INFORMATION TO TECHNOLOGY

Alphabet Co.

Conceptsand Applications of Information Technology (IFSM201)

Class Project

Purpose of this Assignment

The Class Project is the most significant assignment in this course, Concepts and Applications of

Information Technology. As such, it accounts for 40% of the course points. This assignment is

comprised of two deliverables; a SWOT Analysis and a Presentation. The SWOT Analysis is due

in Week 4 (worth 15% of course grade), and the Presentation is due in Week 8 (worth 25% of

course grade).

This assignment gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your ability to research, evaluate,
and describe business strategy focused on information technology tools and services. This
assignment specifically addresses the following course outcomes:

• Identify the basic components of the information system: hardware, software, data,
processes, and people, and how these components are used to support strategic
decision making.

• Apply information technology tools for research, data gathering and information
analysis, problem-solving, decision-making, and communicating information that aligns
with business needs and objectives.

Start Here

The Class Project for this course focuses on the evaluation of a business or organization and

how they might strengthen their operations through technology, including their information

systems. There are two parts to the Class Project; the SWOT Analysis and the Presentation. You

will use the same business/organization for both parts; however, the grade received on the

SWOT Analysis will not affect the grade for the Presentation (they are separate assignments).

Step 1: Choose a Business or Organization

To begin, choose a business or organization that you would like to evaluate – it can be where

you work, a school (UMGC), a place of worship, government entity (e.g., DMV, Secretary of

State, courthouse, etc.), or any other type of organization. Since the focus of the analysis will

involve information technology, the best type of organization to choose is one where you can

envision technology playing a key role in improving products, processes, or services.

*From this point on, the instructions focus on the second deliverable, the Presentation*

Step 2: The Presentation (due week 8)

Now that you have chosen a business or organization for your Class Project and completed the

SWOT Analysis, it is time to complete the second deliverable – the Presentation. As you

demonstrated, the SWOT analysis is a framework for identifying and analyzing an organization’s

strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats — SWOT stands for: Strength, Weakness,

Opportunity, Threat. Commonly used by businesses, this tool focuses on factors that are

important to strategic decision making. These factors include both internal and external

influences on the viability of the organization.

The Presentation is a methodology for illustrating and explaining information to stakeholders in

an organization. You will use the Microsoft PowerPoint tool to create a presentation for the

leadership of the organization you chose for this Project. The SWOT Analysis you did provides

the context for the presentation and you will use the attributes you identified in your SWOT

Table to justify the recommendations you will make for improvements to the organization.

The goal of the Presentation is to inform your audience, the senior leadership of the

organization, of the internal and external factors most critical to the health of the

organization, and recommend alternatives based on Information Technology that can help

mitigate weaknesses and threats.

For more explanations on a PowerPoint Presentation, go to the following resources, available in

the week 8 Content:

• Getting Started with PowerPoint 2016

• POWERPOINT 2016 FOR MAC QUICK START GUIDE

• POWERPOINT 2016 QUICK START GUIDE (Windows)

• PowerPoint: Managing Slides

Step 3: Create the PowerPoint Presentation

Now that you have completed a SWOT Analysis on the organization you chose, it is time to
create a PowerPoint presentation that will be submitted to your instructor/classroom.

The presentation should include the following and be a minimum of 10-12 slides in length (not

including Title or Reference slides):

1. Title slide – the title of presentation, company/organization name, your name, course,
and date of submission.

2. Purpose – briefly describe the purpose of the presentation and a summary of the
organization, including the business the organization is in (e.g., retail, production,
technology services, education, etc.)

3. SWOT Findings – 6-7 slides including a slide with the SWOT Table you created. Use
slides and notes to explain the business’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as the

opportunities and threats it faces in the marketplace. In addition to the SWOT Table,
each quadrant (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) should have its own slide
and in-depth Notes. Last, answer the question: how are the strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats interconnected?

4. Focus on Information Systems – 2-3 slides describing recommendations based on the
SWOT analysis; how can the information system components (hardware, software, data,
people, processes) contribute to overcoming external barriers and bettering the health
of the organization?

5. Summary/Conclusion – synthesize the presentation – what were the most important

points?

6. References – cite at least two resources with APA formatted citation and reference.

a. Remember to correctly cite and reference all sources. Any direct quotes should
be indicated within the slide text with appropriate quotation marks and an in-
text citation (however, direct quotes should be short and used sparingly, if at all).
Complete references for sources should be included in the corresponding Notes
section. Paraphrased material can just be referenced within the Notes section of
the slides without an in-text citation on the slide. This deviates from APA style
but keeps the slides more readable.

*ALL Slides MUST Have Notes – provide a comprehensive explanation of what is on the slide.

Since there is no oral presentation, the Notes serve to explain what the audience sees on the

slide* The bullet points in your presentation will be supported by relevant details in the Notes

section of the slides, which contain the actual words you would say to the stakeholders as

you present each slide. Since you cannot actually present the slides in person, the Notes will

show what you would actually say. This is an important part of your presentation.

Presentations with limited or no “Notes” will receive much lower grades, because the bullets

cannot tell the whole story.

Tips for a good PowerPoint Presentation:

• Include relevant graphics, including the SWOT Table.

• Each slide should have a title and a limited amount of text. The presentation should
capture key bullet points and not include complete paragraphs and detailed text.
The Notes feature will provide that explanations/narration for what the audience
sees on the slide.

• There are options in PowerPoint to make a presentation stylish and unordinary,

including background colors, but keep it professional looking – remember your

audience.

• Font size should be readable, as in at least 16 point and good contrast with background.

• Use animations sparingly to enhance your presentation.

• Keep Your Slides Simple.

• Proofread and Spellcheck (including what you write in the Notes section)!

GRADING RUBRIC:

Criteria Weig
ht

(point
s)

Excellent (90-
100)

Very Good
(80-89%)

Good (70-79%) Needs
Development

(<70%)

Effectiveness 3 Presentation
includes all
material
needed to
gain a
comfortable
understanding
of the project.

Presentation
includes most
material
needed to
gain a
comfortable
understanding
of the
material but
is lacking
one or two key
elements.

Presentation is
missing
more than two
key
elements.

Presentation is
lacking
several key
elements
and has
inaccuracies.

Sequencing of
Information

5 Information is
organized in a
clear,
logical way. It
is easy to
follow from
one slide to
the next.
Notes are used
on every slide
to provide
explanations.

Most
information is
organized in a
clear,
logical way.
Notes are used
on most slides
to provide
explanations.

Some
information is
logically
sequenced.
Notes are
missing from
many slides;
therefore,
information is
not explained.

There is no
clear plan
for the
organization
of information
and/or Notes
are not
included.

SWOT Findings 7 The SWOT
(strengths,
weaknesses,
opportunities,
threats)
Analysis is
described
clearly and its
importance to
the
organization is
evident.

The SWOT
(strengths,
weaknesses,
opportunities,
threats)
Analysis is
described
fairly clearly
and its
importance to
the
organization is
evident.

The SWOT
(strengths,
weaknesses,
opportunities,
threats)
Analysis is
described
clearly but its
importance to
the
organization is
not evident.

The SWOT
(strengths,
weaknesses,
opportunities,
threats)
Analysis is not
described
clearly and its
importance to
the
organization is
not evident.

Recommendat
ions

7 Recommendat
ions tie the
SWOT Analysis
to the
betterment of
the
organization in
a succinct and
clear manner.

Recommendat
ions tie the
SWOT Analysis
to the
betterment of
the
organization in
a somewhat
clear manner.

Recommendat
ions address
the SWOT
Analysis but
do not tie to
the
betterment of
the
organization.

Recommendat
ions do not
address the
SWOT Analysis
or tie to the
betterment of
the
organization.

Presentation
format and
writing
mechanics

3 Presentation is
formatted to
meet all
expectations
and there are
no issues with
spelling,
grammar, or
other
mechanics.

A couple of
issues with
formatting /
writing
mechanics.

3-5 issues with
formatting /
writing
mechanics.

Numerous
issues with
formatting /
writing
mechanics.

2

Alphabet Co.

SWOT analysis

Alphabet Co.

Concepts and Applications of Information Technology

February 4, 2022

introduction

The SWOT methodology is a process of evaluating a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Using this analysis, it is possible for leaders in the business to know the business’s health condition and come up with strategies in case the company is not doing well. In addition, performing a SWOT analysis helps the industry realize its strengths and opportunities. These opportunities can be exploited to increase the business’s market share and profitability. The strengths can also be worked on to ensure the brand continues doing well. Therefore a SWOt analysis is an essential tool in the business because it also sheds light on how resources should be allocated. Thus it ensures the company is moving in the right direction. In addition, it is easy to develop strategies to improve the condition of the business. Its weaknesses, strengths, opportunities, and threats are known. These strategies can be designed to enhance the strengths or work on the weaknesses to improve performance in the business. The company can evaluate its competitive advantage through strategic planning and take advantage of the opportunities available. This paper carries out the SWOT analysis of Alphabet company, an American holding company and the parent company for Google. Alphabet supports ambitious projects by offering resources and the freedom to focus on its ventures (de Almeida Dourado et al., 2021). It helps these companies apply technology to see them succeed in their ideas. This company has its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. By evaluating them, it is possible to develop what should be done to improve the conditions in the company. It is also possible to propose strategies that should be carried out if it wants to strengthen its competitive advantage.

The SWOT analysis

internal	external
strengths	weaknesses	opportunities	threats
· There is an advantage because of being the first mover for many products and services. · The organizational culture is creative, and there is a spirit of cohesiveness in the culture. · The company has a strong position in online advertising. · There is an ecosystem of products and services.	· reliance on marketing as the primary source of earning income · user information sharing · weak social network presence · many nonprofitable products · the employee turnover at the executive level is high	· acquisition of businesses that are related · focus on cloud computing can be increased · further development of google · there are benefits due to the shift from the desktop to mobile computing	· increased competition from similar existing companies · the emergence of new competitors · challenges when managing the current growth · there are potential lawsuits

Strengths

Alphabet company has been doing good in the market due to some of the areas they have perfected. These areas are highly profitable in the market. They give the company a lot of competitive advantage (Wirtz, 2021). The company was initially introduced as a search engine. The company has perfected this strength with time, and the services offered are very efficient and powerful. Th9is is because the company has massive amounts of data; hence it can generate information and deliver it to customers. Google has a market share of 79% regarding search engine services. This is an excellent strength that enables the company to be highly competitive. Secondly, the company hires many people in the research and development department; due to continued research about the market and the problems that can be solved, the company has developed a creative culture that comes up with innovative products that fit perfectly in the market and helps in solving the market problems. The organizational culture also has a high level of informality; hence it leads to effective integration of work with a play that leads to motivated employees and increases creativity. The company’s position in online advertising is also huge and has a significant market share in online advertising.

Weaknesses

Although the company enjoys a significant advantage in online advertising, this is also a weakness. A large percentage of the organization’s revenues are generated from online advertisements. Therefore this can be a disadvantage because a sustainable business should have a diversified portfolio and not rely on;y on one source of income due to market uncertainties (Bautista Mendo et al., 2020). If the advertisers terminate their contracts with the company, it cannot sustain its revenue since it depends mainly on one source of income. In addition, there are many other emerging companies, and there are also technological advancements that can lead to the introduction of more digital advertisements. This can lead to the company losing its source of income. The company also has a lot of services and products that are not profitable; this means resources are used in these products, but they do not generate any benefits for the company. Therefore this can lead to depletion of resources or even wastage of resources since the company cannot generate profits from these projects. There is a high employee turnover at the executive level, which leads to an increase in employee expense since employees’ salaries at the executive level are high.

Opportunities

The business can acquire more businesses and expand. This development of more related companies can increase its market share; this is because the company gets to make products that they did not have before and therefore reach new markets. The acquired business also targets customers that were not targeted by the company; acquiring these companies helps the industry receive these customers. In addition, the company can increase its focus on cloud computing for its benefit; this can be another source of the business income so that it does not depend on one source of income.

Threats

Companies such as Facebook have also introduced services such as online advertising. This creates competition for the company. This is a significant threat considering large income sources for this company come from online advertisements. Therefore this poses a substantial threat to the company and decreases its market share in the online advertisement segment. Secondly, upcoming companies employ advanced technology; These companies may pose a significant threat because many customers prefer advanced technology.

Conclusion

The company has its weaknesses and opportunities; therefore, for the company to survive in the market, it must come up with strategies that allow it to be positioned appropriately and also to be flexible in cases of changes in the market and also technological advancements so that it may not be left out. The most important thing is to work on the weaknesses and exploit the opportunities to increase its market share and remain competitive in the market.

References

Bautista Mendo, J., Camarero Orive, A., González-Cancelas, N., & Molina Serrano, B. (2020). Update of the strategic framework for the Spanish port system using a SWOT analysis. Cuadernos de Administración (Universidad del Valle), 36(68), 96-111.

de Almeida Dourado, J. D., Jones, C. M., da Gama Afonso, H. C. A., & Botelho, L. D. M. M. (2021). Assessment of future Autonomous Vehicle market leadership in the US.

Wirtz, B. W. (2021). Google/Alphabet Case Study. In Digital Business and Electronic Commerce (pp. 649-680). Springer, Cham.