DAY 1
Strategic Thinking and Making Things Happen
- The essence of strategy – core concept and definition of terms
- What an effective strategic plan looks like
- How we think
- Analytical thinking
- Creative thinking
- Leadership and management, comparing the strategic and operational levels
- Strategic and operational goals – the significance and difference
- Two key roles
- Visionary - the role of the Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Implementer - the role of the Chief Operating Officer
- Building a strategy/business planning team
- Mini-case 1: tutor presentation and group discussion
- Two key roles
DAY 2
Strategic Planning – The Detail of Powerful Business Analysis
- Review of Day One – questions and answers
- Concept of the “business model”: the integrated supply-demand chain
- Vision and mission – case examples, class discussion and guidelines
- Practical group exercise on Vision and Mission Statements
- Analysis of the business environment (1) – the SPECCTRE technique
- Analysis of the business environment (2) - the 5-forces technique
- Cost-based strategies versus differentiation-based strategies
- Mini-case 2: group work and presentation/discussion
DAY 3
Strategic Choice and Linkage to Marketing and Sales Planning
- Review of Day Two – questions and answers
- How to evaluate market structures, trends and prospects
- SWOT analysis and the strategy matrix
- Strategic choice – how to make strategy selection decisions
- Linkage to marketing plans and sales plans
- Marketing plan – identifying and capturing value rather than just volume
- Sales plan – how to choose and fulfill market opportunities
- Mini-case 3: group work and presentation/discussion
DAY 4
Linkage of Strategy to Financial and Operational Planning
- Review of Day Three – questions and answers
- Strategic versus operational aspects of finance – the strategic role of the CFO
- Globalisation of the financial markets
- Minimising risk and uncertainty
- Cost analysis, time compression and shortening life-cycles
- Capital-labour substitution, cost structures and significance of break-even
- Alignment of operational efficiency with financial efficiency
- Mini-case 4: group work and presentation/discussion
DAY 5
Bringing It All Together
- Review of Day Four – questions and answers
- The relevance and contribution of strategy maps and balanced scorecards
- Key Performance Indicators and performance measurement at the strategic level
- The significance of “Dynamic Alignment” in supply chain structures
- Managing implementation – effective execution of strategy
- “Death of distance” and the shift towards the business model
- Final thoughts – the business model and the future of strategic management
- Overview of the whole course