Transcript Slide 1
Start your Planning with a SWOT!
Sharron Ronco John Cahill Florida Atlantic University
INTERNAL EXTERNAL POSITIVE
Strengths Opportunities
NEGATIVE
Weaknesses Threats
Historical Framework
SWOT Analysis as a strategic planning tool was popularized by business faculty at Harvard during the 1960s.
Igor Ansoff extended the Harvard model. Ansoff diverged from the simplicity of the Harvard model to propose a model which was more structured, detailed and prescribed.
Environmental challenges lead to use of SWOT analysis in higher education during the1970s and 1980s.
Related Planning Models
PEST Analysis - Political - Economic - Social - Technological Porter’s Five Forces model - Threat of new competitors - Threat of substitutes - Bargaining power of suppliers - Bargaining power of buyers - Rivalry between competitors TOWS matrix
Online surveys to: Faculty Staff Alumni Parents
Who we surveyed
Results of previous surveys: Student Satisfaction Graduating Student Admitted Students who did not Enroll Focus groups: Community advisory Student government
Questions for online survey and focus groups:
S
What are the top three things that FAU does well?
What should FAU preserve at all costs?
S W
Who are FAU’s chief competitors?
What does FAU do better than its competitors?
What does the competition do better, that FAU should be doing?
W
What three things should FAU address immediately to improve?
What does FAU do poorly?
What directions should FAU avoid taking in the future?
O T S W
What do people outside of FAU see as its strengths?
What do people outside of FAU see as its weaknesses?
What opportunities could FAU take advantage of in the next five years?
What is changing in the environment that could adversely affect FAU?
= Most frequently cited = Often cited = Commonly cited = Occasionally cited = Seldom or never cited
= Most frequently cited = Often cited = Commonly cited = Occasionally cited = Seldom or never cited
= Most frequently cited = Often cited = Commonly cited = Occasionally cited = Seldom or never cited
= Most frequently cited = Often cited = Commonly cited = Occasionally cited = Seldom or never cited
Strengths S-O strategies Strength:
Offers a high quality education to its service area.
Opportunity:
Local community relations and fundraising.
Strategy:
Promote and market programs of distinction more aggressively to community.
Strength:
Low cost.
S-T strategies Threat:
Increased competition from other and online providers.
Strategy:
Media campaign to promote value of our education.
Figure 3.1 Sample TOWS Matrix
Weaknesses W-O strategies Weakness:
Responsiveness to workforce needs.
Opportunity:
Partner with business, industry and government
Strategy:
Form workforce advising boards for each college, promote linkages with faculty and students.
W-T strategies Weakness:
Faculty and staff salaries.
Threat:
High cost of living and housing.
Strategy:
Consider university-sponsored housing.
OPPORTUNITIES
(1) Partner with business, industry and gov’t (2) Distance learning (3) Growth in population
STRENGTHS
(1) High quality education (2) Multi-campus structure (3) Low cost (4) Diversity of students • • •
S-0 STRATEGIES
Promote preparation of employees who are comfortable with multiple cultures and diverse languages (4, 1) Increase accessibility to mixed modes of instruction on partner campuses (2, 2) Increase continuing education offerings (1, 1)
Limitations
The SWOT results are not statistically representative Analyzing open-ended responses is labor-intensive Consider using a PEST approach