Reference no: EM132108208

Develop a full Strategy Plan for Southwest Airlines based on the following information below. No plagiarism? please!

An Executive Summary describes the purpose of the paper and the main points and conclusions presented. The Executive Summary contains enough information for a reader to become familiarized with what is presented in the full report without having to read it in detail.

The Executive Summary must:

o State the purpose of the strategy plan document presented.

o Give a preview of the main points of the strategy plan, in the same order as in the main body of the paper.

o Be brief, clear, interesting, and compelling for the target audiences.

o Briefly captures the main selling points of the strategy plan.(i.e. the output, the Strategic Goals)

o Compel the reader to want to review the strategy plan document.

o Be jargon-free.

· Introduction

Provide a brief and concise introduction which should:

o Give a high level, general overview of the strategy plan and its purpose.

o Describe the organization for which the strategy plan is being proposed, including a brief overview of its business and the customer segments it serves.

o Lead logically to the Vision and Mission statements.

· Mission and Vision Statements

o Provide the clear and concise Vision and Mission statements that you have defined, as well as a brief description of the change required by the organization and how the Vision and strategy plan represent significant change from today.

· Summary of Internal Assets Assessment

Provide a thoughtful assessment of the organization and its internal assets. This should include some discussion of:

o Who are the key Stakeholders and how do they impact the development of the strategy?

o What are the key Organizational Values and what is the organization’s Culture? How do these impact the development of the strategy?

o Describe the organization’s current innovation processes to the extent that they are relevant to your strategy development.

o Identify the organization’s current Core Competencies (in the context of the VRIO analysis).

· Summary of External Environment Factors

Provide a thoughtful assessment of the environmental factors that affect the organization.

Discuss topics such as:

o What is the outlook for the Industry and Market?

o What are the relevant Political, Economic, Social, & Technology trends that will impact the industry and the organization? Use the PEST(LE) analysis framework.

o Explain how these external factors impact the achievement of the Vision and the definition of Strategy.

· Assessment of Industry Competitiveness

Provide a thoughtful discussion of the attractiveness of the industry (or industries) in which the organization operates. Use one or more of the following frameworks: Porter’s Five Forces Model, Product Life Cycle Stage analysis, or the BCG Growth-Share Matrix. Explain the relevance of the industry’s competitiveness to the achievement of the organization’s Vision.

· Summary of Opportunities and Indentified Key Challenges

Based upon the foregoing discussion of the Internal and External factors, present an updated SWOT Analysis matrix, and thoughtfully discuss the key results of the SWOT Analysis. Note that it is not necessary to elaborate on each of the S, W, O, and T that you include in your matrix; your focus should be on the outcome. How can strengths be leveraged; what opportunities need to be pursued; etc. Note also that your SWOT analysis, as well as the previous discussions of internal and external factors, should incorporate your research (including your surveys) and not merely opinion.

· Strategic Goals

This is the culmination of your paper. Present your specific Strategic Goal Statements that you have chosen to include in your Strategy Plan, and an explanation of “why” you selected each of them. Note that these are not to be generic “Grand Strategies”, but must be specific to your organization, and should be presented as concise statements, with appropriate rationale. You should include a minimum of two and a maximum or four Strategic Goals.

· SMART Objectives for Each Strategic Goal

Present your SMART Objectives for each of your Strategic Goals following the SMART format and requirements. Each Strategic Goal should have many related SMART Objectives, but for purposes of this paper, you should include 3 to 4 SMART Objectives for each Strategic Goal.

· Placeholder Sections—(If required--See discussion below on Placeholders)

· References

o   A References Page listing your sources of information presented. The References Page must follow APA Guidelines.

o   Be sure that for each reference listed on your References Page that you include at least one properly formatted citation in the body of your paper.

Further Guidance---Use of Placeholders

o   As has been presented, it is important for you to understand that a full Strategy Plan would include additional content beyond what is required in this Final Assignment. A full Strategy Plan would include some or all of the following.

§ Marketing Plan

§ Detailed Implementation Plan

§ Human Resources Plan

§ Financial Plan

§ Contingency Plan

o   Although the above supporting plans are beyond what could be developed in this eight week course, in real life some or all of the Plans above would need to be created for your Strategy Plan to be complete.

o   For this Final Assignment, you may identify vital issues that would be included in the supporting plans above. If so, it would be appropriate for you to include Placeholder Sections that, although not complete, would describe the key elements that would be included, and why they are important to the success of your Strategy Plan.

o   However, if you choose to include Placeholders, you must include a Section Heading showing where they would appear in a final Plan, what you would expect out of these sections, and why they are vital to the success of your Strategy Plan.