How to Collect Relevant Data for the S.W.O.T.?

In order to use the SWOT Analysis for the Strategic Planning, you need to understand how to collect the data for the SWOT factors.

Lets start with the Strengths. To collect data for the Strengths in relation to your competitor, you may use the following guides:-

· What are the advantages of your company over your competitor?

· What are some of the customer benefit you can offer?

· What are some your customer relationship?

· What are some of the offers to customer your can fulfilled?

· What are some of the low cost operation capabilities?

· What are your financial strengths?

Similar to the Strengths, Weaknesses is another internal factor that deals with the weaknesses of the operation. The impact of these weaknesses is more urgent when compared it with the competitors who are ahead of you. Below is the guideline you can use to identify weaknesses:-

· What are some of the setback with your company or operation

· What are some of the “out-dated” or inefficient equipment?

· What are some of the bad customer experience?

· What are some of the repeated operation  failure?

· What are some of the escalated cost components?

In the area of Opportunities, it is an external factor. When dealing with external factors, you have to be objectives. Keep focus on external factors that has an influence to the market and your sales opportunity and those are not within your control. You may use the following guidelines to help you to generate the list of opportunities:-

· Political or Policy changes that may spur development

· Economic situation that encourage spending.

· Societal stability that may encourage harmony (more spending)

· Technological advancement that can accelerate your operation

In the area of Threats, it is another external factor you must deal with realistically and that the information has great impact to your business. Keep focus on external factors that has an influence to the market and your sales opportunity and those are not within your control. You may use the following guidelines to help you to generate the list of opportunities:-

· Any new entrance to your industry?

· Any form of substitutions or alternatives

· What are some of the Political changes that influence the economy?

· Policy imposed that cost more in the long run

· Economic downturn in your own targeted market

· Societal instability

· Obsolete technology that hinder speed to market

Once you have completed the data collection for the four factors, you need to study the list to ensure they are clearly understood. You need to keep your list short probably within 10 items. You may make use of some TQM tools to help you. Examples of some of the TQM tools are selection grid, you and competitor matrix, with the finalized list the S.W.O.T. factor then it is ready be used to generate strategies options. I will cover this step in my next distribution.

 

SWOT

Introduction

A SWOT analysis is a tool that can provide prompts to the governors, management teachers and staff involved in the analysis of what is effective and less effective in the schools systems and procedures, in preparation for a plan of some form ( that could be an audit, assessments, quality checks etc.). In fact a SWOT can be used for any planning or analysis activity which could impact future finance, planning and management decisions. It can enable you (the governors and management) to carry out a more comprehensive analysis. We shall discuss about the SWOT analysis in Education levels.

5.1 Definitions

SWOT analysis contains four components, the definitions of the components are as follows:

• Strengths: Factors that are likely to have a positive effect on (or be an enabler to) achieving the educational objectives

• Weaknesses: Factors that are likely to have a negative effect on (or be a barrier to) achieving the educational objectives

• Opportunities: External Factors that are likely to have a positive effect on achieving or exceeding the educational objectives, or goals not previously considered

 

• Threats: External Factors and conditions that are likely to have a negative effect on achieving the educational objectives, or making the the objective redundant or un-achievable.

 

5.2 SWOT Analysis at Elementary (Primary) and Secondary Levels of Education

 

Strength

Indian children represent an excellent source of global intellectual capital.

(i) India has a huge untapped reservoir of productive and creative human capital. Properly stimulated, this 'unutilized brainpower' can be transformed to generate massive economic, social and cultural returns for the country.

(ii) Given its low-cost education structure, India presents one of the best opportunities in the world for generating returns from investment in education. Modest injections of capital and resources can produce significant improvements in education quality and output.

(iii) Quality teacher training can bring about quantum improvements in learning and increase the practical and creative output of students and teachers.

(iv) There exist a number of effective low-cost teaching methods to educate and rapidly disseminate useful skills and knowledge to those that need them most.

Opportunities

(i) Many rural teachers demonstrate openness to new ideas and high innate levels of creativity, often of a higher level than that found among urban teachers.

(ii) There has been little attempt by educators in the country to improve rural education, where the motivation among children to attend class is low because of such factors as negative parental pressure, poor facilities and uninspired teaching.

(iii) There is high enthusiasm for learning and experimenting among children. Right stimuli can create an explosion in creativity and productivity in rural India.

(iv) Urban schools with their greater resources can play a catalytic role in the growth of rural education. Urban schools therefore need to adopt a proactive community-building role.

(v) Given resource limitations a case can be made to focus on low capital-intensive skill-based education. Given the real limitation of resources, e.g. lack of adequate physical facilities, books and materials, a case can be made to focus on skill-based education, which requires less capital and can be effectively and widely disseminated. At science workshops for 30,000 rural children sponsored by AGASTYA, over 100 experiments were demonstrated using low-cost everyday materials.

(vi) Students to think independently, freely express themselves, get them to believe in themselves, protect and stimulate their imagination and creativity, he added.

(vii) “If India is to truly rise as a global economic power, it must focus its efforts on creating a world class education system. Adequate resources, higher standards for teachers and the flushing out of corruption must be part of a reforms package that seeks to make Indian education the nation’s top priority.

(viii) There can be no greater foundation for a rising India than a strong educational system. Discovering new answers, not reproducing the work of others, could enable India to advance its economy and society at a much more rapid clip.

 

Weaknesses

(i) Education in most schools is one dimensional, with an obsessive focus on marks. The products of Indian school education tend to be narrow minded and even selfish in their aims and approach.

(ii) There is little focus on nurturing:

(a) Behavioral skills - teamwork, leadership, community

(b) Application skills

(c) Creative-thinking skills

(iii) Teachers generally have limited knowledge of how to spark creativity in children.

(iv) The knowledge transmitted to children is therefore bookish. Few opportunities exist for children to apply their knowledge to real life situations.

(v) Children are rarely encouraged to participate in community-based activities such as working with disadvantaged groups or the environment.

(vi) The shortfall of teachers is over 3 million. India needs 7 - 8 million primary/secondary schoolteachers, versus the 3 - 4 million available.

(vii) Instilling the right type of skills in teachers and implementing a process to transfer such skills and knowledge effectively through the system would have a powerful 'multiplier effect' on the entire system of learning.

(viii) Most of them lack an overarching and inspirational vision. Given the increasing demand for 'quality schools' by the growing Indian middle class and the willingness of parents to invest significant money in their children's education, many schools are promoted as commercial ventures, rather than as centers of excellence.

(ix) Indian primary and secondary schools suffer from the additional weaknesses of infrastructure limitations and inefficiency. The shortcomings are likely as damaging in the long run as the high levels of corruption. Poor infrastructure at schools makes teaching even harder. The 2011 Annual Status of Education report found that roughly 51 percent of schools didn’t have available lavatories, while 26 percent of schools had no drinking water.

(x) Inefficient teaching methods, such as rote learning, which focuses on memorization as opposed to critical reasoning, are also widespread at secondary school level. The rote teaching methodology has demonstrated shortcomings. Studies by the Program for International Students Assessment, an OECD initiative, and Wipro, an Indian consulting firm, found that students secondary school level have regressed in math, science, and reading literacy in recent years.

 

"The focus on exams and marks in urban schools is like winning a 100 meter race on steroids. "

(i) Private resources for promoting rural education are minimal to non-existent. Allocated public resources are more often than not, not effectively utilized.

(ii) Single teacher schools, most of them with just a single room, are unable to provide even the basic environment for learning

(iii) Lack of adequate classroom facilities means that children from different age groups typically sit in the same classroom, leading to boredom and disinterest.

(iv) Driven by pressing short-term economic needs, most parents are reluctant to send their children to school. They often pose obstacles to learning. In some cases, the State has to offer incentives, such as subsidized rice through the mid-day meal scheme to attract children to school.

(v) Even a cursory interaction with naturally bright rural children and teachers reinforces the view that there is indeed a huge amount of unutilized talent and creativity, which if given even the most basic opportunity will produce major benefits for the community and country.

(vi) Many rural teachers have the "hunger" and desire to learn and teach. They are interested in acquiring new skills and show high levels of innate creativity. Some are even so committed as to have spent money out of their own pockets to provide basic learning materials for their students.

(vii)               There is little to no transfer of technology, knowledge or ideas from better-endowed urban institutions to their rural counterparts. The reason for this is not lack of money as much as the lack of interest and concern for community.

(viii)              Even small injections of money and resources in kind, such as part-time volunteer teachers, can produce major improvements in the existing quality of teaching and learning opportunities available to rural children.

(xi) Teaching and learning methods used in most schools discourage questioning, learning, application and creativity.

(x) An education system focused on exams and marks ("factory approach") has produced few world-class creators and original thinkers.

 

5.3 SWOT Analysis at Higher Secondary Level of Education

 

 

Strengths

(1) Indians have become the richest and the most skilled ethnic community in abroad by the virtue of the highest education and human resources.

(2) Higher education is highly subsidized and, thus it is accessible to the poorest of the poor.

(3) It is equity & accessibilities principle has enabled many of the economically poor toacquire higher education.

(4) Higher education has proved as an instrument of social change.

Weaknesses

(1) No provision of academic audit in Universities and Colleges.

(2) Lack of quest for quality in majority of institutions.

(3) Academic heads in majority of Universities, Colleges at the faculty level are elected bymajority, not selected on merit.Decision making in universities is highly centralized.Complicated office procedures and administrative staff are not professionally trained.

(4) Students are not involved as partners in decision-making process.Multiple apex agencies like UGC, AICTE, NAAC, NBA, etc. are often over lappingfunctions.Autonomy of universities and institutions has not correspondingly increased theaccountability.Lack of equality of educational opportunities.

(5) Uniform fee structure, irrespective of economic status and affordability of students.

(6) Multiple entrance tests for similar courses burdening students.No student assessment/ feedback.

(7) No campus recruitment as well as part time job likes foreign universities in higher education.

Opportunities

(1) The percentage of NET/SLET examination results of a University may be taken as the one of the key parameters of performance of a University/Institution.

(2) Gains in the information technology are to be taken to advantage education sector. Flexibility can be allowed for students in selections of curriculum.

(3) Removal of roadblocks in opening of educational institutions as done in the sectors of trade, industry and commerce.Apex agencies like UGC, AICTE have to pursue the responsibility of setting up andmonitoring the academic standards.

(4) Private Universities may be allowed to be set up and their functions must be monitoredand facilitated by the govt. agencies.

(5) Interface to be created between university-society, university-local community anduniversity- industry.

(6) Universities required to react at pace with the global changes in other sectors.Students are needed to be treated as clients and the Universities have to work moretowards satisfaction of the changing needs and ambition of the students.

Threats

(1) Professional education to a significant extent is commercialized despite theintervention of the government.

(2) Majority of the students are studying traditional courses out of compulsion and lack of alternative but without an interest to pursue them earnestly.

 

(3) Art education and science streams have become endangered and hardly few takersare there for them.

(4) Several courses are run just for sake of survival of those departments and tosustain the jobs of teachers.

(5) Lack of academic audit mechanism makes it less possible to provide financialassistance on the basis of academic quality and output instead of numericalparameters.

(6) State government, which has larger role, has taken insufficient care of improvingthe quality of education.

 

 

 

5.4 SWOT Analysis of Indian Higher Education

Indian higher education is one of the best and the second biggest in the World after U.S.A. India is anticipated as one of the Nations to lead the future scenario. During independence there were 20 Universities, 500 Colleges with 2,40,000 students.Today there are more than 300 University level Institutions and 13,000 Collegeswith approximately 10 Million students. There are more than 4,30,000 teachersengaged in teaching in these Institutions.When we compare the higher education with the other developed and leadingdeveloping countries we find that only 7.5% of Indian youth in the age group of 17 -23 years are studying in the institutions of higher education whereas 15.22% of the youth access to the higher education in many other countries. Compared to India many of the institutions of higher education in abroad have excellent infrastructure,resources, faculty developing programs and research but the same cannot be said about the institutions of higher education in India. In this paper, an attempt has beenmade to comprehend the present status of the higher education system through the SWOT analysis, a prevalent technique of management studies.

Central and State Universities, Deemed Universities, Institutions of National Importance,Research Institutions and Colleges for General Education in Arts, Sciences and Commerce and Colleges for Professional Education are regarded as the Institutions of Higher education in India. Most of the Institutions of Higher education can be called Public Institutions in sense that eitherthese are directly run by the Union or State Governments or Receiving Substantial Grants from the Government.