Field Assignment

A strategic plan is a tool that delivers guidance in achieving a mission or goal with maximum proficiency and control for an organization. Strategic planning is used to transform and revitalize organizations. The plan helps provide an inclusive understanding of opportunities and challenges both internally and externally for the organization. The plan delivers an assessment of the strengths and limitations that are realistic within the company. A well-developed strategic plan will offer a comprehensive approach and empowerment for the stakeholders involved. It is an opportunity for learning and understanding priorities that will drive the business to succeed. Jones (2010), describes how in health care organizations, strategic plans

Strategic planning determines three things for an organization. First, it tells the organization where it is going over the next year or more. Second, it explains how it is going to get there. Finally, strategic planning allows the organization to know whether or not it has achieved its desired outcome (Banyenzaki, n.d., para. 4). The focus of a strategic plan is usually on the entire organization, while the focus of a business plan is usually on a particular product, service or program (High performance coaching, 2005). When Hot Topic first came to life it was not as successful as what the founder, Orv Madden, had hoped for (Hot Topic, 2006). However, with a bit of strategic planning, his company would soon be moving forward into a future of net profit rather than net loss.

Urban Outfitters is a corporation that sells clothing, music accessories, home décor and more. This company is targeted at people in their teenage years and people in their early twenties. The official name of the company is Urban Outfitters Inc. The CEO of Urban Outfitters is Trish Donnelly. Other companies that supply the same types of products

The quality, style and prices are really something that you will feel good about. The store has also started a line of men’s performance clothing that are second to none.

Strategic planning involves taking information from the environment and deciding upon an organizational mission, and upon objectives, strategies, and a strategic architecture. There are many different ways to go about deciding on your mission. Michael Porter, a researcher from Harvard, had a few ways for developing frameworks for developing an organization’s strategy.

Strategic planning is the management activity of an organization to achieve the organization’s goals through setting priorities, focusing activities and resources, working of employees and stakeholders, agreement establishment, and evaluation of the organization’s direction (Balanced Scorecard Institute, 2015).

Strategic planning can dictate the success of any organization if properly planned as well as the failure of an organization if not implemented as planned. Strategic planning is all about making choices. It is a process designed to support leaders in being intentional about their goals and methods. Simply stated, strategic planning is a management tool, and like any management tool, it is used for one purpose only—to help an organization do a better job. This portion of the strategic plan will explain why an

Strategic Planning is the process of developing and maintaining a strategic fit between the organizations goals and capabilities as well as emerging market conditions and opportunities. This process begins with a clear company mission statement. However, this is only a small piece of a dynamic and perpetual process. Other activities involved with strategic planning also include setting supporting organizational objectives, designing a sound product mix as well as coordinating functional strategies. Strategic planning works to set the groundwork for the rest of the subsidiary planning functions in the company.

Urban Outfitters’ products are designed with bohemian, hipster, retro and vintage styles. It is very popular in the US, particularly among young generation. Also, Urban Outfitters provide a wide range of prices to its consumers. Moreover, the customers are willing to pay for the products of Urban Outfitters’ because they always provide them latest fashion products. Urban Outfitters’ target group is mainly 18 to 30 years old fashion conscious, adventurous and outgoing women and men who live near the city [2].

The company does not have a clearly defined mission statement though it is clear that there are certain key values that they uphold. On their website they state that it is a “top priority to run our business with a sensitivity to the world around us”. It is clear that they keep this idea in mind as an important consideration in all of their strategies. The company also values classic fashion stating, “We side with style over fashion, think timelessness is overrated.” They have a reputation for producing classic pieces with a twist. They create classically tailored silhouettes and style them in new and exciting ways. This is the reason customers are loyal to the brand.

Strategic planning involves making decisions about the organization’s long-term goals and strategies and how the organization decides to implement their goals (Bateman, Snell, Konopaske, pg. 113). Strategies help organizations to have a clear perspective on how to go about accomplishing the goals they have in place. All organizations have a clear vision of what their mission and purpose as a company is, they know how to fulfill the mission, vision, and purpose and they know how to ensure that they accomplish all their goals. However, the route the organization takes to define these things determines how effective they will be.

In order to create our mission statement we would first look into existing statement's of competitor's but also realizing we need to expand it a little bit to include our global vision. We would tell them who we are, what we do, what we stand for and why we do it. We would let all members of our organization help with the statement. So we can make sure we all really believe it and it's not a lie (King, 1998).

Strategic planning is "a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decision and actions that shape and guide what an organization (or other entity) is, what it does, and why it does it" (Herman, The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management, 155)

As a clothing store which is focusing on local designed and European designed clothes, our products are going to be high-end, fashionable, green and unique.

Strategic planning is an organizational management activity that is used to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure that employees and other stakeholders are working toward common goals,