Write a 30-page paper, not including your list of references, in APA format. Use the headings in the instructions below when completing this paper.
You must use at least 30 references in this paper; 12 of these sources must be scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles; 10 references can be white papers published by professional organizations (e.g., Society for Human Resources Management). No blogs, wikis, or news websites will be accepted.
Introduction [maximum 1 page]
Introduce the entire paper (not just the problem).
Industry [maximum 2 pages]
Identify the industry and specific elements of your consulting business that you are focusing on for this analysis and provide an overview of both. For your new company, this should include its size, positioning in the marketplace, number of employees (growth proposition/contractors), location, and pro forma revenue (projections).
Business Model [maximum 3 pages]
Define the elements of the business model that you will focus on in your consulting business. What might be missing that you think is important to future success? What is the strength of this business model? The weakness? What is your value proposition in the marketplace? How will you create this?
Internal Analysis [maximum 5 pages]
Review the tangible and intangible resources of the business. Focus on those that are important to building the strategy. Review the organizational capabilities. Consider what organizational culture you want to create for yourself, contractors, future employees, and clients. Clearly articulate how you will design and create this structure. See the graphic I’m attaching.
External Analysis [maximum 5 pages]
Complete the PESTLE analysis. (Use a subheading for each of the PESTLE areas.) Identify three to five relevant items for each area. Provide evidence for these areas and clearly explain why they are relevant. Include industry elements that are important to success.
Stakeholder Analysis [Complete the stakeholder matrix.]
Stakeholders can be internal or external. This means that they can be in any component of the SWOT. Choose internal and external stakeholders that are important to the organization’s strategic success.
Name of stakeholder organization, group, or individual Stakeholder description (primary purpose, affiliation, funding) Potential role in the issue or activity Level of knowledge of the issue Level of commitment (support or oppose the activity; to what extent) Strategy group (protect, good relation, low priority, monitor)
SWOT [2×2 table; Use the template from the example below; maximum 2 pages for narrative]
This is where all of the analysis you have completed is compiled to provide the larger picture. Make sure that in the weaknesses and threats you provide the method that you will use to address the weakness or minimize the threat.
After completing the table, provide a narrative of the information. Create a subheading for each area (strengths, weaknesses, etc.). The narrative should provide information on why each of the elements in the SWOT is important and (1) how they can be used to achieve future strategic objectives (strengths or opportunities), and (2) areas that need improvement or create barriers to successful achievement of one or more of the strategic objectives (weaknesses, threats).
Strengths Weaknesses
Program director: Uniquely qualified to understand the complexity of the patient needs.
Unique technology: Web tools developed to seamlessly integrate behavioral prompts and care tools into the patient’s daily life. First entrant: A program like this has not been proven to be successful and this makes it more challenging to break down barriers to market entry.
Address: Use the practitioner expertise and integrated team model to offset concerns.
High costs: Costs for developing the web tools and for the salary or consulting fees for the integrated team members make the startup financially challenging.
Generic Strategy Model [maximum 3 pages]
Identify the generic strategic model that you believe would best fit your consulting firm. (Put the name of the model you are choosing to pursue as the heading.) Explore how the information in the SWOT supports this choice. Why is this model the one that will allow for the strongest competitive advantage? Identify and explore any other model that you will use in combination (alliance, partnership, etc.).
Strategic Objectives [maximum 3 pages]
Provide three distinct strategic objectives. (Each one should be a subheading). Connect the strategic objective to the generic strategy model. Then map the elements from the SWOT that will help your consulting business succeed or that might hinder success.
Gap Analysis [maximum 2 pages]
Complete a gap analysis based on your analysis of the current state of your resources and your plan for the future of your consulting business. Identify areas that will need to be worked on in order for the strategy to succeed.
Core Competencies [maximum 3 pages]
Provide an overview of the core competencies that will need to be built to bridge the identified gaps from the gap analysis.
Obstacles [maximum 2 pages]
What obstacles might be an issue in building the identified competencies? What obstacles might be a larger issue in bridging the identified gap to be successful? Recommend ways to overcome these obstacles. Please detail if the recommendations are from evidence-based research, best practices, personal expertise, or a combination.
Conclusion [maximum 2 pages]
Clearly and concisely wrap up the paper.
