1. BUSINESS PLANNING is the establishment of objectives and the formulation, evaluation and selection of policies, strategies, tactics and action required to achieve them.

2. THE BUSINESS PLAN is a predetermined response to the external events that will impact the direction of a business.

3. BUSINESS STRATEGIES are the long term plans that are needed to reach those targets

4. A company’s strategy is a pattern of decisions and actions that are taken to achieve its aims and objectives.

‘Planning is everything: the plan is nothing’-US general Eisenhower

A business plan is a document, where as planning is the process of preparing a course of action to achieve objectives.

The Importance of Planning

It forces managers to look ahead, rather than being obsessed with day-to-day problems.

It forces managers to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT).

It provides a focus and sense of direction.

Coordinating activities.

Motivating

It establishes criteria by which performance can be judged.

It facilitates delegation.

It reduces the gap between objectives and performance.

It forces managers to be realistic in terms of the objectives they set.

It identifies inefficiencies and unnecessary duplication of effort.

STRATEGIC Deciding on objectives of the organization, changes in these objectives, resources used to attain objectives, and policies to govern the acquisition and disposition of these resources.

Deciding on objectives of the organization, changes in these objectives, resources used to attain objectives, and policies to govern the acquisition and disposition of these resources.

TACTICAL Ensuring that the resources are obtained and used effectively and efficiently in the accomplishment of the organization’s objectives. Ensuring that the resources are obtained and used effectively and efficiently in the accomplishment of the organization’s objectives.

OPERATIONAL Ensuring that specific tasks are carried out effectively and

efficiently Ensuring that specific tasks are carried out effectively and

efficiently

1. Business plans are particularly associated with new start-up businesses.

2. It is not only a requisite for seeking finance from investors, but also an essential document for describing aims and objectives and enabling measurement of progress towards achieving them.

Business Plans provide the means to: Appraise the present and future of the business. Work out short and long-term objectives. Establish framework for action to achieve these objectives.

The business plan is a working document that helps the owner to monitor current operations, plan the future of the business and evaluate actions necessary for the success of the business.

The Business Plan is a statement of:

The current situation – A situational Audit. Where the business is going – Objectives. How will it get there – Strategy. The financial implications of the proposed activities. The viability of the proposal. Constraints and expected difficulties.

SummaryThe introduces the business plan. It should clearly and concisely state the

nature of the business, the amount of external finance it seeks and the purpose of the application.

A Description the businessDetails should be given of:

The history of the business (if it’s an existing business) or reasons for starting up the business.

Legal form or organization. The capital structure. The key personnel (qualifications, experience, responsibility)

The Product or ServiceThe product or service should be described and comparisons made with rival

products. The ‘position’ in the market should be located and its unique selling points (USP) should be emphasized.

Reference should also be made to the ways in which the product is likely to be developed in the future.

The MarketThis section should be based on market research data and trends in the market

should be identified. The target customer (or target groups of customers) should be described. Market shares, the degree of competition and future threats should be included in the assessment.

The Marketing PlanThe marketing plan will detail strategies in relation to:

Pricing policies. Advertising and other forms of promotion. Selling and distribution. Product development and product launch.

Manufacturing and Operations PlanThis section of the business plan deals with the production of goods (or the

means of providing services). Details of location, production facilities, techniques and capital equipment are given as part of the business plan.

Financial InformationThe nature of financial information included in this section of the plan depends on

whether the firm is an existing business or a start up business.

In the case of the former, it is essential to include actual balance sheets, profit and loss accounts and cash statements from the recent past.

For both start up and existing business it will be necessary to include the following information:

Budgets for main functional areas. Cash flow forecasts. Costing and break even analysis. Budgeted trading and profit and loss account. Budgeted balance sheet Total borrowing requirements. Security for the loan and proposal for repayment

The process of reviewing exist plans and identifying new opportunities and the risks associated with them is termed strategic analysis.

Managers need to constantly analyse the strategies their businesses are following, and alternative plans that could be adopted in order to:

Review progress according to the original plan. Assess other opportunities that could be exploited. Identify the risks associated with alternative strategies.

This involves looking at the internal strengths and weaknesses of a business and the opportunities and threats.

STRENGHTS: These are things that the business and its staff do which:

They are effective at. They are well known for. Make money Generate business and reputation Lead to confidence in the market. Cause customers to come back for repeat business. Cause other businesses to try t learn from them.

WEAKNESSES: These are the things that the business does badly, that it is ineffective at or that it has a poor reputation for. It also includes the factors that cause losses, hardships, disputes, grievances and complaints for a business.

OPPORTUNITIES: These are the directions that the business could profitably take in the future because of its strengths or because of the elimination of its weaknesses. This involves a consideration of the business environment from the widest and most creative standpoint.

THREATS: Threats to a business arise from the activities of competitors and from failing to take opportunities or to build on successes. Threats also come from complacency, a lack of rigour, and from falling profits.

STRENGTHSSTRENGTHS Current Products are market leaders Current Products are market leaders in some countries in terms of sales and in some countries in terms of sales and market share.market share.Brand loyalty to product and to Brand loyalty to product and to corporate identity.corporate identity.Effective promotionEffective promotionExcellent Distribution Network Excellent Distribution Network Constant R&D leading to new ideas.Constant R&D leading to new ideas.

WEAKNESSESWEAKNESSES

Age of life cycle of certain products.Age of life cycle of certain products.

Restricted product range could cause Restricted product range could cause problems if sales suddenly fall.problems if sales suddenly fall.

OPPORTUNITIESOPPORTUNITIESExpansion into new geographical Expansion into new geographical areas.areas.Development of global brand and Development of global brand and marketing.marketing.Possible growing demand for soft Possible growing demand for soft beverages.beverages.Legislation on drinks driving may Legislation on drinks driving may encourage growth of soft drinks sale.encourage growth of soft drinks sale.Expansion into new markets.Expansion into new markets.

THREATSTHREATSGrowing competition from supermarket Growing competition from supermarket own brands.own brands.Increasing competition from competitors Increasing competition from competitors bringing out new products.bringing out new products.Competition from alcoholic beverages Competition from alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic beverages.and non-alcoholic beverages.Legislation on ingredients could force Legislation on ingredients could force changes in production.changes in production.

STRENGTHSSTRENGTHS Consistent quality and hygiene standardsConsistent quality and hygiene standards Internationally known brand name.Internationally known brand name. Restaurants in most countriesRestaurants in most countries

WEAKNESSESWEAKNESSES Limited menu range.Limited menu range.No variety of décor or food choices in No variety of décor or food choices in different countries.different countries.Staff turnover high, especially among part Staff turnover high, especially among part time staff.time staff.

OPPORTUNITIESOPPORTUNITIES Potential growth in developing countries Potential growth in developing countries such as China.such as China. Develop brand name into new ranges or Develop brand name into new ranges or products such as children’s clothing or products such as children’s clothing or hotels.hotels.

THREATSTHREATSEnvironmental concerns regarding waste, Environmental concerns regarding waste, e.g., take away food containers.e.g., take away food containers.

Strength of competitors such as Burger Strength of competitors such as Burger King.King.

Changing consumer taste; e.g. declining Changing consumer taste; e.g. declining popularity of meat products.popularity of meat products.

This form of business analysis examines the external environment and the global factors that may affect a business. It can provide a quick and visual representation of the external pressures facing a business, and their possible constraints on strategy.

It is usually divided into five external influences on a business.

P – Political

E – Economic

S – Social

T – Technological

G – Environmental Factors

POLITICAL: This is concerned with how political developments, regionally, nationally and internationally of might affect a business’s strategy. It might include a consideration legislation, political pressures and government attitude towards businesses.

EONOMIC: This involves the analysis of a wide variety of economic factors and their effects on a business. They include:

Consumer activity – confidence, spending patterns, willingness to spend. Economic Variables – inflation, unemployment, trade, growth. Government Policies – fiscal, monetary, supply side, exchange rate. Fixed and variable cost of business. The effects of changes in products and labour markets.

SOCIAL - What competitive advantage might a business gain by social changes taking place outside of the business? For example, falling birth rate, increased life expectancy can lead to the development of products, particularly private pensions, private medical schemes. Pressure groups can also affect businesses, for example, the anti-smoking lobby has led to smoke free areas in restaurants, in hotels, and on aircrafts.

TECHNOLOGICAL – The impact of technological advancement on business strategy. Businesses operate in a world of rapid technological changes. Organisations need to regularly review the impact of new technologies upon their activities. For example, some music companies have consider sales over the internet.

GREEN – Environmental factors that might affect a business. These would include issues such as:

Pollution Methods of production. How image and landscape are affected by the development of new factories

Michael Porter developed a model that allows business to analyse competitive forces in an industry in order to identify opportunities and threats. These include:

The risk of entry of new competitors The degree of rivalry amongst established firms. The bargaining power of buyers. The bargaining powers of suppliers. The threat of substitute products.

Porter argue that the stronger each of these forces is, the less able a business is to raise prices and profits. For example, when cheap airlines such as EasyJet entered the market in the 1990s, established companies such as BA arguably had to offer lower priced services.

Cost Analysis is essential to business strategy. A detailed knowledge of the costs of machinery, workers and materials will be needed before a strategy can be chosen.

It provides exact cost incurred in manufacturing a product or providing a service. It helps a business to calculate profit margins. It help the business determines which products contributes to fixed costs.

Value Analysis: This is used to identify activities and areas of business that add value, and to find out where value is lost. A business can concentrate on areas where value is lost and attempt to reproduce or improve activities that add value.