Mastering Business Planning and Strategy

Paul Elkin provides a practical guide to developing successful business plans and strategies. Mastering Business Planning and Strategy looks at practical techniques for profiling the business and the competition, analysing the market, mastering strategic thinking, positioning for marketplace success, option appraisal and strategic decision-making, as well as implementing and managing change.

Contents overview

1 Mastering business success
2 Mastering strategic analysis
3 Mastering market analysis
4 Mastering the Volume – Cost – Profit relationship
5 Mastering organisational analysis
6 Mastering option appraisal
7 Mastering strategic leadership
8 Mastering performance measurement
9 Mastering new business development

CHAPTER 1: Mastering Business Success

• Achieving business stability and growth
• Business goals
• Business success – the evidence
• Business stability – the evidence

CHAPTER 2: Mastering Srtategic Analysis

• Overview
• Environmental mapping
• Industry mapping
• SWOT analysis
• From – To analysis
• Root cause analysis

CHAPTER 3: Mastering Market Analysis

• Overview – defining business unit strategy
• Market analysis – setting competitive strategy
• Market mapping
• Strategic Business Unit (SBU) analysis
• SBU analysis: the benefits
• Competitor profiling
• Directional policy matrix
• Competitive positioning: generic strategies
• Competitive positioning: differentiation
• Differentiation and price

CHAPTER FOUR: Mastering the Volume – Cost – Profit Relationship

• Overview
• The contribution approach
• Product and service pricing
• Cost profiling

CHAPTER FIVE: Mastering Organisational Analysis

• Overview – moving to a new level of success
• McKinsey ‘7S’ model

CHAPTER SIX: Mastering Option Analysis

• Overview
• Force-field analysis
• Stakeholder analysis
• Identifying financial sensitivity and evaluating risk exposure
• Evaluating business development options
• ‘AID’ analysis

CHAPTER SEVEN: Mastering Strategic Leadership

• Overview
• The concept of mission
• Summary – the implications of mission
• Leadership: situational responsiveness

CHAPTER EIGHT: Mastering Performance Measurements

• Overview
• Strategic Key Performance Indicators (SKPIs)
• Financial Key Performance Indicators (FKPIs)
• Summary – building up the picture
• Operational Key Performance Indicators (CKPIs)
• City Key Performance Indicators (CKPIs)
• Value added

CHAPTER NINE: Mastering New Business Development

• Key stages in business development

Paul Elkin worked in a range of senior management roles in the public and private sector before entering consultancy with Price Waterhouse, specialising in business performance reviews. Since 1989 he has been Managing Director of TMMi and has worked at the senior level with a wide range of UK, European and US owned businesses specialising in strategic development, performance management, planning and financial control.