An integration of SWOT and factor analysis to determining and prioritizing strategies: case study of a Persian food industry

摘要

Decision makers use SWOT analysis as the most important tool in strategic management process. It enables managers with the discovery and collection of facts resulting from both internal and external analysis. This analysis then becomes the foundation for strategy formulation. The process is not without flaws. It does not include any means of analytically determining the importance of factors or assessing the fit between SWOTS factors and decision alternatives. It is based mainly on qualitative analysis. This research’s aim is to prioritize strategies by the integration of the SWOT and the factors analysis. The first phase consists of determining the SWOT matrix. The second phase consists of weighing and prioritizing the SWOT strategies. A two steps process is proposed; step 1, using factor analysis (Rotated Component Matrix) and step 2, creating a statistical method. The proposed is simple to use and applicable for organization. This method is applied to Avid Food Industry (a Persian food manufacturer) starting with 34 strategies that are consequently reduced to 13 applicable ones.