For this assignment write a 2 -3 page paper focusing on the Function of Planning at the Organization you selected, and conduct either a SWOT or PEST analysis for your organization.

Please first make sure to read the Background Materials and apply them to your selected organization.

Brief Reminder

The planning stage sets the directions and selects means to meet them.

• Leadership  develops the vision that generates goals and objectives.

• The company performs external and internal analysis in order to determine strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and threats. Examples are SWOT (which we apply in the case) and PEST analysis.

SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.
PEST: Political, Economic, Social, Technological

• Strategies (such as business ones, functional ones (marketing, operations, human resources, etc), and corporate ones (restructuring, alliances, mergers, etc) are selected.

Helpful Hints

Please do your best to format your essay according to APA formatting requirements.  Here is a good information source to help you with that:   http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/  

Recommended Outline:

Introduction

• Main Body with Subsections
• Vision, Goals, Objectives
• Brief Analysis (if applicable)
• Selected Strategies
  

Conclusions

List of references

Make sure there is an Introduction (providing a roadmap to the paper), A Main Body with subsections (one subsection per strategy, Conclusions (summary) and a List of References.

Please use titles and headings per each section and subsection!