Question

Describe the process you will engage in as you gather data for your SWOT analysis. Conduct a brief SWOT analysis using the attached form for an issue related to found in the UN Sustainable Goals Initiative.

• Describe any issues you had in conducting the practice SWOT analyses.
• How did you mitigate for those issues?
• What additional questions do you have about doing a SWOT analysis?
• Attach your SWOT practice to the initial discussion post for this week.

Answer 1

Ans) The first step is to look at your strengths and figure out how you can use those strengths to take advantage of your opportunities. Then, look at how the strengths can combat the threats that are in the market. Use this analysis to produce a list of actions that you can take.

- The ecosystem services concept (ES) is becoming a cornerstone of contemporary sustainability thought. Challenges with this concept and its applications are well documented, but have not yet been systematically assessed alongside strengths and external factors that influence uptake. Such an assessment could form the basis for improving ES thinking, further embedding it into environmental decisions and management. The Young Ecosystem Services Specialists (YESS) completed a Strengths–Weaknesses–Opportunities–Threats (SWOT) analysis of ES through YESS member surveys. Strengths include the approach being interdisciplinary, and a useful communication tool. Weaknesses include an incomplete scientific basis, frameworks being inconsistently applied, and accounting for nature's intrinsic value. Opportunities include alignment with existing policies and established methodologies, and increasing environmental awareness. Threats include resistance to change, and difficulty with interdisciplinary collaboration. Consideration of SWOT themes suggested five strategic areas for developing and implementing ES. The ES concept could improve decision-making related to natural resource use, and interpretation of the complexities of human-nature interactions. It is contradictory – valued as a simple means of communicating the importance of conservation, whilst also considered an oversimplification characterised by ambiguous language. Nonetheless, given sufficient funding and political will, the ES framework could facilitate interdisciplinary research, ensuring decision-making that supports sustainable development.

- Issues in SWOT analysis:

SWOT analysis is only one stage of business planning.
A lack of hierarchy leads to problems.
Too much structure leads to poor decision-making.
SWOT analysis becomes impossibly subjective without the right information.
Information overload affects your results.
10 Excellent Data Analysis Tools for Enterprise Needs.

- Strengths–Opportunities. Use your internal strengths to take advantage of opportunities.
Strengths-Threats. Use your strengths to minimize threats.
Weaknesses-Opportunities. Improve weaknesses by taking advantage of opportunities.
Weaknesses-Threats. Work to eliminate weaknesses to avoid threats.