L’analyse SWOT, matrice SWOT ou synthèse SWOT est un outil de stratégie d'entreprise permettant de déterminer les options offertes dans un domaine d'activité stratégique. Il vise à préciser les objectifs de l'entreprise ou du projet et à identifier les facteurs internes et externes favorables et défavorables à la réalisation de ces objectifs. L'analyse SWOT a été décrite comme l'outil éprouvé de l'analyse stratégique. Les forces et les faiblesses sont souvent d'ordre interne, tandis que les opportunités et les menaces se concentrent généralement sur l'environnement extérieur.
In statistics, the range of a set of data is the difference between the largest and smallest values, the result of subtracting the sample maximum and minimum. It is expressed in the same units as the data. In descriptive statistics, range is the size of the smallest interval which contains all the data and provides an indication of statistical dispersion. Since it only depends on two of the observations, it is most useful in representing the dispersion of small data sets.
In statistics, sometimes the covariance matrix of a multivariate random variable is not known but has to be estimated. Estimation of covariance matrices then deals with the question of how to approximate the actual covariance matrix on the basis of a sample from the multivariate distribution. Simple cases, where observations are complete, can be dealt with by using the sample covariance matrix.
An optimal decision is a decision that leads to at least as good a known or expected outcome as all other available decision options. It is an important concept in decision theory. In order to compare the different decision outcomes, one commonly assigns a utility value to each of them. If there is uncertainty as to what the outcome will be but knowledge about the distribution of the uncertainty, then under the von Neumann–Morgenstern axioms the optimal decision maximizes the expected utility (a probability–weighted average of utility over all possible outcomes of a decision).