The mission of the organization describes its purpose of being in business, while the vision statement describes what the organization hopes to become in the future. The core values are an organization's guiding principles that its employees follow in meeting the organization's mission.

The SWOT analysis is a major component of the strategic planning process. It provides leadership with an evaluation of organizational performance in relation to competitors and external forces. This evaluation helps leaders capitalize on organizational strengths and improve its weaknesses in order to differentiate itself from competitors. For this Assignment, you conduct a SWOT analysis for a health care organization.

To prepare:

• Review the Jasper Gardens Nursing Home case study
• Analyze strengths of the organization. Consider the following questions:
  • What does this organization do particularly well? Does it have a specific and recognized niche?
  • What resources does the organization have that might set it apart from its competition or position it for future growth?
  • What does the market perceive as strengths of the organization?
  • What financial considerations are relevant to its strengths?
• Analyze weaknesses of the organization. Consider the following questions:
  • What needs improvement within the organization?
  • What resource deficits might impact this organization?
  • What does the market perceive as weaknesses of the organization?
  • What financial considerations are relevant to weaknesses?
• Analyze opportunities of the organization. Consider the following questions:
  • With strengths and weaknesses in mind, what opportunities are available to this organization?
  • Are there current trends that might translate into opportunities?
• Analyze threats to the organization. Consider the following questions:
  • What competitive threats exist for the organization?
  • Do insufficient or outdated resources hamper the organization?
  • Are there any current trends that might translate into threats?
  • any market, regulatory, and/or legal issues present threats?