Produce a 5-year business/strategic plan report.
There are three potential report scenarios from which you should select one:
- You may if you wish situate your report within your Workplace scenario. If you do so it should be suitable for consideration by the management team of your workplace in the context of the strategic challenges facing the company.
- You may if you wish use a workplace that is not your primary workplace but one which you are familiar with and can have access to relevant data and information.
- You may if you wish to prepare a business/strategic plan report for a new business venture (NBV) scenario, the report should be suitable for potential investors and relevant stakeholders.
In any of these three scenarios, appropriate permission for use of data should be sought.
Where data is of a confidential nature, a note should be placed on the front of your title page
stating the following:
“This report contains confidential data”
In producing your report you should:
- a) Research the relevant ‘real world’ industry, market and business environment the company/venture is situated in. You should use a combination of relevant real world primary and/or secondary research to provide the basis upon which your strategic choices are made.
- b) Utilise a range of strategic tools to help analyse the relevant situated context. (SWOT / Porter 5 forces / BCG Matrix / PEST / PESTLE)
- c) Identify, explore and evaluate alternative strategies for developing the business.
- d) Arising out of a), b) and c) above, set out a compelling five-year business plan consultancy report designed to enhance shareholder value. You may use your own definition of shareholder value but must explain and justify its selection. The report may identify a range of strategies for consideration but should ultimately put forward your recommendation with evidenced justification for why the proposed is the best way forward.
- e) Identify specific key performances (KPIs) to assist in measuring to what degree
shareholder value is being enhanced. These KPIs should be justified and appropriately monitored such that it facilitates a good overview of performance.
- f) Include extracts of your spreadsheet planning tool results within your business plan report to strengthen your justifications and evidence. You are not required to submit the actual planning tool. However, the connectivity of your financial plans should flow throughout your report and should be presented in a user-friendly manner. (Enclosed in this email is excel skeleton planning tool to explore, feel free to use your own version or portion of this tool, as deemed appropriate)
- d) Review your proposed plan, and identify and assess the key risks within it.
You should include graphs, tables and figures within the main body of the report where appropriate.
If you carry out any primary research you should include relevant extracts within the main body or an appendix as part of the evidence of carrying out that primary research and appropriate analysis. Where you carry out secondary research you should ensure you reference appropriately. (Harvard referencing)
Structure of report
Below are some areas/headings that you may wish to utilise to help structure your report or to help ensure you cover key areas. But, again, this is not set in stone and can be adapted as you see fit.
- Introduction
- Background Industry/market analysis using relevant frameworks tools
- Any key primary research (if applicable) conducted with results, particularly in the context of identifying and exploring strategic alternatives/opportunities.
- Identification of overall objectives; relevant KPI selection and justification; selection and justification of key strategies
- Financial plans/projections
- Risk assessments
- Recommendations and conclusion
- Full consistent reference list -> Harvard Referencing
