Abstract:
This paper aims to present the ways of making SWOT analysis using
quantitative and qualitative models and establishing the optimal development
strategies of rural settlements in the North – East region of Romania,
previously used to establish strategies within organizations. This represents
an adaptation of this approach to another area of activity. Stratification
criteria were established for the general domains at the level of all rural
settlements in this development region (trade and catering, agriculture, living
conditions, rural infrastructure, access to basic services, public order and
safety, constructions, administration and civil society and others) that were
then classified, according to actual needs of local communities, into areas of
expertise. This conceptual model can be applied to the entire North – East
development region, being built on data collected from 6 different counties
(Botosani, Iasi, Vaslui, Bacau, Neamt, Suceava).Based on the stratification
criteria of the domains encountered in the rural villages of the North – East
region, a division and classification of the durable rural development
strategies of local communities has been realized according to the
opportunities and threats presented by their external environment and by
their strengths and weaknesses. By virtue of these characteristics determined
by the quantitative and qualitative models of the SWOT analysis, we will
have four types of strategies that can be used. It has been discovered that the
majority of local communities’ present characteristics that do not allow the
application of only one type of strategy, but that can generate various
combinations between the four types of achieving them. It results then a
customization of the conceptual model of realizing the local development
strategies according to local conditions. However there is a preponderance
of one of the four types of strategies (SO, ST, WO, WT).
