Strategic Analysis of Commercial Banks Using SWOT Analysis - A Study of a Number of Iraqi Banks for the Period 2010-2015

Abstract

Modern literature has shown increasing interest in the issue of strategic analysis and its potential impact on the competitive performance of the banking industry and its ability to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. The research confirmed the real position of the surveyed banks through the SWOT analysis in terms of the internal and the external environment based on the questionnaire distributed in the Kurdistan Bank and Middle East Investment. Thirty-four questionnaire forms were distributed to employees and managers of departments, administrative and technical divisions and personal interviews of bank managers, the tables on financial and human resources in the two banks were analyzed from the annual reports of the sample banks for the years 2010-2015. The research found that the two banks are similar in many points and different in each other, but the Bank of the Middle East according to SWOT analysis was better than the Kurdistan Bank in many fields. The most important features of the Middle East Bank qualified and qualified human cadres possessed by the depth of administrative and higher leadership better than the Bank of Kurdistan. The research recommends developing the knowledge capabilities of the banking departments in the methods of strategic analysis and consolidating this culture to cope with the rapid developments in the banking industry.