International Journal of Information Technology and Business Management 29 th August 2013. Vol.16 No.1 © 2012 -2013 JITBM & ARF. All rights reserved ISSN 2304-0777 www.jitbm.com 83 STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS (SWOT) ANALYSIS ON GLOBACOM LTD Nura Abubakar a & Garba Bala Bello, PhD. b a Department of Business Administration,School of Management, Kano State Polytechnic, Nigeria b Department of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship,Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria a nuraab1@gmail.com, b bello_garbabala@yahoo.com ABSTRACT This paper is on applying SWOT analysis in the Nigerian Mobile Telecommunication Industry, which is one of the most competitive industries/markets in the world, using Globacom Limited as a case study, with a view to determining its competitive advantage. This study therefore presents a SWOT analysis from an independent observer’s view on a private organization in a very competitive industry. The data used for the analysis are secondary data. The data were collected from magazines, newspapers and the websites of the organization under study (Globacom), independent media organizations and the industry regulator - the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). In the analysis, some key factors were selected and the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats of Globacom in relation to its competitors and environment were analysed. Among the findings are that Globacom is the second in terms of market share (Subscriber base). Also, having the most advanced network (technology), fast, robust and cheap excess bandwidth from Glo-1, being the financially strongest and most innovative telecom operator in Nigeria constitute its competitive advantage. Thus, some of the recommendations are that the company should continue with its network expansion towards achieving its vision of becoming the biggest and best network in Africa and that it should try to consolidate and further its success through continuous network upgrading, being innovative and always keeping abreast of relevant local and international developments. Keyword: SWOT Analysis, network expansion, Mobile telecommunication industry INTRODUCTION Business environment is known to be very complex and full of challenges. This is true especially when we consider the current or today’s business environment which is characterized by rapid changes in processes, laws, technology, prices, consumer taste and so on. Therefore, for any business to succeed, it must clearly and correctly understand its position in the industry within which it operates as well as in the business world generally. The organization should consider its relative power and influence vis-a-vis its competitors and other external factors like economic, technological, political and social influences. According to Cole (2006:28) 6 , “understanding this external environment, or background, is crucial to strategic decision-makers, and has to be taken into account alongside any assessment of an orgnisation’s own internal environment”. An organization has to consider its internal resources like financial resources, available facilities, staff strength and their skills, technology employed and so on. Cole (2006:36) 6 observes that “an important element in assessing an organization’s overall situation is the identification of the strengths and weaknesses in its internal environment... These include organizational, cultural, financial, research and development, production, marketing and resourcing perspectives”.