Strategic Plan

Current Situation
Costco 
 
History of the Firm
Brief History of the firm.  The history should include firm highlights such as names and dates for key leaders, introduction of new products, any major changes in strategies. Firm : Costco
 
Current Performance

How is your company currently performing in terms of profitability? Compare company profitability for 2020, 2019, 2018.
How is your company currently performing in terms of stock performance?
Identify two major competitors in terms of this business and compare the market share of each company.

 
Vision & Mission
Briefly describe:

Companys Vision & Mission
The Firms culture (the set of values & beliefs shared throughout the firm)
The Firms strategy for success
Does the firms vision & mission fit with the strategy?

Corporate Governance
 
Board of Directors
 
Board of Directors. How many board members are there?  Identify two key members of the Board.  In your view, is it a heterogeneous or homogeneous team? Why?  Is it an experienced Board? Why?
 
The CEO. briefly describe the CEO:

Job History
Leadership Characteristics
In your view, has she/he developed a vision of the future that can inspire stakeholders to commit to achieving it?

 
External Environment
Identify and explain key opportunity(s) and key threat(s) in in your companys General Business Operating Environment and Industry Environment:
 
General Business Operating Environment
     One key opportunity and one key threat:

Economic
Technological
Political-legal
Socio cultural

 
Industry Environment
     One key opportunity and one key threat:

threat of new entrants
power of buyers
threat of substitute products
power of suppliers
rivalry of competing firms

Internal Environment.
Using the Resource Based View (RBV) of the firm, from the list below, identify and explain one key strength and one key weakness for your firm in terms of:
Key Strength

Finance
Research and Development
Operations and Logistics
Human Resource Management
Information Systems

 
Key Weakness

Finance
Research and Development
Operations and Logistics
Human Resource Management
Information Systems

Summary of Internal Factors
 Write one paragraph that identifies and explains which core competencies are most important to your company and the industries in which it competes at the present time?  In the future?
Strategic Analysis
 

Identify a problem within your chosen firm and an alternative strategy. Be sure to explain why you selected this strategy.

Improved Efficiency
Improved Quality
Improved Costs

Recommended StrategyState the strategy you are recommending and why you are recommending it?
Justify your strategy recommendations in terms of ability to resolve long and short-term problems based on your External and Internal Environment analysis.

 
Implementation
 
How should your company implement your proposed strategy?  Be specific. For example, if you are recommending the company expand, be specific about how.  If you recommend the company grow by developing new products, dont just recommend that your firm develop some new products.  Be specific- what new products? Why those products and how those products will help. If you are recommending your company expand and grow through acquiring a new company or by forming a strategic alliance with a company- be specific:  identify the company and explain why an acquisition or alliance strategies is a good idea in terms of complimentary SWOTs. The goal is to demonstrate your critical thinking and analysis.  Be creative in your strategy recommendations.
 
 Last Page of your paper
References
 
In addition to your company web site and our text book, please use a minimum of 2 other genuine business references- for example, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, the Economist, Yahoo finance, CNN, etc.  (please do not cite- Wikipedia, ask.com, or any business blogs)
 
General Information:
 

Use APA format throughout your paper. See the following web site for any APA questions:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ (Links to an external site.)

In particular:
Use Times New Roman, 12 point font, double space, 1 margins.
Number each page at bottom right of page
All in-text citations and the final reference page must follow APA standards.