SWOT Analysis

Assignment 1: Company Description and SWOT Analysis

Due Week 3 and worth 100 points

In this assignment, you will conduct a SWOT (Strength, Weakness,  Opportunity, and Threat) analysis for the type of beverage you have  selected, and for your company overall. As you work on the assignment,  consider why you have chosen one type of non-alcoholic beverage over  another and the reasons for that choice. As you complete your SWOT  analysis, be sure to include external factors such as industry / market  trends and competition, and internal factors such as your capabilities  or abilities to reach certain market segments.

Write a three to five (3-5) page paper, in which you:

1. Create your revised NAB company name and explain its significance.
2. Develop your revised company’s Mission Statement and provide a rationale for its components.

• Hints: Use the Statement of Mission template on pp. 72-73 on the course textbook: Successful Business Plan to aid your development. Click here for help accessing a specific page number in your eBook.
• Extracting appropriate information from the NAB company portfolio,  where applicable. You should fill in other required items in the  template using your personal preferences.

1. Describe the trends in the non-alcoholic beverage industry,  especially the specific type of beverage category you have chosen.  Justify at least three (3) reasons why you have chosen this type of  non-alcoholic beverage.  
   • Hints: Research and outline beverage industry trends.  Consider the size and growth rate of the industry overall and the  specific beverage type you have chosen. Use the worksheet in the course  text (p. 88 | Past and Future Growth of Your Industry) to help  you project the future growth rate. Consider the use of industry  associations and search engines to find reliable, recent data.

1. Choose one (1) strategic position from the course text (pp. 142–143)  that you believe is the best strategic position for your company.  Explain the approach you will use to implement this strategic position  in order to distinguish your beverage from other non-alcoholic  beverages.

1. Provide an overview of your company’s distribution channels. Explain  the manner in which your product will reach end users. Provide a  rationale for your chosen method.  
   • Hints: For example, will you sell your beverage in grocery  stores, restaurants, or sports venues? If so, describe the types of  resellers and distributors who will sell to resellers and fulfill their  orders. If you are attempting to sell direct-to-consumers, such as  online via a monthly subscription, how will you manage warehousing /  fulfillment / shipping?

1. Outline at least three (3) types of risks (including any regulatory  risks) that your business faces. Describe your company’s plan to  mitigate such risk.  
   • Hints: You may refer to the types of risk listed in the  course text (pp. 148–149) as well as any risks not listed in the text.  Regulation weighs more heavily on beverage and food businesses than many  other types of companies, so be certain to consider any regulatory  risks your type of beverage faces. For example, what kind of regulation  and / or risks are you likely to face if you make health claims about  your beverage?

1. Develop a SWOT analysis for your NAB company using the SWOT matrix worksheet in the course text (p. 153 | SWOT: Strengths / Weaknesses / Opportunities / Threats)  
   • Hints: What are your company’s likely strengths? Have you  chosen a beverage segment that is growing and lacks an entrenched  competitor? Are you in a niche market that has great potential? What are  the strengths that you and other team members bring to your company? Do  you or other team members have previous experience in the food and  beverage industry?
   • Hints: What are your company’s likely weaknesses? Is the  competition in your industry segment entrenched? Is your own management  team inexperienced? Will it be challenging to actually produce your  product and maintain quality?
   • Hints: What are your company’s opportunities? Does your  segment have more demand than supply? Have larger corporations stopped  serving smaller or niche markets that you could enter? Is a new market  emerging because of demographics, immigration, changing tastes?
   • Hints: What are your company’s threats? Is there a clear  market leader that will be hard and expensive to displace? Are  downward-pricing pressures in the segment making profit margins slim?  Are there little or no barriers-to-entry for new competitors; if you  have a novel idea that succeeds, can the competition easily enter your  market? If you have a global aspect to your company, do factors such as  currency fluctuations, political instability, offshoring or outsourcing  pose threats?

1. Format your assignment according to these formatting requirements: 
   1. Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with  one-inch margins on all sides; references must follow APA or  school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional  instructions.
   2. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the  student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date.  The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required  page length.
   3. Cite the resources you have used to complete the exercise. Note: There is no minimum requirement for the number of resources used in the exercise.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Analyze the role of a company mission, vision, and objectives and the impact to business strategy.
• Describe strategic planning techniques used to formulate alternative strategies designed to achieve stated business goals.
• Analyze the external and internal environment for opportunities,  threats, strengths, and weaknesses that impact the firm’s  competitiveness.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in strategic management.
• Write clearly and concisely about strategic management using proper writing mechanics.