Bus 450 – Business Strategy essay

Bus 450 – Business Strategy

Individual Strategic Plan Project

Introduction

The semester Individual will consist of strategic plan that each student will develop for an assigned company. Students will submit a finished plan in WORD and EXCEL (for financials) for the various sections of the plan. The plan will count toward 30% of final grade.

The plan is to be double spaced and a minimum of 20 pages total.

Strategic Plan Outline

1. Introduction/Executive Summary
2. Situation Analysis (use of 3-5 analysis tools – PESTL, Five forces, SWOT etc.)
   1. Comprehensive review of the external environment
   1. Comprehensive analysis of the internal organization

Note: Students should read, use and cite Michael Porter’s HBR article “The Five Forces that Shape Strategy” for this section.

1. Mission and Vision (Must be your own – based on the research you completed and not the company’s existing M&V)
2. Five to Seven Strategies and Tactics based on the above analysis (below is not an exhaustive list – need to tailor to your company and industry)
   1. Business level
   1. Competitive dynamics
   1. Corporate level
   1. Mergers and Acquisitions
   1. International (if applicable)
   1. Cooperative/Alliances, etc.
3. Based on your strategies, develop three specific recommendations to gain sustainable advantage and achieve long-term performance
   and back up by facts.

• Strategy Implementation impact on:
  • Corporate Governance
  • Organizational Structure and Controls

• Core Action Plans and timing (how will you implement the strategies and tactics and timing)?
• Measurement – What is your specific plan to measure the success of your and tactics?
• Appendices and bibliography

For these analyses and recommendations, students should apply the concepts and covered in this course. Your analyses and recommendations should be specific, substantiated with data, executable, and logically coherent.