1.

SWOT analysis:

SWOT is an acronym for internal Strength (S) and Weakness (W) of an

organization, and external Opportunities (O) and Threats (T) facing that
organization. This merging is frequently called SWOT analysis because it brings
together the organization’s Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats in order
to identify a strategic niche that the organization can exploit.

An overview of the four factors (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats)

is given below-

 Strength: Strength (internal) is a resource, skill, or other advantages relative

to competitors. It is distinctive competence that gives the organization
a comparative advantage in the market place. Market leadership, public
image, experience, financial and human resources, organization network and
alliances, etc., is examples of organizational strength.
 Weakness: A weakness (internal) is a limitation or deficiency in resources,
skills, and capabilities that seriously affect performance. Lack of facilities,
resources, management capabilities, marketing skills, etc. are sources of
weakness.
 Opportunities: An opportunity (external) is a major favorable situation in
the organization’s environment. The example of an opportunity could be new
market, reduction in compaction, higher economic growth rate, technological
changes, and so on.
 Threats: A threat (external) is a major unfavorable situation in the
organization’s environment. The entry of a new competitor, increased
bargaining power of the suppliers and buyers, major changes in technology
and government regulations, slow market growth, etc are some examples of
organizational threats.

Advantages Disadvantages
a. It is a source of information for
strategic planning. a. Price increase;
b. Builds organization’s strengths. b. Inputs/raw materials;
c. Reverse its weaknesses. c. Government legislation;
d. Economic environment;

2. Hierarchy of strategies:

The strategic hierarchy is a model that attempts to highlight the types of strategic
decisions made at corporate, strategic business unit (SBU) and functional
management levels.
 1. Corporate level strategy
 Corporate level strategy is the uppermost level of strategy made by top-level
management which sets the overall direction of the organization.
 It addresses the question of what business are we in?
 The nature of the decisions tends to be value oriented, conceptual than the
Business level, and Operational or Functional level.

Types of Corporate Strategies:

 Growth: expansion into new products and markets.
 Stability: maintenance of the status of the organization.
 Renewal: redirection of the firm into new markets.

2. Business level strategy

 A strategy that seeks to determine how an organization should compete in
each of its SBUs (strategic business units).
 At Business-level ALLOCATION of re- sources among Functional-level
COORDINATE with the Corporate level to the ACHIEVEMENT of the
Corporate level OBJECTIVES.
Strategies of Business level:
1. Cost leadership: Attaining, then using the lowest total cost basis as a
competitive advantage.
2. Differentiation: Using product features or services to distinguish the
firm’s offerings from its competitors.
3. Market focus: Concentrating competitively on a specific market
segment.
3.Functional level Strategy
A functional level strategy is a plan of action developed by businesses to
achieve futuristic long-term and short-term goals. It covers different areas of function
such as HR, R&D, sales, manufacturing, production, distribution, marketing, etc.

The major types of functional level strategies are:

 Marketing
Marketing is one of the most important categories of functional-level strategies.
Different marketing strategy types include social media marketing, relationship
marketing, sales marketing, direct marketing, etc.
 Research and Development
Research and Development strategies are keys to improving existing products with
the development of new things. It is also associated with cost leadership with
differentiation of strategies.
 Finance
Finance strategy deals with taking steps to manage business capital, expenses,
savings, cash flow analysis, and other aspects of financial management.
 Human Resources
Human resources encompass business alignment, recruitment, employee selection,
training, staffing, team building, engagement, and retention.

3.Strategic management process-

Definition-
 It is the process of defining and implementing an organization’s strategy.
 It involves analyzing current circumstances, developing a plan to reach
important goals, and executing that plan.
Diagram-
Business vision

Phase 1 Business mission

Defining goals and objectives

Environmental appraisal
phase 2
Development of strategic alternatives

Phase 3 Implementation of strategy

Phase 4 Evaluation of strategy

1-Business vision-
A business vision is a concise statement that outlines a company’s long-term
aspirations and goals. It serves as a guiding principles for the organization by
providing direction and purpose.
It’s a mental perception to enter into any organization.
Nature- a business vision should be inspirational, future oriented, specific, aligned
with values and concise.
Benefits- it is inspiring and motivating, it represents discontinuity, it helps in creation
of common identity, it is competitive, original & unique, it helps in risk taking.
2-Business mission-
A business mission is a concise statement that outline the fundamental purpose and
scope of a company’s operation
It defines the role of the organization going to play in the society and why the
company exist and what its aim to achieve.
Characteristics- it should be: flexible, precise, clear, motivating, distinctive
Benefits- it helps to achieve the objective, it has ethical standards.
3-Defining goals and objectives-
Goal- a goal is define as the result which an individual or org. plans to accomplish
something. The goal should be realistic, based on available resources and exiting
constraints.
Objectives- it defines strategies or implementation step to attain the identified goals.
Objectives are specific, measurable and have a define completion date.
Role- helps in maintain environmental relationship, helping to pursue the vision and
mission, helps in strategic decision making, help in achieving performance appraisal.
Characteristics- it should be; understandable, concrete and specific, related to time
frame, measurable & controllable, and challenging.
4 – Environmental appraisal-
It is the process of identifying opportunities and threats facing an organization.
Objective- is to determine and evaluate the environmental implication of
development
Factors- it include factors related to – finance, administrative, behavioral, govt.
regulation and laws
5- Development of strategic alternatives-
It is the long term plans that businesses develop to set their direction.it allows the
businesses to explore various options, evaluate their feasibility and desirability and
select the best one for implementation.
6- Implementation of strategy-
It is the process of turning your strategic plan into action. It includes 6 key steps the
is define your goal, conduct proper research, map out any risk, schedule all
milestone, assign task, allocate helpful resources.
7- Evaluation of strategy-
It is the process of analyzing a strategy to asses how well it is been implemented
and executed.
Principle- it include advantage, consonance, consistency and feasibility.
4. Environmental scanning-
Definition-The process of collecting, evaluating, and delivering information for a
strategic purpose is defined as environmental scanning.
Environmental scanning is a process of gathering information about the events and
their relationship with the internal and external environment of the organization. The
primary aim of environmental scanning is to find out the future prospects of business
organization.
Characteristics-
Continuous Process- The analysis of the environment is a continuous process
rather than being sporadic. The rapidly changing environment has to be captured
continuously to be on track.
Exploratory Process- Scanning is an exploratory process that keeps monitoring the
environment to bring out the possibilities and unknown dimensions of the future. It
stresses the fact that “What could happen” and not ”What will happen”.
Dynamic Process- Environmental scanning is not static. It is a dynamic process and
depends on changing situations.
Holistic View- Environmental Scanning focuses on the complete view of the
environment rather than viewing it partially.
Components-
Internal Environmental Components- The components that lie within the
organization are internal components and changes in these affect the general
performance of the organization. Human resources, capital resources and
technological resources are some of the internal environmental components.
Impact -
 Strength is an inherent capacity which an organization can use to gain
strategic advantage, eg- good reputation among customers, resources,
assets, people, experience, knowledge, data and capabilities.
 Weakness is an inherent limitation or constraint which creates strategic
disadvantages. Eg- gaps in capabilities, financial deadlines, low morale and
overdependence on a single product line.
External Environmental Components-The components that fall outside the
business organization are called external environmental components. Although the
components lie outside the organization, they still affect the organizational activities.
The external components can be divided into microenvironmental components, and
macro environmental components.
Impact -
 Opportunity is a favorable condition in the organization’s environment which
enables it to consolidate and strengthen its position.
Example; economic boom, favorable demographic shifts, arrival of new
technologies, loosening of regulations, favorable global influences, unfulfilled
customer needs.
 Threat: threat is an unfavorable condition in the organization environment
which creates a risk for, or causes damage to the organizations.
Example; economic downturn, demographic shifts, new technology and loss
of key staff, demanding new regulations, unfavorable global influence,
unexpected shifts in consumer tastes.
SQ-
1. Strategic Management:
Strategic management refers to the planning, management, utilization of resources
to define and achieve objectives efficiently. It also includes a review of internal
processes and external factors impacting the business. Formulating and
implementing strategies allow a company to proceed with its action plan.
2. Strategic Intent:
Strategic intent is the guiding principle of a business’s long-term strategy. It defines
the company’s objectives and how it plans to achieve them. Without a clear strategic
plan, a business is at risk of drifting and eventually failing.

In short, Strategic Intent is a term that refers to the long-term goals of an

organization. It’s a key factor in determining where an organization should focus its
efforts and what type of strategies it should pursue.

3. Strategic tactics:
Strategic Tactics are specific actions employed to execute a broader strategic
plan.
Example: Launching a targeted online advertising campaign and offering limited
time discount.