Employ effective planning processes to develop objectives in order to enhance organizational performance. 

BMGT 364 Project 1 (Week 3) – Planning and the SWOT Analysis

Project 1 is due on the last day of class week 3, Tuesday, at 11:59 p.m., eastern time.

Purpose  

The purpose of this project is to introduce you to the planning process and to complete a SWOT analysis to determine a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.  Using the information gathered to complete the SWOT, you will begin to build a Strategic Plan identifying and discussing the company’s goals and objectives.

Outcome Met by Completing This Assignment

• Employ effective planning processes to develop strategies, goals, and objectives in order to enhance organizational performance and sustainability.

Instructions and Case Background

Note: Before starting work on Project I, you must read the Project 1 rubric very carefully. 

You are requested to complete Project 1 in the role of a recent business degree graduate, newly hired by Silver Airways.  Your manager has requested your assistance in conducting a SWOT analysis and developing the goals and objectives for a strategic plan. The strategic plan is necessitated by Silver Airways’ CEO requesting an assessment of the airline’s ability to become a “major U.S. airline” and the subsequent steps it needs to take to make that happen.

You will use the course materials for weeks 1 – 3 and your research findings based on the Silver Airlines’ links below. This information will allow you to perform an analysis of the current state of Silver Airways to determine its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats toward becoming a major US airline.

You will complete a SWOT table identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats you identified for Silver Airlines. Based on your SWOT table, you will then develop and explain your goals and their related objectives.

Your manager has informed you of the following facts: Florida-based Silver Airways recently announced its acquisition of Seaborne Airlines, headquartered in Porto Rico.  Expanding its flight routes within the Caribbean makes the company the highest volume airline to the Bahamas and the Caribbean.  In addition to its Bahama and Caribbean flights, Silver Airways serves the southeast and a few northeast states.

Your manager has provided you with the links found below and indicated that route expansion, a new fleet of aircraft, and the acquisition of Seaborne Airlines should be considerations in your analysis. Of course, the focus of your analysis is Silver Airways and not Seaborne Airlines.

Your analysis, SWOT table, goals, and objectives must be supported by a logical and well-reasoned evaluation of the facts ascertained from the course materials and links provided.

Research Links

• Silver Airways
• Seaborne Airlines
• Silver Airways/SeaborneAirways
• Silver Airways Announces Major Strategic Growth Developments and New Leadership

You may do additional research related to Silver Airways to enhance your SWOT analysis, SWOT Table, and goals and objectives.

Note:  Your report must be based on the results of your own research. This means that you will research and draw your own conclusions, which must be supported by your independent research and the course materials. You are precluded from the use of any existing SWOT analysis, SWOT Table, and goals and objectives ascertained from anyone else’s source material (e.g., internet sites, for-pay websites, existing documents, video resources, and the like).  A zero will be earned for not doing your own analysis.

How to Set Up the Paper

Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is double spaced.  Use 12-point font.  The final product will be 5-6 pages in length, excluding the title page and reference page.  Write clearly and concisely.

Create a compliant title page that provides the paper’s title, date, your name, the course number, the section number, and your instructor’s name.

Use all of the following centered Bolded and left-justified Bolded headings in the same order they appear in completing your project.

                                                                      Introduction

• Write an Introduction paragraph.  The introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of the paper and will be used to describe to the reader the intent of the paper explaining the main points covered in the paper.  This intent should be understood prior to reading the remainder of the paper so the reader knows exactly what is being covered in the paper.  The introduction is often written after the paper is completed.  (Use in-text citation as required)
                                                          SWOT Table
• Using the research from the websites provided and any additional research, complete a SWOT Table for Silver Airways using the format below.
• Provide a minimum of three strengths, three weaknesses, three opportunities, and three threats. See the grading rubric for specifics and further guidance.
• Provide an in-text citation for each item presented in the SWOT Table.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

                                               SWOT Analysis:  Silver Airways

• Write a paragraph explanation for each quadrant (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) on the SWOT Table that explains each item in each quadrant  (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats).  Support your reasoning. Remember, there must be a minimum of three items in each quadrant.  Be certain to label each of the paragraphs Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, or Threats and make it clear to the reader which item within each of those headings is being discussed.  (Use heading below and in-text citation as required)

Strengths Explanations Paragraph 

Weaknesses Explanations Paragraph

Opportunities Explanations Paragraph

Threats Explanations Paragraph 

                                                         Goals and Objectives

• You will now begin to build the framework for the Strategic Plan to be developed. Identify and explain three (3) major strategic goals that the company should attain based on its acquisition of Seaborne Airlines. Each strategic goal will be one-sentence followed by an explanation of the importance of each goal. (Use in-text citation as required)
• For each strategic goal, students will provide at least two one-sentence objectives to support each strategic goal. The relationship of each objective to its strategic goal must be demonstrated. (Use in-text citation as required)
• The assignment rubric displays how the assignment is graded and how to earn additional credit for various sections of the paper.
• Make sure to use the research and course materials to support your analysis.

STUDENTS: The format and framework for your goals and objectives must be as follows:   

STRATEGIC GOAL 1: Must be written as a one-sentence goal. Followed by a brief explanation of the goal’s significance. (Use in-text citations and references as appropriate.)

*Objective 1:  Must be written as a one-sentence objective. Followed by a brief explanation of support for that objective, as it relates to its goal. (Use in-text citations and references as appropriate.)

Objective 2: Must be written as a one-sentence objective. Followed by a brief explanation of support for that objective, as it relates to its goal. (Use in-text citations and references as appropriate.)

STRATEGIC GOAL 2: Must be written as a one-sentence goal. Followed by a brief explanation of the significance of that goal.  (Use in-text citations and references as appropriate.)

Objective 1: Must be written as a one-sentence objective. Followed by a brief explanation of support for that objective, as it relates to its goal. (Use in-text citations and references as appropriate.)

Objective 2: Must be written as a one-sentence objective. Followed by a brief explanation of support for that objective, as it relates to its goal. (Use in-text citations and references as appropriate.)

STRATEGIC GOAL 3: Must be written as a one-sentence goal. Followed by a very brief explanation of the significance of that goal.  (Use in-text citations and references as appropriate.)

Objective 1: Must be written as a one-sentence objective. Followed by a brief explanation of support for that objective, as it relates to its goal. (Use in-text citations and references as appropriate.)

Objective 2: Must be written as a one-sentence objective. Followed by a brief explanation of support for that objective, as it relates to its goal. (Use in-text citations and references as appropriate.)

                                                                Conclusion

• Create a concluding paragraph.  The conclusion paragraph highlights the major findings covered in the paper.

                                                                References   

Use the checklist below to ensure your paper’s compliance with assignment instructions.

Checklist

Specific Project Requirements

Proofread your paper. Ensure your topic headings and format follow the above sequence.

Read and use the grading rubric while completing the paper to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the highest possible grade.

Third-person writing is required.  Third-person means that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first-person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (the second person writing).  If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link:  http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person.

Contractions are not used in business writing, so do not use them.

Paraphrase and do not use direct quotations.  Paraphrase means you do not use more than four consecutive words from a source document.  Removing quotation marks and citing is inappropriate.  Instead, put a passage from a source document into your own words and attribute the passage to the source document.  There should be no passages with quotation marks.  Using more than four consecutive words from a source document would require direct quotation marks.  Changing words from a passage does not exclude the passage from having quotation marks.

You are expected to use the research and weekly course materials to develop the analysis and support the reasoning.   There should be a robust use of the course material.  The material used from a source document must be cited and referenced.  A reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa.  Changing words from a passage does not exclude the passage from having quotation marks.

Use in-text citations and provide a reference list that contains the reference associated with each in-text citation.

You may not use books in completing this problem set unless part of the course material.  Also, do not use a dictionary, Wikipedia or Investopedia or similar sources.

Provide the page or paragraph number in every in-text citation. Since the eBook does not have page numbers, you are to include the chapter title, section heading, and paragraph number.

For citations using a video, you must provide the minutes and second of the cited material.

Step 3:  Submit the paper in the Assignment Folder (The assignment submitted to the Assignment Folder will be considered the student’s final product and therefore ready for grading by the instructor.  It is incumbent upon the student to verify the assignment is the correct submission.  Where Turnitin is available students are encouraged to modify their paper were warranted to bring the paper into compliance with proper citation requirements.)

NOTE:  All submitted work is to be your original work. You may not use any work from another student, the Internet, or an online clearinghouse.  You are expected to understand the Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy (see syllabus) and know that it is your responsibility to learn about instructor and general academic expectations with regard to proper citation of sources as specified in the APA Publication Manual, 7th Ed. (Students are held accountable for in-text citations and an associated reference list only).