SWOT analysis is a structured planning method used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats involved in a project

or in a business venture. SWOT analysis can be carried out for a product, place, industry or person. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieving that objective. The degree to which the internal environment of the firm matches with the external environment is expressed by the concept of strategic fit. Setting the objective should be done after the SWOT analysis has been performed. This would allow achievable goals or objectives to be set for the organization. The Internal Analysis include strengths and weaknesses that focuses on internal factors that give an organization certain advantages and disadvantages in meeting the needs of its target market. Strengths refer to core competencies that give the firm an advantage in meeting the needs of its target markets. Any analysis of company strengths should be market oriented/customer focused because strengths are only meaningful when they assist the firm in meeting customer needs. Weaknesses refer to any limitations a company faces in developing or implementing a strategy. Weaknesses should also be examined from a customer perspective because customers often perceive weaknesses that a company cannot see. Being market focused when analyzing strengths and weaknesses does not mean that non-market oriented strengths and weaknesses should be forgotten. Rather, it suggests that all firms should tie their strengths and weaknesses to customer requirements. Only those strengths that relate to satisfying a customer need should be considered true core competencies.

Strong fleet operations Skilled workforce Distinctive competence in key areas Adequate financial resources Superior image and reputation amongst domestic industry players Good relationship with customers and good internal communications Successful marketing strategies and reputation for innovation

The weakness can be lack of certain strengths that include:

Lack of scale compared to peers Weak performance of intermodal division Currently struggling to meet deadlines - too much work? High rental costs Market research data may be out of date Cash flow problems Lack of patent protection High cost structure

The External Analysis examines opportunities and threats that exist in the environment. Both opportunities and threats exist independently of the firm. The way to differentiate between a strength and weakness from an opportunity or threat is to ask: Would this issue exist if the company did not exist? If the answer is yes, it should be considered external to the firm. Opportunities refer to favorable conditions in the environment that could produce rewards for the organization if acted upon properly. That is, opportunities are situations that exist but must be acted on if the firm is to benefit from them. Threats refer to conditions or barriers that may prevent the firms from reaching its objectives. The assessment of external environment may bring forth certain new opportunities which are as follows: Increased demand of transport services to due many upcoming projects in the country It has large, medium and small fleet so that its chances of getting bulk share of the business is bright Loyal customers Elimination of international trade barriers An untapped market need Possible new markets and an unfulfilled customer need Emerging new technologies Complacency among competing organizations Removal of international trade barriers Growth in the heavy duty vehicle market Unfavorable changes in external environment may pose threat to the organization. Some of them are as follows: Rising fuel prices Low rate quotes by the competitors Shifts in customer tastes away from the organisations service New Strict regulations and increased trade barriers Entry of lower cost foreign competitors Recession in economy Adverse shifts in trade policies of foreign governments. Adverse demographic changes Slowdown in US economy 2. 3. Intense price competition

Hike in fuel,taxes and take over by the Government etc. These are only guidelines.

Corporate level strategy is the overall strategy for a diversified organisation or company. It is usually concerned with a mix of businesses that the company should compete in and also the ways on which individual strategy units are integrated and co-ordinated. (http://www.ask.com/question/what-is-a-corporate-level-strategy) This comprises the overall strategy elements for the corporation as a whole, the grand strategy. Corporate strategy involves four kinds of initiatives: 1. Making the necessary moves to establish positions in different businesses and achieve an appropriate amount and kind of diversification. A key part of corporate strategy is making decisions on how many, what types, and which specific lines of business the company should be in. This may involve deciding to increase or decrease the amount and breadth of diversification. It may involve closing out some LOB's (lines of business), adding others, and/or changing emphasis among LOB's. 2. Initiating actions to boost the combined performance of the businesses the company has diversified into: This may involve vigorously pursuing rapid-growth strategies in the most promising LOB's, keeping the other core businesses healthy, initiating turnaround efforts in weak-performing LOB's with promise, and dropping LOB's that are no longer attractive or don't fit into the corporation's overall plans. It also may involve supplying financial, managerial, and other resources, or acquiring and/or merging other companies with an existing LOB. 3. Pursuing ways to capture valuable cross-business strategic fits and turn them into competitive advantages -- especially transferring and sharing related technology, procurement leverage, operating facilities, distribution channels, and/or customers. 4. Establishing investment priorities and moving more corporate resources into the most attractive LOB's. It is useful to organize the corporate level strategy considerations and initiatives into a framework with the following three main strategy components: growth, portfolio, and parenting.

Henry Mintzbergs 5 Ps are used while developing a corporate level strategy as follows: 1. Plan- As a Plan, strategy needs to be developed in advance and with purpose. 2. Ploy- As a Ploy, strategy is a means of outsmarting the competition. 3. Pattern- With strategy as a Pattern, we learn to appreciate that what was successful in the past can lead to success in the future. 4. Position- With Position, strategy is about how the organization relates to its competitive environment, and what it can do to make its products unique in the marketplace. 5. Perspective- Perspective emphasizes the substantial influence that organizational culture and collective thinking can have on strategic decision making within a company.