Learners in groups of 3-5 will work with your company to conduct a thorough and critical review of your current business strategy (at corporate, business and functional levels) and will provide actionable recommendations for your company’s strategy for the next 5 years, based on their in-depth research and internal and external analysis.

Learners will apply commonly used tools and frameworks to review and develop recommendations for future strategy: VRIO framework, SWOT analysis, Value Chain analysis, Porter's five forces and PESTEL analysis. Each offers a unique perspective on a company's internal and external environment and can be used in different stages of the strategy creation process or to supplement each other.

Project activities that learners can complete may include, but are not limited to: 

• Conducting a PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental) analysis of the industry in which the company operates to identify the macro-environmental factors that may have a profound impact on the company.
• Identifying the stage of the Industry Life Cycle (Growth, Shake-out, Maturity, Decline / Extension) that your company operates and competes in and their implications for the company.
• Identifying the nature of the competition and the industry attractiveness utilizing competitive forces model (Porter's 5 Forces Analysis).
• Applying Value Chain analysis to assess internal environment of the company.
• Applying VRIO analytical framework to analyze the competitive advantage of the company and to assess whether or not it is sustainable in the long term.
• Applying SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) to analyze company's internal and external environment, identify its internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats to identify factors that may positively or negatively impact your company's performance.
• Using Michael Porter's theory of Business Level Strategies, examining the corporate, business (competitive) as well as functional strategies of your company to assess whether these three levels of strategies aligned in achieving organizational goals.  
• Generating alternative strategic options at functional, business and / or corporate level which could address and/or solve any identified problems/issues/challenges.
• Making recommendations for future direction/strategy: How can your organization improve its performance in the future. Should the company continue with the current strategies, or should it adopt new strategies to stay in fit with its environment and its long-term goals.