Assignment 1: SWOT Analysis 

What is a SWOT analysis? The SWOT is an organizational performance tool used to conduct a situation analysis. The acronym SWOT stands for the following factors: 

Strengths – internal factors that leverage organizational performance 

Weaknesses – internal factors that will affect the health care organization (cost, quality, etc.) 

Opportunities – external factors that improve initiatives for the organization 

Threats – external factors that could negatively affect organizational performance 

The SWOT analysis should match the organization’s resources and capabilities to the competitive environment in which it operates. The analysis should help guide the organization’s formulation and selection of strategy. The SWOT analysis framework is often represented in a 2 x 2 matrix. (See template below.) Strengths and weaknesses are internal to the company and can be directly managed by it, while opportunities and threats are external (meaning the company can only anticipate and react to them). 

Using the health care companies selected in Week 1, create a slide presentation with no more than 12 slides (with bullets) and note pages that include the following (Note: Use the bullets below to help you structure your presentation): 

• The first slides should introduce your companies and why you chose them. 

• Include your completed SWOT diagrams (one for each company). 

• Include a comparison of each company’s SWOT. 

• Identify a minimum of three factors that affect each firm’s environment. You must include the internal and external environments (e.g., resources, market, competitors, geographical, global) in each factor. Rate the top two concerns, based on your professional experience. 

o Assess and provide recommendations that will: 

1. enhance the strengths, 

2. minimize the weaknesses, 

3. maximize the opportunities, and 

4. overcome the threats. 

• Assume you are meeting with your internal or external stakeholders. Create a Stakeholders Recommendation in which you: 

o Summarize your SWOT analysis to the stakeholder selected. 

o Provide short-term recommendations. 

o Include two or more references to support your rationale. 

Extra Credit (15 points): You may earn up to 15 points of extra credit for submitting a slide presentation that includes either a voice or video recording in which you present your SWOT analysis. (This is in addition to submitting original deliverable requirements.) 

Strengths  Weaknesses 

Opportunities  Threats 

Assignment 1: SWOT Analysis 

1. Introduce your companies and what specifically drew you to them.

Weight 10% Did not submit or did not introduce companies. Partially introduced companies and what drew you to them.  Satisfactorily introduced companies and what drew you to them. Thoroughly introduced companies and what drew you to them. 

2. Include SWOT diagrams. 

Weight: 10%  Did not submit SWOT diagrams or submitted incomplete SWOT diagrams.  Partially completed the SWOT diagrams.  Satisfactorily completed the SWOT diagrams.  Thoroughly completed the SWOT diagrams. 

3. Include SWOT comparison. 

Weight: 10%  Did not submit or submitted incomplete SWOT comparison.  Partially completed the SWOT comparison.  Satisfactorily completed the SWOT comparison.  Thoroughly completed the SWOT comparison. 

4. Identify a minimum of five factors that affect the firm’s environment. 

Weight: 15%  Did not submit or incompletely identified a minimum of five factors that affect the firm’s environment. Did not submit or incompletely included the internal and external environments in each factor. Did not or incompletely rated the top two concerns based on your professional experience.  Partially identified a minimum of five factors that affect the firm’s environment. Partially included the internal and external environments in each factor. Partially rated the top two concerns based on your professional experience.  Satisfactorily identified a minimum of five factors that affect the firm’s environment. Satisfactorily included the internal and external environments in each factor. Satisfactorily rated the top two concerns based on your professional experience.  Thoroughly identified a minimum of five factors that affect the firm’s environment. Thoroughly included the internal and external environments in each factor. Thoroughly rated the top two concerns based on your professional experience. 

4. Assess and provide recommendations that will enhance the strengths, minimize the weaknesses, maximize the opportunities, and overcome the threats of the company. 

Weight: 20%  Did not submit or incompletely assessed and provided recommendations that will enhance the strengths, minimize the weaknesses, maximize the opportunities, and overcome the threats of the company.  Partially assessed and provided recommendations that will enhance the strengths, minimize the weaknesses, maximize the opportunities, and overcome the threats of the company.  Satisfactorily assessed and provided recommendations that will enhance the strengths, minimize the weaknesses, maximize the opportunities, and overcome the threats of the company.  Thoroughly assessed and provided recommendations that will enhance the strengths, minimize the weaknesses, maximize the opportunities, and overcome the threats of the company. 

5. Create a Stakeholders Recommendation in which you summarize your SWOT analysis to the stakeholder selected and provide three recommendations. 

Weight: 20%  Did not submit or incompletely created a Stakeholders Recommendation in which you summarized your SWOT analysis to the stakeholder selected and did not submit or incompletely provided three recommendations.  Partially created a Stakeholders Recommendation in which you summarize your SWOT analysis to the stakeholder selected and partially provided three recommendations.  Satisfactorily created a Stakeholders Recommendation in which you summarize your SWOT analysis to the stakeholder selected and satisfactorily provided three recommendations.  Thoroughly created a Stakeholders Recommendation in which you summarize your SWOT analysis to the stakeholder selected and thoroughly provided three recommendations. 

6. Include two or more references. 

Weight: 5%  Did not provide references.  Did not meet the required number of references; some or all references are poor-quality choices.  Met number of required references; all references are high-quality choices.  Exceeded number of required references; all references are high-quality choices. 

7. Clarity, writing mechanics, and formatting requirements 

Weight: 10%  More than six errors in mechanics present. APA not attempted. Five to six errors in mechanics present. APA citation is attempted but not accurate. Three to four errors present. APA is mostly correct. Zero to two errors present. APA is correct. 

· : (This will be used in Assignment 1: SWOT Analysis, Assignment 2: Assessing Financial Performance and Its Impact on Merger Acquisition) 

o Select two (2) health care organizations that represent a health care product, service, or company and that are publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or NASDAQ market. Make sure that your companies are competitive in nature.  

· (This will be used in Assignment 1: SWOT Analysis, Assignment 2: Assessing Financial Performance and Its Impact on Merger Acquisition) 

o Post updates about your companies. Have they launched a new product? Have they been involved in a scandal? Have they recently been fined for lack of compliance? Are their stocks fluctuating or holding steady? If nothing has changed, compare different aspects of the companies. Is one stronger or weaker in an area than the other? Is there something on which they could work together? 

§ Note: These are suggested topics; you may discuss any topic related to your companies.