SWOT Analysis—Strengths and WeaknessesConduct (Write) the internal analysis section of your paper for strengths (S) and weaknesses (W) for Apple Inc. according to the directions in the SWOT Analysis

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to provide students the opportunity to understand a basic and important tool in management planning—the SWOT analysis.

This project builds on concepts covered in the course text and requires students to access information from the Averett University Library databases, including ABI INFORM and Factiva. In addition, organizational documents such as the Annual Report are highly recommended information sources.

Outcome

In Week 5, each student will submit his/her SWOT analysis on a publicly traded company. A minimum of 8 sources is required, to include:

• The course textbook, Management: Leading and Collaborating in a Competitive World

• At least 4 articles from the Averett University Library databases listed above

• No more than 3 reports, articles, or other information from the organization’s website

Students will begin the SWOT analysis in Week 1 and work on it continuously through Week 5 when it is due. The Moodle course page for BSA305 provides a prompt and link for submitting the final project. Each week’s assignments illustrate and reinforce the path to successful completion of the SWOT analysis. The analysis is a total of 10 to 12 pages in length, double-spaced, in a Microsoft Word document--appropriately cited, formatted, and referenced according to APA guidelines. In addition to the general grading criteria in the syllabus, the successful completion of this project includes completely and correctly addressing the template below.

Template for SWOT Analysis

• Cover Page: Include an APA-compliant cover page.

• Overview of the Concept of SWOT Analysis: Explain the importance of a SWOT analysis and its role in strategic planning.

• Overview of the Organization: Provide an overview of the publicly traded company, touching on the following:

• • History of the organization

  • Its primary products or services

  • The industry in which it exists

  • Its stock symbol, annual profit, strategic goals, and other key factors

• External Environmental Analysis – Analysis of External Opportunities and Threats: Discuss opportunities first, followed by threats. Use Chapters 2 and 4 of Management and the literature on your organization to thoroughly discuss the opportunities and threats it faces.

• Internal Resource Analysis – Analysis of Internal Strengths and Weaknesses: Discuss strengths first, followed by weaknesses. Use Chapters 2 and 4 of Management and the literature on your organization to thoroughly discuss its strengths and weaknesses.

• Summary of the External and Internal Analyses – the SWOT: Summarize the discussion of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats by doing the following:

• • Identifying the major factors for each area

  • Explaining how the organization might “take advantage of the available opportunities by capitalizing on the organization’s strengths, neutralizing its weakness, and countering potential threats.” (Bateman & Snell, 2017, p. 124).

• References: In accordance with APA style, prepare a reference page of your sources.

• Appendices: Include any appendices that are needed to support the content of the paper. Make certain the appendices are numbered, titled, and formatted per APA guidelines.