Strategic Planning

• Introduction to strategic planning
• Rational Strategic planning model
• Five approaches to strategy formation
• Strategic pitfalls of why companies fail

Strategy Formation

• Internal and external analysis session driven by Novartis strategy document
• Strategic issues of Novartis pharma company
• Stakeholder analysis the balancing act and critical considerations
• External corporate appraisal session based on Shell Oil company
• PESTAL analysis effective use to identify risk pragmatic examples with Shell Oil Porters
• Five Forces effective use to examine market positioning discussion of how to apply in strategic execution

Strategic Options and Choices

• Porters Generic Options recap of companies discussed Ikea / Shell as well as delegates companies
• How to use this information in implementing strategy in todays rapidly changing environment
• Cost Leadership
• Differentiation
• Focus Ansoff analysis with McDonalds products
• Strategic Clock analysis with hotel industry form budget to luxury chains
• SFA Model
• Selecting opportunities to pursue

Measurement and Monitoring of Performance/ Benchmarking with DuPont Ratio Analysis

• Profitability, efficiency ratios, return ratios, shortterm solvency and liquidity
• Long term solvency and stability ratios
• Shareholder and investment ratios
• Information through comparison DuPont formula
• Levers in financial analysis
• Earnings Turnings Investment Appraisal and Cash Flow Analysis Payback
• Internal rate of return, accounting rate of return
• Cash flow analysis vs EBITDA as a basis for analysis
• Return on capital employed (ROCE) and return on investment (ROI) and net present value
• Modified internal rate of return
• Investment appraisal using DCF methods and free cash flows
• Tackling inflation in investment appraisal
• Levered Analysis: Funding Assumptions, IRR and APV
• Debt capacity and credit analysis
• Evaluating business risk Assessing financial risk
• Methodologies to tackle business and financial risk Capital asset pricing module
• Modigliani and Miller Proposition Strategies for Growth Analysis of organic growth compared to acquisitions and mergers
• Valuations for mergers and acquisitions
• Financing mergers and acquisitions

Analyzing and Assessing Different Sources of Finance

• Sources of debt finance
• Sources of equity finance
• Using venture capital sources / high net worth individuals risks and benefits
• Effective use of rights issues to encourage current shareholders for capital injections
• Corporate Failures Leading indicators
• Symptoms of failure Dealing with management weaknesses
• Using automation to improve efficiency and labor cost to reduce risk for failure
• Corporate Restructuring Negotiating Out of Financial Difficulties
• Mergers and acquisition strategies Sales enhancement and operating economics
• Why mergers and acquisitions fail
• Reasons and strategies for unbundling
• Issues on management buyout and management buy in
• Financial distress and overtrading indicators

Analyzing the cash flows to assess viable alternatives in distressed / over indebtedness scenarios

• Changing Role of the Accountant
• Aligning cost to value
• Strategic emphasis
• Adding value to the organization
• Improving Profitability and Goal Setting/Budgeting
• Identifying the gaps to improve profitability and performance
• Techniques and principles of beyond budgeting to enhance performance
• Benefits and drawbacks of traditional monitoring mechanisms and why they are not effective
• Effectively setting targets to improve performance and profitability and how they improve business performance