Well, I missed the first week of class due to unsettled visa problems, and thus it was indeed overwhelming for me when I entered my first COMM101 class. The microphones, zoom-in screen, i-clicker, blog and pulse press was a little too much to handle all at a time but with guidance and observation, I manage to handle it and by the end of my first week, I got the hang of it! And the Profs, Tamar Milne and Robert Jackes and my lovely TA, Frankie are really nice and friendly, so that helped a lot.

Okay, thoughts and emotions aside, let’s get down to business. I learnt many things in my first class. The main discussion was about SWOT analysis and we did a group activity on it.

I have learnt that SWOT analysis is a very important tool in identifying a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in order to make strategic planning for the company.. Strengths and weaknesses depend on the company’s internal factors whereas opportunities and threats are caused by external factors which are out of the firm’s control. Examples of strengths are patents, strong brand names, good public reputations, cost efficient management and exclusive access to certain resources. Examples of weaknesses would be the exact opposite of the strengths such as weak brand names, bad public reputations, high cost and ineffective managements and no access to certain resources. Examples of opportunities are technology advancements, government subsidies and removal of international trade barriers, whereas examples of threats are government taxes, change of consumers’ taste and preference, availability of substitute goods and new trade regulations.

Here’s a well-explained video about what is SWOT analysis, and how to use this tool effectively to bring a company forward: SWOT analysis