MG473ZA · Spring 2026

Final Strategic Plan

The Final Strategic Plan is the most important assignment in this course — worth 30% of your total grade. You work in teams of 3–5 students to produce a complete strategic analysis of a real company across three submissions.

The Final Project module is open from the very beginning of the semester. Start early.

Three Submissions
1
Due: Saturday, March 1, 2026
Submission 1 — External & Internal Analysis
50 Points
Format: PowerPoint + YouTube Video (7–10 minutes, all members participate)

Required slides:
  • Title Slide (company, team name, members, date)
  • Company Overview (mission, vision, brief description)
  • PESTEL Analysis (all 6 factors)
  • Porter's Five Forces (all 5 forces)
  • Competitive Analysis
  • VRIO Analysis
  • Value Chain Analysis
  • SWOT (must flow logically from the analyses above)

Rubric: Company Overview (5) · PESTEL (8) · Porter's (8) · Competitive Analysis (6) · VRIO (6) · Value Chain (6) · SWOT (6) · Video (5)
2
Due: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Submission 2 — Strategic Alternatives & Recommendations
100 Points
Builds on Submission 1 with deeper analysis. Add strategic issues, develop strategic alternatives, evaluate them against clear criteria, and make recommendations.
3
Due: Saturday, May 10, 2026
Submission 3 — Final Strategic Plan Report
200 Points
Format: Written Report (20–30 pages) + Video Presentation

Report sections:
  • Title Page
  • Executive Summary (write this last)
  • Table of Contents
  • Introduction
  • Company Profile
  • External Analysis (PESTEL, Porter's, Competitive)
  • Internal Analysis (VRIO, Value Chain)
  • SWOT Analysis
  • Strategic Issues
  • Strategic Alternatives with Evaluation Criteria
  • Recommendations with Justification
  • Implementation Considerations
  • Conclusion
  • References & Appendices
Company Selection Rules
✅
Must be publicly traded with accessible financial data and industry reports available through the library.
❌
Restricted companies — You cannot choose: Walmart, Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Tesla, Meta, or Netflix. These are overused and too easy to find information on.
👥
Teams of 3–5 students. All members must participate in video presentations. Free-rider policy enforced — members can be removed with documentation.
🎥
Videos uploaded to YouTube (unlisted is fine). Submit the link on Canvas. All team members must appear and speak.
💡 Dr. Polly's Tip

Do NOT do your SWOT separately from your other analyses. Your SWOT must logically flow from your PESTEL, Porter's, and VRIO work. The most common mistake students make is treating SWOT as a standalone brainstorm. It should be the synthesis of everything you have already analyzed.