SWOT Analysis

External Factor Analysis Summary Guidelines

Here are the guidelines for completing the EFAS table:

External Factors (Column 1):

· Select five strategic opportunities and five strategic threats facing your selected strategic audit company.

· List each of these factors as either opportunities or threats in the appropriate column in the EFAS table.

· Provide a detailed description of each factor.

· If outside information is used in the comments section, then it must be cited and referenced correctly in APA format.

Weight (Column 2):

· The total weight for all of the factors should be 1.00.

· Decide how strategic each of the ten factors is in comparison to each other. As an example, a factor might have a high strategic significance for your company with a weight ranging from .15 to .20. On the other hand, a factor may have little in the way of strategic significance, when compared to the other nine factors, and might have a weight of .05.

Rating (Column 3):

· In this column you are to rate how effective the firm has been in meeting the opportunities and threats, with 5 being the top score for any factor. As an example, if you feel a firm is doing a super job of moving into Asia then give a rating of 5.0.

Weighted Score (Column 4):

· Now multiple the scores you have in Columns 2 and 3 for each factor.

· This will produce a weighted score for each factor.

Comments (Column 5):

· Provide a detailed description reflecting why you gave the rating for each factor.

· If outside information is used in the comments section, then it must be cited and referenced correctly in APA format.

Total Scores:

· At the bottom of the matrix record the totals of the Weight Score (Column 2), and Weighted Score (Column 4).

· The Total Weighted Score should indicate how effective your firm has been in handling its opportunities and threats.