Research Paper: Personal SWOT Analysis Assignment Instructions
Overview
This assignment will help students to develop an inside-out, principle-centered approach to management by self-reflection. Each student will conduct a personal assessment of managerial strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats via a SWOT analysis and develop strategies for self-improvement via a TOWS Matrix. Students will evaluate their own personal management factors (principles, traits, skills or practices) that are critical to their managerial effectiveness.
Remember: This assignment and all assignments in this course have a management, not leadership focus. There is a distinct difference between management and leadership. Discuss management, not leadership. The Contemporary Management text only provides basic topical information. As a research-intensive doctoral course, you will need to research current peer-reviewed literature. There is no assignment in this course that can be completed by relying on the text alone.
Instructions
Conduct a management SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis on your personal effectiveness on the managerial level of an organization. Do this by identifying your strengths and weaknesses as a manager, as well as the opportunities that you can take advantage of to make you a stronger manager, and threats that are currently impeding your growth as a manager, or prior threats that plagued your management progress. This is your personal SWOT. Do not conduct a SWOT analysis on an organization. Research “SWOT Analysis” to get a full understanding, which is not available from the management text. Strengths and Opportunities are not the same, and do not have the same origin. Weaknesses and threats are not the same and are not similar.
Apply biblical integration by documenting what the Bible says about each personal SWOT factor which are strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Present your SWOT analysis in essay format, not in a graph, diagram or chart. (At least 400 words in this SWOT section).
TOWS Matrix:
Develop strategies to improve your managerial effectiveness by creating a TOWS Matrix from the results of your SWOT Analysis. This should be your personal TOWS matrix, not a TOWS matrix for an organization. You must present at least 1 real-life personal strategy for implementation in each of these 4 types of strategies: SO strategy/ WO strategy / ST strategy / WT strategy. Be sure to state what factors (S/W/O/T) you are matching and the resulting strategy that you propose from that matching. As an example, state that you are matching your planning strength with a specific threat (ST), then state a strategy that would result from this combination. Research “TOWS Matrix” to get a full understanding, which is not available from the management text. Apply biblical integration by documenting what the Bible says about personal strategies. Present your TOWS matrix strategies in essay format, not in a graph, diagram or chart. (At least 400 words in this TOWS section)
Required Headings
· Cover page with Topic Title
· Abstract
· SWOT Analysis (in this section identify your management strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats in at least 400 words, with at least 100 words in each of these four subsections; strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats).
o Strengths
o Weaknesses
o Opportunities
o Threats
· TOWS Matrix Strategies (in this section provide examples of your management SO/WO/ST/WT strategies in at least 400 words , with at least 100 words in each of these four subsections; SO/WO/ST/WT).
o SO Strategy
o WO Strategy
o ST Strategy
o WT Strategy
· Conclusions
· References
Other Requirements
Materials submitted to fulfill requirements in one course may not be submitted in another course. Concerns about the propriety of obtaining outside assistance and acknowledging sources should be addressed to the instructor of the course before the work commences and as necessary as the work proceeds.
· The cover page must include this statement: By submitting this assignment, I attest this submission represents my own work, and not that of another student, scholar, or internet source. I understand I am responsible for knowing and correctly utilizing referencing and bibliographical guidelines.
· This paper must include at least 3 references from scholarly articles that have publication dates no older than 5 years, in addition to the course textbooks and the Bible. Also include any optional resources that informed your self-analysis and self-development plan such as skills and assessment tests, and employment performance reviews from which you extrapolated your results. Do not use any books other than the Bible and the 2 course textbooks. Do not cite the management text more than once in your paper. Do not cite or reference dissertations. Dissertations are not peer-reviewed articles. Do not conduct interviews.
- In-text citations are required to support your thesis statement, paragraph topic sentences points, statements, issues, arguments, concerns, statements of fact and opinion.
- The required cover page, abstract, introduction, conclusion, and reference sections are not included in the required assignment word count but are required as part of your paper.
- The abstract should be written within a range of 150-250 words. It should not introduce your paper or duplicate your introduction section, but articulate a clear and comprehensive overview of the paper’s content with a focus on your findings and includes your biblical application. The abstract should be written as if it were a stand-alone document. Therefore, do not use phrases such as, “in this paper” which are more appropriate in the introduction section.
- The introduction should not be longer than ½ page. It presents a detailed description of the problems and issues central to the case. Your introduction must include a thesis statement, with a supporting citation at the end of your introduction section. Do not provide an additional introduction in this assignment’s SWOT or TOWS sections.
- Your conclusion section should not be longer than ½ page. It clearly states the answer to the problem which you stated in your introduction.
- Sources of information from Wikipedia, dictionaries, encyclopedia and Course Hero will not be accepted. Turnitin similarity scores should not exceed 20%.
- There is no maximum word count for this assignment.
- Paragraph lengths: Each paragraph should have a topic sentence unless it continues from or provides support to the prior paragraph. A paragraph is defined in this course as being at least 4 sentences in length.
- Sentence lengths: Each sentence must not exceed 30 words.
- The SWOT section must have these subheadings (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) with each discussed in at least 4 sentences, which is 1 full paragraph. The TOWS Matrix section must have these subheadings, (SO Strategy /WO Strategy /ST Strategy /WT Strategy) with each discussed in at least 4 sentences, which is 1 full paragraph.
- The first person may be used throughout this paper except in the abstract.
- Avoid clichés, slang, jargon, exaggerations, abbreviations, figurative language, words with a double meaning, and language that is too informal and/or too subjective for example: “showcasing,” or “this paper aims to…” Use words that convey exact meaning.
- Submit your final document for grading with file name syntax: Last name, First Name.
Grading Metrics
Consult the Research Paper: Personal SWOT Analysis Grading Rubric for how your instructor will grade this assignment. Also, any form of plagiarism, including cutting and pasting, will result in zero points for the entire assignment. All quoted materials must be properly cited in the current APA format.
Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.