Situation Analysis

Situation analysis is a method managers use to analyze both the internal and external environments of an organization in order to understand the firm’s own capabilities, customers and business environment. As described by the American Marketing Association, a situation analysis is "the systematic collection and study of past and present data to identify trends, forces, and conditions with the potential to influence the performance of the business and the choice of appropriate strategies." The situation analysis consists of several methods of analysis: The 5Cs Analysis, SWOT analysis and Porter five forces analysis. A Marketing Plan is created to guide businesses on how to communicate the benefits of their products to the needs of potential customer. The situation analysis is the second step in the marketing plan and is a critical step in establishing a long term relationship with customers.

Marketing Plan

• Introduction
• Situation analysis
• Objectives
• Budgeting
• Strategy
• Execution
• Evaluation

The situation analysis looks at both the macro-environmental factors that affect many firms within the environment and the micro-environmental factors that specifically affect the firm. The purpose of the situation analysis is to indicate to a company about the organizational and product position, as well as the overall survival of the business, within the environment. Companies must be able to provide a summary of opportunities and problems that may be encountered within the environment in order to gauge an understanding of their own capabilities within the market.