7 Writing a paragraph of a SWOT analysis
In the next activity, you will practise writing up a SWOT analysis paragraph based on the Greggs case study you have been exploring in this course.
Activity 9
Look again at Table 6 and then try the tasks below.
Table 6 Tommy’s SWOT table on Greggs
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
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| Opportunities | Threats |
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Task 1
Choose one section from Table 6 and expand the information to write a paragraph of 100 to 150 words. You should also draw on what you have read about Greggs in the case study text.
Organise the points you want to include in a way that will make the information easy to understand for your reader. This means starting with more general information and moving on to more specific information. You can omit points that you consider to be very minor to keep to the word limit, and remember to check that you are using formal language. You do not need to include recommendations at this stage. A text box is provided below for your paragraph should you wish to use it.
Task 2
Once you have written your paragraph on either the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities or threats of/to Greggs, compare it with the equivalent paragraph from Tommy’s analysis below. To do this comparison, use any two categories of the marking criteria: ‘Use of source materials’, ‘Structure and development’, ‘Writing style’ and ‘Accuracy’. When you have compared the paragraphs, make a note of one or two of the main differences between your paragraph and Tommy’s. A text box is provided.
Tommy’s paragraph on Greggs’s strengths
Greggs has a number of strengths. The main strength for Greggs is the use of a basic menu that is easy to mass produce (Gill, 2023). This enabled Greggs to meet the increasing demand during a period of growth, and supported expansion because the product range was already familiar to customers. Another strength for Greggs is the ability to imitate competitors and adapt quickly to changing market trends. This ability enables the company to get new products to market quickly in reaction to competition and shifting customer demand. This led to increased profits and a strong financial position that suggests it would be resilient to future instability and attractive to investors. With over 2,300 Greggs’ retail outlets throughout the UK (Gill, 2023) it is likely that profits will continue to remain high. Finally, new leadership in 2013 gave the business a clear identity and vision (Gill, 2023), that enabled the rapid growth of the business.
Tommy’s paragraph on Greggs’s weaknesses
Despite the strengths referred to above, Greggs also has several weaknesses. The most significant weakness is that the rate of growth for the business is not sustainable, and the UK market for Greggs is possibly nearing saturation. The quality of Greggs’ coffee is considered poor and fatty food products have deterred health-conscious customers from buying food at Greggs. The failure and withdrawal from Belgium in 2008 (Gill, 2023) demonstrates that the Greggs business model may not always translate well to foreign markets. In a densely populated market, it is possible that Greggs’ strong position could be reversed as rivals imitate Greggs’ strategy.
Tommy’s paragraph on Greggs’s opportunities
Regardless of the weaknesses discussed above, there are opportunities for further development at Greggs. The first of these is the growing trend for healthier eating (Gill, 2023). It is possible that Greggs could further widen its customer base by offering an expanded range of healthy or non-meat products. This was demonstrated by the increase in profits following the launch of the Vegan sausage roll in 2019 (Gill, 2023). Popularity with social media influencers (Gill, 2023) is an opportunity to raise awareness of healthier food options and reinforce the positive aspects of the company, such as the support given to the disadvantaged. Gill (2023) states that Greggs has many possibilities for expansion because the company and product range have evolved since 2008 and may be better suited to certain foreign markets such as Australia. Finally, as the demand for healthier food grows, it has the potential to expand in the South of England because Greggs has just 40 outlets in London (Gill, 2023) to serve a city of that size.
Tommy’s paragraph on Greggs’s threats
Despite Greggs having several opportunities to improve the business, it should be wary of threats. The main threat to Greggs is from government legislation, as demonstrated by recent efforts to tackle rising obesity in society (Gill, 2023). It is possible that further government action could negatively impact sales by affecting the product range Greggs is able to offer. Another threat could be the perception that Greggs is unhealthy because of the growing trend towards healthier eating and ranking highly for calorific content when compared to competitors (Gill, 2023).
Comment
This activity has involved transforming the notes Tommy made on the case study text into a paragraph to make up part of your analysis. This is a process of organising the information, expanding it and using your own words to provide an analysis.
How did you find this process? You will need to follow it for any case study analysis drawing on different sources.
OpenLearn - Business communication: writing a SWOT analysis
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