Ritz-Carlton SWOT Analysis

The company uses SWOT analysis to adjust to new information.

"We look at where we want to be versus where we are today--and where we see the trends on the horizon. Then we frame the key success factors. Then we ask for input with the SWOT process. It's a very defined process because it's our opinion that if you can't define it, you can't control it, you can't measure it, and you can't improve it."

The input of frontline staff--the people who check guests in, serve food, and occasionally present scented candles--into the SWOT process is crucial. Their insights are loaded into a global database so leaders can identify macro-level themes, market specifics, individual functions, and even corporate blind spots. As a result, the ladies and gentlemen, as all the employees of the Ritz-Carlton are called, feel integrally involved in the business.