Introduction to Business (BUSA 101) SWOT, Porter Five Forces, and Competitive Strategy Exam Review
University of Southern California
Introduction to Business (BUSA 101) | Exam Review

Overview
An exam review that connects SWOT and Porter Five Forces to real strategy choices and clear write-ups.

Key topics
•SWOT structure and limits
•Porter five forces analysis
•cost leadership vs differentiation
•industry vs firm level thinking
•writing actionable strategy takeaways

Suggested study tasks
•write a SWOT for one familiar brand
•score the five forces for one industry
•turn one SWOT insight into a strategy recommendation
•identify one risk and one metric to watch

Common pitfalls
•listing vague strengths without evidence
•mixing internal and external factors
•treating forces as a checklist without reasoning
•proposing strategies that do not fit the analysis