REPORT STRUCTURE TEMPLATE@ Copyright T.

Power
MGM 562 - Strategic /Business/ Marketing Plan – Private Sector Organization
(Review the Power’s ‘Waterfall’ model in course materials; and
The 3C video- Company, Customers and Competition).

TITLE PAGE
• Name of the Organization
• Author’s Name
• Date of Submission

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (if any)

GLOSSARY OF TERMS (If applicable)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• Background
• Critical Issues
• Key Recommendations

INTRODUCTION
• Current Situation and Issue Definition
• Paper’s Objectives
• Research Methodology and Data-Gathering Steps
• Literature and Best Practices Review (N/A)

DESCRIPTION OF THE ORGANIZATION

• History of Organization
• Organization’s Mission and Corporate Values
• Organization’s Vision and Goals

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION

• Organizational Structure, Governance, and Ownership
• Executive and Key Employees
• Employment Contracts
• Board of Directors / Board of Advisors
• Stakeholder Analysis (See Strategic Thinking Concepts on class site- 8 minute video module)

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

• Current Products and/ or Services
• Competitive/ comparative Advantage(s)
• Development and Improvement of Products and Services
• Technology
• Intellectual Property Strategy – Patents and Trademarks (if applicable)

COMPANY EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT – OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS

(PEST-C)
• Political
• Cultural
• Technological
• Economic
• Competitive
• Legal, (and any other ‘factors’ you deem relevant).

INDUSTRY ANALYSIS (Porter’s Five Forces; and Porter’s Five Generic Building Blocks of
Competitive Advantage (see your little red tool box))
• Industry Description and Analysis
• Industry Trends and Market Conditions
. Strategic Opportunities that Exist in the Industry
• Entry Barriers

COMPANY INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT – STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

(SWOT)
• Organization
• Production
• Marketing
• Research and Development
• Finance

COMPETITOR ANALYSIS (e.g. as applicable SWOT, TOWS, SMART, Value Proposition

Map, Strategic Group Map, Value Chain Analysis)
• Description of Main Competitors
• Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Competitors
• Product and Service Offerings
• Competitors’ Strengths and Weaknesses

BUSINESS STRATEGY (Remember to use a decision criteria matrix (SMART) when

providing recommendations; Review Porter’s 5 Generic Competitive Strategies)
• Strategic Alternatives and Best Option

FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY AND FORECASTS (only as applicable… select Financial

Performance Ratio from these ‘Classifications’: e.g. Profitability Ratios, Liquidity Ratios,
Efficiency Ratios, Financial Leverage Ratios, and Shareholders Return Ratios. …. see Power’s
Case Study and Writer’s Handbook (p.30-40)

• Sales Projections
• Income Projections
• Sensitivity Analysis
• Cash Budget and Working Capital
• Gross Margin Assessment
• Investment Requirements
• Sources of Funds/Leveraging of Funds
• Use of Funds
• Pro Forma Financial Statements
• Break-Even Analysis• Anticipated Market Share

MARKETING ANALYSIS (e.g.4 P’s, The Ansoff Matrix- little red tool box)
• Market Analysis
• Target Market Profiles and Demographics
• Market Positioning Statement
• Marketing Objective
• Product Positioning
• Pricing Strategies
• Sales and Distribution
• Promotion and Advertising
• Determination of Customer Satisfaction
• Market Constraints

HUMAN RESOURCES – ISSUES TO ADDRESS (Geert_Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Theory..

see link in little red tool box).

OPERATIONS – ISSUES TO ADDRESS

 Control / Reporting measures (e.g. The Balanced Score Card, Qualitative Risk An analysis,
Dashboard)

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY – ISSUES TO ADDRESS

MILESTONES AND EXIT PLAN – if required

• Past, Current, and Future Acquisitions and Expansions
• Disposal, Merger, IPO?

RECOMMENDATIONS (Remember to use a decision criteria matrix (SMART)

CONCLUSION

REFERENCESAPPENDICES
. Diagrams and Industry Statistics
. Proposed new Organizational Structure to align with new strategies (if recommended)
. Models/ Analysis in support of paper content
. Activities (start date, end dates), Milestones (Gantt chart helpful)

Note for Students: This template is a guide only. Contents will vary depending on the
complexity and type of organization and/or the nature of the project. Use the sections you
need and omit other you feel are not applicable. Feel free to add sections. If word limit is an
issue, then add models and selected research portions (e.g. PEST-C analysis) as an appendix
and provide only ‘a summary’ of the content in the report, thereby reducing the word count.
If in doubt consult your instructor. We all want you to succeed. Terry