Introduction
Why strategy?
What is strategy?
What is the output?
What is the outcome?
What is a strategic plan?
What is strategic planning?
The Strategy Pyramid
Business vs corporate strategy
Part One: Strategy Development
1. Knowing Your Business
Identifying key segments
Essential example: Apple’s saviour segments
Segmentation in a start-up
Essential case study: Extramural Ltd - the business
2. Setting Goals and Objectives
Setting long-term goals
Essential example: Life at Mars
Setting SMART objectives
Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – goals and objectives
3. Forecasting Market Demand
Sizing the market
Forecasting market demand
Essential tool: Moving averages
Essential example: No wrap for the cinema
Forecasting demand for a start-up
Market demand risks and opportunities
Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – market demand
4. Gauging Industry Competition
Assessing competitive intensity
Assigning customer purchasing criteria
Deriving key success factors
Essential tool: Economies of scale
Essential example: Jessops is shuttered
Gauging competition in a start-up
Industry competition risks and opportunities
Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – industry competition
5. Tracking Competitive Advantage
Rating competitive position
Essential tool: Product/market risk
Reviewing resources and capabilities
Essential tool: The value chain
Essential example: The everlasting Monsoon
Creating competitive advantage in a start-up
Essential example: Of diet, dance and detectives
Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – competitive advantage
6. Targeting the Strategic Gap
Targeting the portfolio gap
Targeting the capability gap
Profiling the ideal player
Specifying the target gap
Essential example: Could Liverpool FC be champions again?
Targeting the gap in a start-up
Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – strategic gap
7. Bridging the Gap: Business Strategy
Opting for a generic strategy
Essential tool: The experience curve
Strategic repositioning and shaping profit growth options
Essential tool: Uncontested market space
Making the strategic investment decision
Essential example: Sainsbury’s fights back
Bridging the gap for a start-up
Business strategic risks and opportunities
Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – business strategy
8. Bridging the Gap: Corporate Strategy
Optimising the corporate portfolio
Essential tool: The growth/share matrix
Creating value from mergers, acquisitions and alliances
Essential tool: Parenting value
Building strategically valuable resources
Essential tool: Core competences
Essential example: UU U-turn
Corporate strategic risks and opportunities
Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – corporate strategy
9. Addressing Risk and Opportunity
Reviewing plan in a market context
Appraising opportunity versus risk
Essential tool: Expected value and sensitivity analysis
Essential example: Britney does it again
Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – risk and opportunity
Part Two: Strategic Planning
