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Developing Competitive Advantages&Strategic Focus

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To create a marketing plan, the manager needs information: SWOT analysis is one of the most effective tools in the analysis of marketing data and information
The SWOT analysis fulfils this role by structuring the assessment of the fit between what a firm can and cannot do (S/W) and the environmental conditions working for and against the firm (O/T).
If the SWOT analysis is done correctly, it can be a viable mechanism for the development of the marketing plan. If done haphazardly or incorrectly, it can be a great waste of time.
They are six directives for a productive SWOT analysis:
Stay focused: We often make the mistake of conducting one generic SWOT analysis for the entire business unit. It should be a series of analyses, each focusing on a specific product/market combination (Example of GM)
Search Extensively for competitors: The firm must watch for any current or potential direct substitutes for its products (Kodak)
Collaborate with Other Functional Areas: It generates information and perspectives that can be shared across a variety of functional areas in the firm. Managers of other areas should learn what other managers see as the firm’s SWOT. Such cross-pollination can generate a very conducive environment for creativity and innovation.
Examine issues from the Customers’ Perspective: All issues are not equally important; the marketing manager should identify the most critical issues by looking at each one through the eyes of the firm’s customers. We although should know what employees think. Some employees, especially frontline ones, are closer to the customer and can offer a different perspective on what customers think and believe.
Look for causes, not characteristics by considering the firm’s resources that are the true causes for the firm’s SWOT
Separate Internal Issues from External Issues: Internal issues are the firm’s S and W,

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