Making a SWOT analysis

A SWOT analysis is often used to identify what is already going well within a company and what could be improved. It allows you to see at a glance what the strengths and weaknesses of a company or strategy are, and what external opportunities and threats there are. This model is also often used in theses, especially if you write your thesis on behalf of a company. We are happy to show you how to make a SWOT analysis in four steps.

A SWOT analysis is often used to create a marketing strategy or to determine how an organisation can become more successful. It is therefore a useful tool in theses on marketing-related topics, for example, if you want to use your thesis to help a company improve their marketing.

In a SWOT analysis, on the one hand you look at the organisation itself: what is already going well and what could be improved? On the other hand, you look at the environment: what opportunities and threats does it bring?

The letters SWOT stand for:

1. Strengths: what strengths does the organisation have?
2. Weaknesses: what are the weaknesses of the organisation?
3. Opportunities: what opportunities are there in the market?
4. Threats: what are possible external threats to the organisation?

You place the answers to those four questions in a clear table. Below is a detailed example of a SWOT analysis. The text in italics shows possible answers to the questions. In this example, the SWOT analysis is completed for a fictitious design agency.

How to properly tackle a SWOT analysis in your thesis? We will explain it to you step by step.

Step 1: identify strengths and weaknesses

First, do an internal analysis of the organisation. In other words, ask yourself what is going well in the organisation and what could be better. To discover this, you can use McKinsey's 7S model, the BCG matrix or Porter's value chain, among others. For instance, talk to employees or analyse company results to gain insight into internal strengths and weaknesses.

Step 2: identify opportunities and threats

Next, focus on the organisation's environment for external analysis. For this, look at the market and the environment in which the organisation finds itself. Focus on current developments, such as new legislation, technological innovations, or emerging target groups.

For external analysis, you can use tools like Porter's five forces model and DESTEP analysis. To get input for this type of research, public data is often very useful. This could look like market research or reports from industry associations. General research results, e.g. from CBS, can also give you valuable insights.

Not every development is relevant to your SWOT analysis. Therefore, look critically at whether the development in question has implications for the target group, for the market, and/or for your client's business. Furthermore, it is smart to look at what competitors are doing. Potential threats or strengths can emerge from that too.

Step 3: finalise the SWOT analysis

Subsequently, you collect the results of the internal and external analysis and place them in the SWOT analysis. Include only the most important elements. Be selective and choose, for example, the five or six most important points per factor.

Step 4: complete the confrontation matrix

Finally, based on the SWOT analysis, create a confrontation matrix. In it, you will try to connect all of the aspects.

For example, do the threats lead to possible opportunities? In the example, we mentioned that one threat could be that people are increasingly editing videos themselves with simple apps. Could the company perhaps respond to that by developing an app itself, since the organisation employs a good app developer? You make those kinds of connections in the confrontation matrix.

Writing a thesis is no easy task. That is why we like to offer you practical tools. Besides explaining various models for your thesis, you will also find tips for writing your thesis on our site.

Can’t quite get to the finish line by yourself? Our editors are happy to do a final thesis check for you by reviewing your thesis for language and structure. This way, you can hand in your thesis with confidence.