※ Our check while writing this explanation could not fully confirm the published answer; scoring follows IPA's official key.
○ア
正解This question asks which fact goes into which cell of a SWOT analysis matrix. The two axes of the figure are internal environment / external environment and favorable side / unfavorable side, so a = internal × favorable (Strength), b = internal × unfavorable (Weakness), c = external × favorable (Opportunity), and d = external × unfavorable (Threat). According to the shared text [situation of Company S] of group question C, (1) is that the number of sales offices is smaller than that of other companies, and (2) is that competing Company T has decided to withdraw from the health snack business. The sales offices in (1) are a management resource that Company S owns itself and can increase or decrease at its own discretion, so they belong to the internal environment; having fewer of them than other companies is an unfavorable side for Company S, that is, a weakness, so (1) goes into b. The withdrawal of Company T in (2) is an event on the side of another company and the market that Company S cannot control, so it belongs to the external environment; with one fewer competitor, Company S can more easily expand its share, which is a tailwind, that is, a favorable side = an opportunity, so (2) goes into c. Therefore the combination is (1)=b and (2)=c, and the correct answer is ア.
×Incorrectイ
(1)=b is correct, but placing (2) in d (external environment × unfavorable side = threat) is wrong. The judgment on the axis, that Company T's withdrawal is an event of the external environment, is right, but a competitor leaving the market is not unfavorable for Company S; it is a good chance to expand its share. The favorable / unfavorable judgment is mistaken here, and the correct cell is c (opportunity).
×Incorrectウ
(2)=c is correct, but placing (1) in d (external environment × unfavorable side = threat) is wrong. The judgment that having few sales offices is an unfavorable side is right, but the sales offices are a sales network that Company S itself owns and develops, an element of the internal environment that the company can increase through its own efforts. The internal / external axis is mistaken here, and the correct cell is b (weakness).
×Incorrectエ
Placing both (1) and (2) in d (external environment × unfavorable side = threat) is wrong. Item (1) is an unfavorable side of the internal environment, that is, a weakness (b), and item (2) is a favorable side of the external environment, that is, an opportunity (c), so they belong in different cells to begin with. Both the internal / external axis and the favorable / unfavorable axis are mistaken here, making this the furthest off of the four options.
ここがポイント
SWOT analysis is a method that organizes a company's situation using two axes and four quadrants: internal environment / external environment and favorable side / unfavorable side. Remember the correspondence: internal × favorable = Strength, internal × unfavorable = Weakness, external × favorable = Opportunity, and external × unfavorable = Threat.
To tell internal from external, judge by whether the element is one the company itself can control. Things the company owns, such as facilities, human resources, technical capability, sales offices, and brand, belong to the internal environment, while changes that occur outside the company, such as market trends, competitors' moves, laws and regulations, and demographic composition, are classified as the external environment.