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This chapter focusses on analysing the origins and evolution of the SWOT analysis. It explains the drivers and limitations of the conventional SWOT analysis, laying the groundwork for new decision-making models that can aid researchers and practitioners in comprehending both the external landscape and the internal characteristics of a company. This chapter demonstrates how the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the SWOT analysis can be approached dynamically. Conventional SWOT analysis offers only a limited perspective on the environment and employs terminology that can confuse users, hindering their clear understanding of the factors that influence an organisation’s situation. This chapter provides a concise literature review of tools for evaluating quality management, its resources, and the surrounding environment, which serves as a valuable means to grasp the economic and social context within which a firm operates.

The purpose of this study is to examine the use of the strategic management tool, Strengths‐Weaknesses‐Opportunities‐Threats or SWOT analysis, and to assess how the methodology has been used as well as changes to the methodology. The findings both for and against SWOT analysis should lead to a balanced view of the technique as well as yield ideas for needed theory building.

Using the ABInform Global® database, academic peer‐reviewed articles were compiled indicating SWOT as one of the article's key index and search words.

The use of SWOT analysis continues to permeate the academic peer‐reviewed literature. Research supports SWOT analysis as a tool for planning purposes. Over the past decade, SWOT research has focused on analyzing organizations for recommended strategic actions. As a methodology for strategic positioning, SWOT analysis has been extended beyond companies to countries and industries and is used in virtually every published business case positioned for business student analysis. Additional use of SWOT is as teaching tools by consultants, trainers and educators. This paper provides a summary of the research studies and suggests paths for future research.

This paper is limited to analyzing reports found in a selection of academic peer‐reviewed business journals. However, research implications for applying SWOT analysis provides a broad spectrum of industry analysis in North America, Europe, and Asia. Additional limitations are the need to link SWOT analysis to other strategic tools and methodologies for further theory building, since past research continues to lack quantifiable findings on the success of the SWOT analysis.

A fresh view of new directions and implementations for SWOT analysis, as well as other strategic planning tools that can be combined with SWOT, provides guidance for practitioners and policy makers alike.

The article adds value to the existing literature as the first summary of SWOT research indicating its uses and limitations. Support of its usage and place in the strategic literature is validated. The SWOT methodology is pervasive, in large part, due to its simplicity. In addition, the use of SWOT as a proven developmental, results‐oriented strategic planning tool is also extended, although further research leading to theory building is warranted and recommended.

This paper aims to provide a framework which can help to improve the learning and developmental potential of the popular SWOT analysis and make it more effective.

The paper conceptualizes the LISA framework where L, I, S and A correspond to S, W, O and T, respectively, of the traditional SWOT analysis framework. Each linkage is discussed to provide some insights as to how the understanding of the SWOT analysis can be further extended to improve its learning potential and effectiveness.

The Strengths identified through the SWOT analysis should be “Leveraged”, the Weaknesses should be “Improved upon”, the Opportunities need to be “Seized” and, finally, the Threats can be mitigated if there is “Awareness” about the same. Thus, the LISA framework, i.e. leveraging the strengths, improving upon the weaknesses, seizing the opportunities and being aware about the threats, can help an organization gain more out of its SWOT analysis exercise.

By applying the LISA framework to the SWOT analysis undertaken at various levels, an organization can improve the learning outcomes for its employees as well as top executives. Quite often, SWOT analysis is performed at an individual and the group level, and hence the linkages discussed in the LISA framework here can be useful to individuals as well as groups (teams). They can take their development to the next level.

The LISA framework provides a more refined approach, as well as new linkages, to improve and increase the utility of the standard SWOT analysis framework.

Stemming from the resource-based view (RBV) approach, this article overcomes the limits of the conventional strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis, setting the basis for the model actual–potential, positive–negative, internal–external (APPNIE). This paper enacts a new framework demonstrating how strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of SWOT can be replaced by actual or potential, positive or negative elements, considered in a dynamic way.

The traditional SWOT analysis provides only a partial view of the environment and adopts incorrect terminology that can confuse the user, preventing a clear understanding of the factors affecting the organisation’s situation. The authors developed a new tool to help managers in their decision-making processes.

This study proposes a new tool for assessing the quality of management, resources and environment, which is useful in understanding the economic and social scenario in which a firm is embedded. From a practical point of view, the new tool is applied in the case study, and it shows how managers and students can use it while choosing between alternative options (different strategies, markets, technologies, etc.).

The APPNIE model introduces a new dimension that the SWOT analysis does not consider. Moreover, for each element of the new matrix, the authors propose a plan of action, which is another valuable benefit of the APPNIE model.

The purpose of this paper is to implement the strategies selection process in a proposed formulated mathematical framework to prioritize selected strategies with the interaction of other groups of strategies, known as the strategies interaction model (SIM).

SWOT analysis is a popular useful strategic planning tool, which analyzes organizations internal and external factors. The traditional SWOT procedure lists internal and external factors and derives four groups of strategies based on the organization’s strategic position. SWOT is easy to use as a business analyzing tool, while it is not competent enough for strategic formulation. With the emergence of the economy’s vicissitudes, undulations in the markets and multiple changes, and various variables in the industrial competitive environment, selection of the organization strategies confront uncertainty in decision making. The SIM framework presents a solution to select alternative strategies for organizations in unpredictable situations.

The findings show that SIM is a reliable approach to evaluate, select and rank organization’ strategies. SIM proposes alternative strategies due to the uncertainty of the organization’ environment with respect to the four strategic positions. The SIM’ proposed ranking process is in accordance with the highest impact of each strategy on each other. Furthermore, it possesses advantages of AHP, ANP and other applied multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques in SWOT analysis.

In this paper SIM is applied within a dairy company located in the north of Iran.

SIM has the advantages of the classic SWOT and fills the gaps of MCDM methods application in the SWOT analysis. Moreover, it provides a formulated algorithm for the organizations to face the uncertainty of the environment. SIM philosophy can be widely used in the decision and managerial implications.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the various strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) in the supply chain of the existing Indian public distribution system (PDS) and to analyse the same with a view to arriving at the vital recommended strategies for making the supply chain more effective and efficient.

This paper examines a new hybrid method for improving the usability of SWOT analysis. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) has been integrated with SWOT analysis. Use of the AHP method on the SWOT factors has yielded analytically determined priorities for the factors included in SWOT analysis and made them commensurable. The main aim in applying the hybrid method was to improve the quantitative information basis of strategy planning processes. The paper was started by listing the various factors of the four different groups of SWOT with reference to the PDS. After further shortlisting, pairwise comparisons were carried out using a software (Super Decisions) to arrive at prioritised factors for each group. The strategy options were then formulated and prioritised on the basis of the existing weightages of each factor.

The results indicated that use of available ICT solutions as part of the “Digital India” is vital in achieving the most important potential strategy alternatives in improving the supply chain for the PDS.

The analysis helps in identifying strategies to improve the existing supply chain of the Indian PDS and make it more efficient and cost effective.

This paper provides some useful insight into the SWOT analysis of the Indian PDS with specific reference to the supply chain management issues of the PDS.

SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis is a powerful approach for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of an organization with an internal perspective. The approach also takes into account the opportunities and the threats from an external point of view. These features make SWOT a commonly used approach in strategic management. The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated SWOT analysis with multiple preference relations technique, to show the application of the proposed methodology, to prioritize the strategic factors and to present alternative strategies for ABC, a case company, which is targeting to use social media more effectively.

In this study, expert opinions are used to identify SWOT factors of ABC on social media. The obtained findings are evaluated and each factor is prioritized by means of the multiple preference relations technique.

The proposed evaluation model has four main groups, namely, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, under which 17 factors are identified. As a result of the evaluations, “O2: Opportunity to contact a large number of users simultaneously at affordable cost” has the highest importance level among other factors. Alternative strategies are developed based on the obtained results.

Decision-makers who have different backgrounds or ideas can state their preferences in different formats. Multiple preference relations technique is used to combine different assessments. SWOT analysis with multiple preference relations technique with a group decision-making perspective is proposed. This is the first time the method is used in the social media-related literature. With this study, the most appropriate social media strategic factors are selected for ABC and alternative strategies are determined based on the results.

The purpose of this paper is to use well-established methodology strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis – in order to identify the important factors for reliability centered maintenance (RCM) implementation.

The paper demonstrates a SWOT analysis for different 19 frameworks of RCM to make a strategic decision for implementing RCM in different organizations. The various 19 frameworks are grouped together into three clusters, namely Group A, Group B and Group C based on their qualitative or theoretical, quantitative and practical approach, respectively.

The strengths and weaknesses are identified by internal factors while the opportunities and threats are identified by external factors of an organization for each group of frameworks. Also, it was observed that each group of frameworks has a unique set of strengths and weaknesses.

In this paper, the SWOT analysis for RCM implementation is limited to the comparison of various 19 RCM frameworks which are available in literatures and based on internal or external factors of an organization.

The SWOT analysis also suggests that the implementation of RCM is not an easy task for any practitioner and one should weigh in all the opportunities and threats before arriving at any strategic decision.

A unique approach applied to analysis the frameworks of RCM. The SWOT analysis of various RCM frameworks will help the practitioner to take any strategic decision for RCM implementation in an organization.

Purpose of study: Indian fibre cement industry is at crossroads on account of the dropping margins attributed to the dynamic internal and external challenges faced by it. The ever-changing technology, the increasing availability of substitutes and changing demographic consumption profiles have questioned the survival of this industry. Internal and external factors affecting an organization provide inputs to the strategic decision-making. Diversity of factors and prioritization is a major challenge encountered for developing a strategy for the organization.

Strategic analysis in the paper proposes to rank important key variables through SWOT-AHP methodology affecting a fibre cement company. Computed priorities of SWOT factor could help in formation of management approach to key decisions facing the firm. It is a descriptive research design. The problem itself has multiple SWOT criteria that have been evaluated in three phases with the help of industry experts and AHP criteria.

SWOT-AHP analysis has been a strategic fit for qualitative analysis of factors. The important ranked factors affecting the organization have been found to be brand name, capability of both the management and technical, quality of the product, and the efficient customer service and marketing reach/distribution.

Ranking of key SWOT factors found through AHP methodology will help the firm under study to develop and plan strategic alternatives to counter all challenges faced by them.

The management of the firm under study shall be benefited in fine-tuning the overall strategy of the organization.

This paper proposes a hybrid SWOT-AHP strategic analysis first time in this sector. The affecting factors have been quantified and ranked to identify priority factors for the firm to focus.

Organizations have to evaluate their internal and external environments in this highly competitive world. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis is a very useful technique which analyzes the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organization for taking strategic decisions and it also provides a foundation for the formulation of strategies. But the drawback of SWOT analysis is that it does not quantify the importance of individual factors affecting the organization and the individual factors are described in brief without weighing them. Because of this reason, SWOT analysis can be integrated with any multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) technique like the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), analytical hierarchy process, etc., to evaluate the best alternative among the available strategic alternatives. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

In this study, SWOT analysis is integrated with a multicriteria decision-making technique called TOPSIS to rank different strategies for Indian medical tourism in order of priority.

SO strategy (providing best facilitation and care to the medical tourists at par to developed countries) is the best strategy which matches with the four elements of S, W, O and T of SWOT matrix and 35 strategic indicators.

This paper proposes a solution based on a combined SWOT analysis and TOPSIS approach to help the organizations to evaluate and select strategies.

Creating a new technology or administering a new strategy always has some degree of resistance by employees. To minimize resistance, the author has used TOPSIS as it involves group thinking, requiring every manager of the organization to analyze and evaluate different alternatives and average measure of each parameter in final decision matrix.