Running Head: SWOT ANALYSIS PART II

SWOT Analysis Part II

Angela Baker
Walden University
MGMT-8000-7: Foundations for Ph.D Study
December 30, 2013




SWOT ANALYSIS PART II 1
SWOT Analysis Part II
I have elected to pursue a PhD in Management at Walden University. Walden is the only
accredited University that offers an online degree in my specialized area of Leadership and
Organizational Change. From the start of my career as a clerk typist, the professional relationship
and dynamics between management and employees has always been an area of interest.
Completion of the Leadership and Organizational Change program will teach me to become a
scholar that will affect change in future organizations.
After earning a PhD in Management, I will use my degree to develop professional
relationships between management and employees. During my career as a clerk typist,
administrative assistant, executive administrative assistant, project coordinator, bookkeeper,
business analyst, technical communicator, technical writer, and project manager, I have always
been passionate about wanting to improve communications and perceptions between
management and employees without management feeling a sense of loss.
I have worked in corporate America for more than 20 years in the areas of administration
communications, and project management. Of these, communication is the bridge I used to earn
a Bachelor of Science in Technical Communications with a core concentration in Technical
Writing and a Masters in Business Administration with a core concentration in Project
Management. Prior educational pursuits have prepared me to enter the PhD in Management
program.
Professional and Volunteer Activities
Every job I have held has prepared me to meet the basic requirements of this program. I
have worked with challenging and disrespectful managers and with peers who have performed
without integrity; former co-workers have stolen my ideas and claimed them as their own, and
SWOT ANALYSIS PART II 2
have performed without disregard, and empathy. My most enjoyable volunteer and career
moments include the following activities:
Working with global teams due to our world and its resources generating a flat world
where third world countries are competing and winning our contracts
A high level researcher for scholarly and non-scholarly written communications
Communicating and brainstorming ideas with tiered-management
Writing operational procedures that communicate to management how to run their
companies and how to perform different jobs within the company even if the primary
responsible party is out sick for a week
As a volunteer I typed resumes for candidates in the service industry
Created global presentations individually and within teams
Helped colleagues when my work was completed and added that new skill set to my
resume
Attending seminars and workshops
Spending a great deal of time at the library and bookstore reading self-help and
educational books while waiting to return to my academic career
Leading teams that successfully completed projects on time and on budget
Corporate trainer for new business processes
Professional Training
My time at Walden will prepare me to engage leadership, and definitively communicate
and influence the business from a valued leadership perspective. In addition, Walden will teach
me the leadership skills of engagement in order to influence change as a scholar. When a person
wants to elicit buy-in at the top level, some decide to join your efforts based on if they like or
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dislike the person or the idea or if there is a mutual allegiance. The proper credentials allow
companies to view the facts and remove personal identifier from critical and time-sensitive
decisions.
Professional Publications and Writing Experience
During my freelance career as a writer and photojournalist, I have had one short article
published and have had numerous photos published in Columbus, Ohio. My freelance work
afforded opportunities to meet people on a scholarly and non-scholarly level that have brought
positive change in my life and left me with the knowledge that would enhance my career and my
future. During the years when I was away from academia, I utilized free services at the library;
community based programs for low income and displaced workers while living in Michigan. In
2008, I was fortunate to return to academia at the start of a recessional economy. I faced many
obstacles during this time; however, my writing skills begin to change due to my academic
pursuits. Due to this change a few years later, a Columbus Ohio based online and print
community publication asked me to supply photos and write a short article of 300 words.
Earning a PhD in Management at Walden will open new doors, and add value to my
future endeavors, and will allow the information in which I disseminate to companies to be
received and acknowledged that the information came from an expert. My credentials will allow
me to influence change at the top without pre-judgment. I have decided to pursue a PhD in the
area of Leadership and Organizational Change, to affect change in my community, inspire others
to live and think outside the box, and educate future global leaders. The program outcomes
include, "practicing legal and ethical integrity in my professional work, effectively
communicating ideas and the rationale behind them to others, demonstrating a commitment to
lifelong learning, and using information to impact my profession, community, and society'
SWOT ANALYSIS PART II 4
(Walden, 2013). Walden's goals align with my goals; they will be instrumental in transforming
my thought processes in order to begin thinking globally as it relates to the business as a whole. I
plan to leverage the PhD as a credible agent of change to teach future generations who will work
in their various global communities to lead societal change. My studies at Walden will contribute
to meeting all of my goals.
In order to reach my future academic and professional goals I must perform an analysis
of my current situation to determine potential roadblocks. The SWOT analysis will confirm
strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats while pursuing a PhD in Leadership and
Organizational Change.
Strengths
My strengths include, earning a B.S. in Technical Communications and an MBA in
Project Management. I will use prior educational experience during my PhD program.
Experience has confirmed that I am a good communicator; I will use former team and
stakeholder communications and will work with integrity, and have empathy for others. The
resources that are available to me; is my academic team counselor, my professors, my big sister,
Google Scholar, the Walden library, and as alumni, I will always have access to the DeVry and
Keller University libraries. In addition, my support system consist of ladies from my church who
have already earned PhD's in their chosen fields, and my big sister who is in year two of her PhD
program. I am passionate about succeeding with integrity.
Opportunities
The opportunities available include; my passion about educating the next generation of
leaders and past research includes minor scholarly research during my undergrad and Master
programs. During my MBA, I led a team of five, at my direction; we performed scholarly
SWOT ANALYSIS PART II 5
research in the areas of education at the level of pre-K through grade 12. I will use reference
materials and past papers as applications for my PhD program. Currently, I am not aware of
fellowships that are available while I attend Walden University. In addition, the Walden
resources that are available to me include; my academic counselors, professors, Walden's
Writing Center, Grammarly.com, and the Walden library. I will work to fund my educational
pursuits, which will open doors to additional dollars to complete my entire four years of PhD
studies.
Weaknesses
Early in my PhD program, I must acknowledge that I possess a few weaknesses. My first
weakness includes Math, therefore, during my undergrad and Masters Program; I kept all my
class work as a resource for future use. My second weakness includes writing at a scholarly level
and writing in a grammatically correct format. My third weakness is that I am new to the PhD
program, and I have never encountered a similar program. The fourth weakness is finding a new
job in January at my right salary range, in order to pay for the last two years of my program.
Building a schedule to complete weekly application deliverables and discussion posts at the start
of the day verses the end of the day when I am tired.
Threats
In addition, I acknowledge that there are threats to my success as scholar. The number
one threat to my PhD educational pursuits is a lack of funding. It will cost a minimum of $60K to
complete the Leadership and Organizational Change program. However, I only have $39K in
financial aid available. A second threat consists of a loss of family time; I have effectively
communicated my educational pursuits to my family and they must understand and respect my
educational boundaries. My career and goals changed a few years ago and now I am at the point
SWOT ANALYSIS PART II 6
of finally declaring my life's goals, passions, and mission. Another threat consists of recognizing
that at the PhD level, I must commit to writing at a scholarly level and perform a great deal of
research in order to support my research case. The biggest threat is relocating to another state
during my program; this can add a great deal of new stress. Therefore, I must revisit all known
threats on a consistent basis.
Technology Contingency Plan
In order to succeed in my Leadership and Organizational Change program, I must also
include a technology contingency plan for each of my courses at Walden. It is important to have
two laptops in order to perform scholarly research, write papers, communicate with Walden, and
communicate with my professors and peers during weekly applications and discussion boards.
Recently, one of my family members broke my backup laptop. Therefore, in March of 2014, I
will purchase a second laptop as a replacement. Until, I purchase a replacement, on an as needed
basis, I will drive to my former school, to the Alum Creek campus of DeVry University, and use
the computer lab, which has hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Additionally, in case technology
support services from Walden are required, I can perform a live chat with the eCollege help desk,
click on the support tab, or email the student support team at support@waldenu.edu or dial them
at 800.Waldenu. I can get support on a 24 hour 7 day a week schedule. In addition, twice a week,
I backup my current course work and email it myself, just in case there is a catastrophe with my
two alternate laptops. I must continue to revisit this SWOT analysis to ensure future success

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References
Walden University (2013). Program outcomes. Retrieved December 12, 2013, from
http://www.waldenu.edu/about/who-we-are/data/program-outcomes.