※ Our check while writing this explanation could not fully confirm the published answer; scoring follows IPA's official key.
×Incorrectア
Item (1), “the number of sales offices is smaller than that of other companies,” and item (5), “the factories are growing increasingly old,” are both matters S Company itself carries, so they do belong to the internal environment, but they are unfavorable aspects — being inferior to other companies, and having aging facilities. They are therefore not strengths (internal × favorable) but a combination of weaknesses (internal × unfavorable).
×Incorrectイ
Item (2), “competing T Company has decided to withdraw from the health snack business,” and item (4), “with rising health consciousness, interest in health foods is increasing,” are another company’s move and changes in the market and society — external environment factors that S Company cannot decide on its own. Both are favorable tailwinds for S Company, so they are classified not as strengths but as opportunities (external × favorable).
○ウ
正解The correct answer is ウ, (3) and (8). In SWOT analysis, a situation is classified along two axes — whether it belongs to the internal environment or the external environment, and whether it is a favorable or an unfavorable aspect — and what is internal and favorable is treated as a strength. A strength is a point where the company is better than its competitors among the factors it can control, or a result the company itself has built up. Item (3), “it has higher product planning capability than competing companies,” is an ability S Company itself possesses, and it is explicitly stated to be superior to that of competing companies, so it is a favorable aspect of the internal environment, that is, a strength. Item (8), “by turning customers into members, customer information has been gathered and the company has also succeeded in gaining wealthy members,” is likewise a management resource — a customer base and customer information — that S Company built through its own measures, and it is rated as a success, so it too is a favorable aspect of the internal environment, in other words a strength. The combination of strengths is therefore (3) and (8).
×Incorrectエ
Item (6), “the child population is decreasing because of the falling birthrate,” and item (7), “consumers are looking at food safety more strictly,” are changes in demographics and in consumer attitudes that occur outside S Company, and they work in an unfavorable direction — a shrinking market and a higher level of demand. They are therefore not strengths but a combination of threats (external × unfavorable).
ここがポイント
SWOT analysis is a method that organizes a situation along two axes: internal environment vs. external environment, and favorable aspect vs. unfavorable aspect. This yields four categories — internal × favorable = strength, internal × unfavorable = weakness, external × favorable = opportunity, and external × unfavorable = threat.
The knack for classifying comes in two stages. First judge whether the matter is something the company owns and can control (internal), or something happening outside it in the market, among competitors, or in society (external); then judge whether it is a tailwind or a headwind for the company. It helps to keep in mind that product planning capability, the number of sales offices, factory facilities, and the customer base are internal, while a competitor’s withdrawal, consumer preferences, demographics, and public scrutiny or regulation are external.