weaknesses: Over the time it has witnessed a decline in the profitability. The employees are dissatisfied as they do not receive any post retirement benefits. The major geographic regions have not shown any growth for quite some time. Weaknesses of British Airways : 1. High cost of management with declining profits . 2. Labor strikes quite often due to strong and powerful Employee Union . 3. Strike in Christmas which is the peak season for air travel.

External factors: Opportunities: British airways hold the reputation of globally known airline with its markets pning all over the world. It has shown good increase in its trans-pacific cargo airlines. The Asian -Pacific Markets have also shown great increase as Asian and Pacific tourism is getting a boost and international flights to Asia and Pacific countries have increased over the time. Emergence of new markets in Asia Pacific which can be tapped . Threats: Due to steep rise in aviation fuels price, the cost of airline traveling has increased ND the recession is also affecting the tourism industry.

The other market players which have introduced low cost airlines tickets like Virgin airlines are posing the U. S. And the European zone. Due to down sliding economic conditions and recession since 2008 has caused downslide in the markets in the U. S. As well as * Rising prices of fuel for aircraft . European regions. * High level competition from competing airlines which are offering lower cost . Changing consumer behavior . * Unstable political situations and Global economic crisis . Misalignments. Info

Public is known for its philosophy of pleasing the customer; the Public guarantee to never knowingly disappoint their customers is legendary in the industry (Public 2013). SOOT Analysis Strengths Public has a strong market position and a reputation for its serviceability and the quality of their products. The brand is known and recognized by a lot of people in the United States. It’s ranking in several local and international lists makes it highly competitive with reference to its brand equality. It operates more than fifteen hundred stores. It is currently operating in five US states (Public, 2013).

The strong The company has a history of law suits against it. There was a law suit in 1997 for discriminating among the employees. It paid around eighty five million dollars as compensation to the damages to its female employees and made policy changes in its workplaces as a result (EEOC, 1997). There were a few lawsuits for the employee related issues like failure to comply with the fair labor rules act (Hodges, 2010). 2 Public has a slow expansion rate as compared to its competition. It should seek geographic expansion in order to get ahead of its competitors. For the most part the employees are happy.

Sometimes strict polices of a company lead them to rebel and act negative against the company. The company is currently listed as number seventy seven in the Fortune 100 best companies to work for (Fortune, 2013). Opportunities There are several opportunities available to Public to help them obtain the maximum number of benefits in the markets. One of them is the geographical expansion and entrance in the existing markets. It could even expand over seas to developing markets of Asia like China and India. The existing markets can devise eateries related to the prices of the products.

Keeping the prices low will lead to the large number of customers to attract towards the company. The company sells a variety of merchandise to generate revenue. The merchandise includes grocery, health and beauty care, general merchandise, and other products and services (Public, 2013). The company has private label brands that play an important role behind the success of the company. The prices would vary by demographics. Threats The biggest threat faced by Public is the threat of fierce competition. Its main interiors are Wall-Mart Stores, Inc, Bi-Lo Holding, LLC, Sweaty Supermarkets (Hoovers, 2013).

The expansion of Wall-mart and the low pricing strategies used by these stores impose a certain level of threat to a company. Customers seek products that are high in quality and are priced low. The low strategy of Wall-Mart can steal a large amount of its revenues and market shares. 3 The recent governmental changes to the minimum labor wage rate could increase the costs associated with the labor of the company. These costs can impact the business operations of the company by increasing the costs involved in doing the equines and conducting its operations.

Among the alternatives given above, the second alternative will be the best solution that should be implemented. McDonald’s should utilize its ability to innovate products in order to be more responsive to the needs of the Chinese market. Popularity, good customer service, strategic locations, and excellent promotion will all be useless if the products themselves are not appealing to a wide range of consumers. Its primary product is its burgers so it would be better to improve its burger and try to add more products product to its menu list.

Spicy Wings seems not to be an alternative to burger so McDonald’s must create burgers that can satisfy the taste preferences of Chines adults. McDonald’s should not rely on its younger consumers but also on the adult segments who look for better tasting foods. Additionally, the number of people in China who are willing to spend for leisure and dining is increasing thus McDonald’s does not have to further decrease its price; consumers are commonly willing to pay for a bit higher price in exchange of high quality and better tasting foods.

In that way can McDonald’s be able to sustain its competitive advantage over its competitors. As with any other company, McDonald’s has its own share of strengths and weaknesses which can pose threat or offer opportunities to the company’s operation in China. There are also external forces that are needed to be recognized in order to determine how it can possibly effect the company. Situational analysis, being a part of the market and strategic planning process, is an integral procedure and a very powerful tool for organizations and businesses to instigate effective marketing plans and strategies.

All these can be best described and determined using SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis. SWOT analysis is “concerned with analysis of an organization’s internal and external environment with the aim of identifying internal strengths in order to take advantage of its external opportunities and avoid external and possible internal threats, while addressing its weaknesses”, (Panagiotou, 2003, p. 8). SWOT analysis therefore is a business strategy and decision-making tool that provides a company an in-depth analysis of its characteristics, enabling the company decides on the appropriate strategies.

Also read

Strengths The primary strength of McDonald’s is its strong brand identity that enables the company to differentiate itself from the other fast food and restaurants in China. In China, the popular foods are noodles and dimsum thus the Chinese people found McDonald’s to be different. McDonald’s offers products and services different from what other traditional Chinese restaurants in the country offer, such as birthday celebrations and party packages which have met the needs of the Chinese who usually live in small areas in the city of Beijing.

The company has the ability to offer diverse and innovative services including the McCafe which offers cakes, pastries, tea and coffee and the drive-thru service in order to serve a wide range of market. McDonald’s products are known for its burgers that tastes the same in every McDonald’s outlet. However, the company has managed to still localized its products by varying its menu and adding some products that can satisfy the local market. In Beijing and Shanghai, McDonald’s offers the Spicy Wings, Spicy Chicken Fillet Burger and the Spicy Fillet-O-Fish.

Additionally, some Chinese people think that eating at an American restaurant like McDonald’s which is far different from the traditional Chinese cuisine they are used to is a way of being part of the globalization or they way of connecting to the world (Watson, 2000). McDonald’s was able to used effective and strong promotion and communication tools to be able to capture and reach for a wider market. McDonald’s has gained its market primarily through its effective advertisement in radio, television and billboards. It recently launched the “You Got Beef Today? ” and the “Feel the Beef” television and print ads .

McDonald’s was the first fast food chain to launched a central advertising icon with its clown Ronald McDonald, also known as Uncle McDonald in China who was paired with Aunt McDonald to entertain children while they eat at McDonald’s and during party. McDonald’s has made Yao Ming, the famous Chinese basketball player, its endorser to be able to influence younger individuals. McDonald’s has a high quality customer service that even Chinese elites perceived McDonald’s to offer safe, clean and reliable products and quick service along with the air-conditioned restaurant, roomy tables, and courteous and friendly staff. Read also

McDonald’s knows that the fast food industry is also a service industry so the relationship between the personnel and the customers is important. It recently launched the “Ask Me” program that “invites customer to ask crew members or post questions via its website about product quality or other concerns” (R;I, 2007). Through this program, McDonald’s has the chance to determine customers’ demands and further improve its products and services.