Purpose 

The purpose of this project is to introduce you to the planning process and to complete a SWOT analysis to determine a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.  Using the information gathered to complete the SWOT, you will begin to build a Strategic Plan identifying and discussing the company’s goals and objectives.

Outcome Met by Completing This Assignment

• employ effective planning processes to develop strategies, goals, and objectives in order to enhance performance and sustainability

Instructions:

You recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business.  You are a new hire at Silver Airways and your manager has asked you to assist him with building a Strategic Plan to reach the goal of merging with an airline carrier serving the Northeast US.  Using the course materials (weeks 1 – 3) and research on Silver Airways, you will create a SWOT table and conduct a SWOT analysis on the current state of Silver Airways to determine its Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.  You will then identify goals, explain these goals and identify and explain objectives for each goal.

Your manager has provided you with the following information about Silver Airways.

Silver Airways recently announced its purchase of Seaborne Airlines that is based in Puerto Rico.  Expanding its flight routes within the Caribbean, makes the company the highest volume airline to the Bahamas and the Caribbean from Florida.  In addition to its Bahama and Caribbean flights, Silver Airways serves the Southeast and a few Northeast states. 

In answering the requirements, you will support the reasoning and conclusions made, which means you will explain ‘why and how’ rather than relying on making statements. This is a most important requirement so do not overlook it.

Research

Review the links below to learn more about each airline, the merged map of flights, and the strategic plan that led to the merger.  Note that specific information about Seaborne Airlines may not be relevant to answering the questions below.

You may do additional research related to Silver Airways.  Make sure to take notes and do not take the research lightly as the more research you do the more you will understand Silver Airways and the better the SWOT analysis will be.

Note:  Your report is based on the results of the research performed and not on any prepared documentation or website with SWOT information.  What this means is that you will research and draw your own conclusions that are supported by the research and the course materials rather than the use any source material that puts together a SWOT, goals or objectives whether from the Internet, for-pay websites or any pre-prepared document, video or source material.  A zero will be earned for not doing your own analysis.

How to Set Up the Paper

Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is double spaced.  Use 12-point font.  The final product will be 4-5 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page.  Write clearly and concisely. 

Create a title page that provides a title, your name, the course number and section number and instructor’s name.

Use the following headings and instructions to complete the project:

Introduction

• Write an Introduction paragraph.  The Introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of the paper and will be used to describe to the reader the intent of the paper explaining the main points covered in the paper.  This intent should be understood prior to reading the remainder of the paper so the reader knows exactly what is being covered in the paper.
• Consider writing the introduction last to ensure that all of the main points are covered.

SWOT Table

• Using the research from the websites provided and any additional research, complete a SWOT Table for Silver Airways using the following format.
• Provide a minimum of three strengths, three weaknesses, three opportunities and three threats (See grading rubric for specifics).
• Provide an in-text citation for each item presented in the SWOT Table.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

SWOT Analysis:  Silver Airways

• Write a paragraph for each quadrant in the SWOT explaining the rationale for each criterion within the quadrant.  Support the reasoning. Remember, there must be a minimum of three criteria in each quadrant.

Goals and Objectives

• You will now begin to build the framework for the Strategic Plan that will be developed upon approval of a merger.  Identify and explain three (3) major goals that the company should look to attain with the approval of the merger, with explanations as to the importance of each goal and why the goals are relevant to the company’s strategy.
• Make sure to use the research AND course materials to support what is presented.  Your research will guide you to create the goals and objectives.
• You will then define and discuss at least two objectives for each goal.

This framework must have the following items. 

STRATEGIC GOAL 1

Identification and explanation of Strategic Goal 1 – Provided by the student

Strategic Objectives:  Students will define and discuss at least two objectives to drive the Strategic Goal

STRATEGIC GOAL 2

Identification and explanation of Strategic Goal 2 – Provided by the student

Strategic Objectives:  Students will define and discuss at least two objectives to drive the Strategic Goal

STRATEGIC GOAL 3

Identification and explanation of Strategic Goal 3 – Provided by the student

Strategic Objectives:  Students will define and discuss at least two objectives to drive the Strategic Goal

Conclusion

• Create a concluding paragraph.  The Conclusion summarizes the main topics covered in the paper.       

References    

Review the Paper 

Read the paper to ensure all required elements are present.

The following are specific requirements that you will follow.  Use the checklist to mark off that you have followed each specific requirement.  

Checklist

Specific Project Requirements

Proofread your paper

Read and use the grading rubric while completing the paper to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the highest possible grade. 

Third person writing is required.  Third person means that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person writing).  If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link:  http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person. 

Contractions are not used in business writing, so do not use them.  

Paraphrase and do not use direct quotations.  Paraphrase means you do not use more than four consecutive words from a source document.  Removing quotation marks and citing is inappropriate.  Instead put a passage from a source document into your own words and attribute the passage to the source document.  There should be no passages with quotation marks.  Using more than four consecutive words from a source document would require direct quotation marks.  Changing words from a passage does not exclude the passage from having quotation marks.   If more than four consecutive words are used from source documents, this material will not be included in the grade.  

You are expected to use the research and weekly course materials to develop the analysis and support the reasoning.   There should be a robust use of the course material.  Material used from a source document must be cited and referenced.  A reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa.  Changing words from a passage does not exclude the passage from having quotation marks.   

Use in-text citations and provide a reference list that contains the reference associated with each in-text citation.

You may not use books in completing this problem set unless part of the course material.  Also, do not use a dictionary, Wikipedia or Investopedia or similar sources.

Provide the page or paragraph number in every in-text citation presented.  Since the eBook does not have page numbers, include the chapter title and topic heading.  If using a video, provide the minutes and second of the cited material.

Step 3:  Submit the paper in the Assignment Folder (The assignment submitted to the Assignment Folder will be considered the student’s final product and therefore ready for grading by the instructor.  It is incumbent upon the student to verify the assignment is the correct submission.  No exceptions will be considered by the instructor).

Self-Plagiarism: Self-plagiarism is the act of reusing significant, identical or nearly identical portions of one’s own work.  You cannot re-use any portion of a paper or other graded work that was submitted to another class even if you are retaking this course.   You also will not reuse any portion of previously submitted work in this class.  A zero will be assigned to the assignment if self-plagiarized.  Faculty do not have the discretion to accept self-plagiarized work.

NOTE:  All submitted work is to be your original work. You may not use any work from another student, the Internet or an online clearinghouse.  You are expected to understand the Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy, and know that it is your responsibility to learn about instructor and general academic expectations with regard to proper citation of sources as specified in the APA Publication Manual, 6th Ed. (Students are held accountable for in-text citations and an associated reference list only).