Vaughan Evans is an independent strategy consultant ([...] with a background in industry economics. He worked at management and technology consultants Arthur D. Little and at investment bank Bankers Trust. Vaughan graduated from Cambridge and has a Sloan Fellowship with distinction from London Business School. He is the author of four previous books, including the best-selling Financial Times Essential Guide to Writing a Business Plan.

Introduction

Why strategy?

What is strategy?

What is the output?

What is the outcome?

What is a strategic plan?

What is strategic planning?

The Strategy Pyramid

Business vs corporate strategy

Part One: Strategy Development

1. Knowing Your Business

Identifying key segments

Essential example: Apple’s saviour segments

Segmentation in a start-up

Essential case study: Extramural Ltd - the business

2. Setting Goals and Objectives

Setting long-term goals

Essential example: Life at Mars

Setting SMART objectives

Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – goals and objectives

3. Forecasting Market Demand

Sizing the market

Forecasting market demand

Essential tool: Moving averages

Essential example: No wrap for the cinema

Forecasting demand for a start-up

Market demand risks and opportunities

Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – market demand

4. Gauging Industry Competition

Assessing competitive intensity

Assigning customer purchasing criteria

Deriving key success factors

Essential tool: Economies of scale

Essential example: Jessops is shuttered

Gauging competition in a start-up

Industry competition risks and opportunities

Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – industry competition

5. Tracking Competitive Advantage

Rating competitive position

Essential tool: Product/market risk

Reviewing resources and capabilities

Essential tool: The value chain

Essential example: The everlasting Monsoon

Creating competitive advantage in a start-up

Essential example: Of diet, dance and detectives

Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – competitive advantage

6. Targeting the Strategic Gap

Targeting the portfolio gap

Targeting the capability gap

Profiling the ideal player

Specifying the target gap

Essential example: Could Liverpool FC be champions again?

Targeting the gap in a start-up

Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – strategic gap

7. Bridging the Gap: Business Strategy

Opting for a generic strategy

Essential tool: The experience curve

Strategic repositioning and shaping profit growth options

Essential tool: Uncontested market space

Making the strategic investment decision

Essential example: Sainsbury’s fights back

Bridging the gap for a start-up

Business strategic risks and opportunities

Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – business strategy

8. Bridging the Gap: Corporate Strategy

Optimising the corporate portfolio

Essential tool: The growth/share matrix

Creating value from mergers, acquisitions and alliances

Essential tool: Parenting value

Building strategically valuable resources

Essential tool: Core competences

Essential example: UU U-turn

Corporate strategic risks and opportunities

Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – corporate strategy

9. Addressing Risk and Opportunity

Reviewing plan in a market context

Appraising opportunity versus risk

Essential tool: Expected value and sensitivity analysis

Essential example: Britney does it again

Essential case study: Extramural Ltd – risk and opportunity

Part Two: Strategic Planning

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