Week 2 – Assignment

SWOT Analysis

Prior to completing this assignment, review your prior research on the company you selected for research in this Weeks Environmental Scanning interactive assignment. Also watch the video How to Perform a SWOT Analysis (Links to an external site.) (2016). In approximately 250 words,

• Describe the companys history, products, and major competitors by accessing the Mergent Ashford University Library online database which offers company financials, descriptions, history, property, subsidiaries, officers and directors and by accessing the Business  Insights database. (View the Mergent tipsheet and Business Insights tipsheet documents for suggested methods of searching Ashford University Library databases generally as well as specific advice for searching these two databases).
• Assess the financial performance and condition of the organization.

Next, conduct a SWOT analysis using the SWOT Analysis Template. Detail the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that may affect the organization. Copy and paste the completed table from the template into your SWOT analysis paper.

In the evaluation portion of your paper of your SWOT analysis:

• Describe the specific areas that indicate a need for change.
• Determine what changed objectives, or newly implemented interventions, are required to improve the companys position within its market.
• Assess the trending performance of the company and provide recommendations for improvement.

(NOTE: Incorporate the feedback you receive from your instructor and save your work. It will be part of your Strategic Plan Final Project for this course).

The SWOT Analysis paper

• Must be from five to six double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Centers APA Style (Links to an external site.) resource.
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of SWOT Analysis
  • Students name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructors name
  • Date submitted
• Must use at least two scholarly and/or credible sources in addition to the course text.
  • The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
• Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Centers Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Required Resources

Text

Abraham, S. (2012). Strategic management for organizations. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

• Chapter 4: External Environmental Analysis
• Chapter 5: Assessing the Company Itself

Multimedia

virtualstrategist. (2016, October 19). How to perfom a SWOT analysis (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_161788243&feature=iv&src_vid=GNXYI10Po6A&v=I_6AVRGLXGA

• In this video, the presenter examines how to analyze the information obtained from a SWOT analysis and will assist you in your SWOT Analysis assignment this week.
  Accessibility Statement (Links to an external site.)
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Recommended Resources

Articles

Conner, C. (2014). Top online reputation management tips for brand marketers (Links to an external site.). Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2014/03/04/top-online-reputation-management-tips-for-brand-marketers/

• This article provides information about management tips and may assist you with your assignments this week.
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Dyer, J. & Gregersen, H. (2014). How we rank the world’s most innovative growth companies 2014 (Links to an external site.). Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/search/?q=Assessing+a+company

• This article provides a list of global companies based on innovation and may assist you with your assignments this week.
  Accessibility Statement does not exist.
  Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)

Moore, K. (2011). Porter or Mintzberg: Whose view of strategy is the most relevant today? (Links to an external site.) Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/karlmoore/2011/03/28/porter-or-mintzberg-whose-view-of-strategy-is-the-most-relevant-today/

• This article compares two points of view to consider which may be the most relevant today and may assist you with your assignments this week.
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Trefis Team. (2014). Better market conditions complement Gap Inc.s strong position and brands (Links to an external site.). Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/06/16/better-market-conditions-complement-gap-incs-strong-position-and-brands/

• This article provides information about Gap, Inc. and their brands and may assist you with your assignments this week.
  Accessibility Statement does not exist.
  Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)

Multimedia

Harvard Business Review. (2008, June 30). The five competitive forces that shape strategy (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYF2_FBCvXw&feature=player_detailpage

• This  video discusses five points thought to contribute to shaping a companys strategy and may assist you with your assignments this week. This video has closed captioning and a transcript.
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Keep a humancomputer interface (HCI) journal with your weekly observations of HCI issues that pertain to you, your work, your family, and your friends. Be sure to document your journal in chronological order.

Some examples of items you might wish to document could include any type of computer system that you directly or indirectly interact with, such as the following:

• ATMs
• Tollbooths
• Self-serve checkouts
• Automated soap dispensers

Your journal should meet the following requirements:

• Title page
• Four or more journal entries that include the following:
  • Date
  • Title of entry
  • Description and thoughts on the interaction
• A summary of 23 pages that discusses the following:
  • Your overall experiences
  • Items you think could be improved
  • Things you would like to see more automated
  • How the systems could be improved
• At least 3 references in an APA-formatted reference page. These references should be cited in your summary, and your book may be used as one of your references.

Follow APA guidelines for the journal summary. You can format your journal entries in any format that is readable. If you are in any doubt about your chosen format, consult your instructor.

The following are two sample journal entries. Note that these two example topics (restroom automation and Web banking) may not be used in your journal.

July 15: Restrooms

This entry is specifically regarding the restrooms at the shopping mall. The mall has made some excellent strides toward accessibility in the restrooms, utilizing automatic flushing toilets, soap dispensers, and water faucets. These are easy-to-use systems. The user needs only to wave a hand in front of the sensor or move away from the toilet, and the systems will automatically perform their intended actions. One item that appears to be missing is automatic paper towel dispensers. The manual paper towel dispensers are located at what would be considered an average height, and they use a handle that must be pushed down multiple times to dispense paper towels. In an automated restroom, an automatic paper towel dispenser would provide a better experience and cause less confusion when a user has received automatic service for all of his or her other needs.

July 18: Online Savings Bank Account Setup

I have an online bank that I use for savings, and the bank just recently made changes to its Web site. When I went to the main bank Web site, I was first asked to enter my user ID. Because this was my first time using the new Web site, I had to do some authentication using an access code that was e-mailed to me. As soon as I provided my user ID, the Web site informed me that, because this was my first time accessing the user-friendly Web site, I would need to follow three easy steps as part of the setup. The Web site also provides a tollfree number for customer service, seven days per week, from 8:00am11:30pm. I pressed Continue to start the three steps. The first step was to authenticate my identity, so I provided my access code, Social Security number, and date of birth. The items tabbed nicely from one item to the next and showed a picture of where the digital access code was located. Step two asked me to create security credentials. It included a new password, and then I had to answer several security questions that will be alternately asked when I log in to my account. The final step shows me my answered questions in a nonediting mode, asks me to review my security information, and informs me that an incorrect answer to a security question will lock me out of my account. Clicking Add now will take me to a Consumer Information page that asks me to check a box to confirm that I have read and agreed to the Account Disclosure, Electronic Disclosure and Consent Agreement, and Internet Banking Agreement. Clicking Continue brings me to a screen showing my account name and balance. The new interface is much easier to navigate because it has tabs along the top for all of the relevant transactions that I would want to do. The log off option is easily accessible.