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  • Digg It - SWOT Analysis -- Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

    When conducting strategic planning for any company -- online and/or offline -- it is useful to complete an analysis that takes into account not only your own business, but your competitors' activities and current industry happenings as
    According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product
    well. A SWOT is one such analysis.

    Completing a SWOT analysis helps you identify ways to minimize the affect of weaknesses in your business while maximizing your strengths. Ideally, you will match your strengths against market opport
    ; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

    Examples of combination products may in
    unities that result from voids in your competitors' products and/or services.

    Traditionally, a SWOT confines strengths and weaknesses to your company's internal workings while opportunities and threats refer only to the external envir
    lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

    nment. Here, I suggest a twist to the "text book" approach. To get a better look at the big picture, consider both internal *and* external forces when uncovering opportunities and threats.

    A Basic SWOT Analysis



    You can devel
    here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe
    op the basic analysis in a brainstorming session with members of your company, or by yourself if you are a one-person shop. To begin the analysis create a four- cell grid or four lists, one for each component:

    | Strengths | Weaknesses
    d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

    Combination pro
    | Opportunities | Threats |

    Then, begin filling in the lists.

    Strengths. Think about what your company does well. Some questions to help you get started are: What makes you stand out from your competitors? What advantages do y
    ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc
    ou have over other businesses?

    Weaknesses. List the areas that are a struggle for your company. Some questions to help you get started are: What do your customers complain about? What are the unmet needs of your sales force?

    <
    easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi
    b>Opportunities. Traditionally, a SWOT looks only at the external environment for opportunities. I suggest you look externally for areas your competitors are not fully covering, then go a step further and think how to match these t
    nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically
    your internal strengths.

    Try to uncover areas where your strengths are not being fully utilized. Are there emerging trends that fit with your company's strengths? Is there a product/service area that others have not yet covered?

    and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ
    Threats. As with opportunities, threats in a traditional SWOT analysis are considered an external force. By looking both inside and outside of your company for things that could damage your business, however, you may be better able
    ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi
    to see the big picture.

    Some questions to get you started: Are your competitors becoming stronger? Are there emerging trends that amplify one of your weaknesses? Do you see other external threats to your company's success? Internally,
    ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

    Following aspects would a
    do you have financial, development, or other problems?

    Expanded SWOT Analysis



    You can take an additional step beyond a traditional "text book" SWOT analysis by delving deeper into industry dynamics. A more in-depth SWOT ana
    dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

    Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
    Which combination prod
    lysis can help you better understand your company's competitive situation.

    One way to step beyond a traditional SWOT analysis is to include more detailed competitor information in the analysis. Note Internet-related activities such as
    cts are meaningful and rational?
    Which therapeutic categories to select?
    Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
    Do combin
    trade organization participation, search engine inclusion, and outside links to the sites. This will better help you spot opportunities for and threats to your company.

    You can also take a closer look at the business environment. Ofte
    tions increase the patient compliance?
    What would be the developing cost?
    How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen
    n, opportunities arise as a result of a changing business environment. Some examples are:

    A new trend develops for which demand outstrips the supply of quality options. Early on, the trend toward healthy eating coupled with an insiste
    t?

    As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel
    ce on good-tasting food produced a shortage of acceptable natural food alternatives, for example.

    A customer segment is becoming more predominant, but their specific needs are not being fully met by your competitors. The U.S. Hispanic
    ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

    Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
    population experienced this phenomenon in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.

    A customer, competitor, or supplier goes out of business or merges with another company. With the demise of many pure- play "dot coms", examples of this abou
    y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products
    nd. As each went out of business, opportunities arise to gain the defunct business’ customers.

    You can also expand the reach of a SWOT analysis through surveys. You can learn more about your own as well as competitor’s sites and busin
    .

    As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de
    sses. Areas to consider researching include 1) customer awareness, interest, trial, and usage levels, 2) brand, site, and/or company image, 3) importance of different site or product attributes to your customers, and 4) product and/or
    elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

    Companies that provide selfless information through particip
    site performance.

    Whether using a basic or more advanced approach to SWOT analysis, you are sure to come away with newfound insights. Use these to increase your company's effectiveness and as input into your business or marketing plan


    tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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