Business Plan Model
Business Planning
Business plans remain crucial to businesses as they guide the decisions and processes adopted by the firm from the start-up stage to the desired level of growth. The development of a business plan remains crucial in the clarification of the individual aspects relating to the firm processes (Carrier, 2007). The plan of activities influences the development of rim objectives considered instrumental in guiding the processes adopted within the organization. Additionally, the business plan provides a prediction for the potential market changes and required resources within the company that will meet the growing level of need in the market. The business plan remains crucial in guiding the management and investors in the adoption of decisions geared towards enhancing the level of capital investment.
There exist major types of business models including startup model, strategic model, growth plan models, and operations model (Carico et al. 2014). The study seeks to incorporate a review of the different types of business models through the selection of four broad models, which will remain crucial in the identification of the key strengths and limitations attached to the models. The analysis will influence the development of a comparison of the models to the business plan incorporated within Microsoft project. Additionally, the study will identify the most preferred model that remains applicable to the community health plan.
Business Plan Models
The startup model provides an intricate description of the key steps that may be adopted about starting up a business. The model provides a description of the firm about the market evaluation and influences the identification of the management team together with the key products and services that will be offered by the business. The model integrates a financial analysis that highlights the key economic resource elements necessary for acquiring assets necessary for the growth of the business (Carico et al. 2007).
The model presents several strengths as it provides the business with an opportunity to develop financial projections that inform the activities adopted geared towards meeting the developed goal. The model remains flexible hence alterations may be made about the changing market situation. The fundamental limitations attached to the model include the applicability of the model to small businesses thus limiting adoption of by big business. Additionally, the projections made facilitate short-term growth thus limiting long-term growth.
Strategic Model
The model provides a description of the strategic elements that may be adopted about a business plan. The strategic model involves the development of strategies geared towards meeting firm, individual objectives in the market. The key strengths of the model include the identification of the existent market need and the need for the adoption of a favorable strategy (Perry, 2001). Additionally, the model adopts a process that facilitates long-term growth for the business. The fundamental limitation of the business relates to the fact that the model remains applicable to established firms seeking to reinvent some of the firm processes thus inapplicable to small and medium enterprise businesses.
Growth Plan Model
The growth plan facilitates the overall growth plan within a business that may be related to the short-term or long-term period of the business. The model focuses on the current and desired level of business growth and facilitates the adoption of financial plans with future projections. The key strength of the model involves the provision of projections that may cater to both short-term and long-term periods (Karlsson & Horig, 2007). Additionally, the model influences the adoption of processes geared towards influencing business growth through increased efficiency. The key limitation of the model about the applicability to existent businesses hence may remain impractical for start-ups. Additionally, the model applies to large firms with the capital influencing the business growth in the market.
Operations Model
The operations model provides a business plan catered towards meeting the operational aspects of the business. The business incorporates an analysis of the equipment and finances necessary in influencing the operational aspects of both the business and external to the business. The model adopts a review of the supplier and distributor networks as they remain crucial in the provision of the raw materials and distribution of the product within the market respectively (Karlsson & Horig, 2007). The key advantage attached to the model involves the development of a calculated plan about the costs necessary in the plan and the potential benefit of the plan to business growth. However, the model incorporates a high financial outlay, which may delimit adoption by small businesses.
Compare and Contrast the Models
The models develop numerous comparisons about the provision of a model that seeks to facilitate business growth in the market. The key similarities involve the provision of a financial and resource outlay and market analysis, which highlights the impact of the business processes to the market (Carico et al. 2014).
The models incorporate variances about the primary objective and applicability of the model to firms. The startup together with the operations models remains applicable to small businesses while the growth and strategy models remain relevant to large businesses. The startup, growth and strategy models are fixated towards firm development through the initiation, growth and competitive aspects in the market. In contrast, the operations model places emphasis on the improvement of the current situation experienced within the business (Carrier, 2007).
Compare the models to the business plan model in a Microsoft project
The models incorporate similarities to the Microsoft project all elements identify the key business idea and objective, which leads to the identification and consequent assigning of the required resources necessary in meeting the plan. Additionally, all models place a timeline to the task, which enhances resource efficiency and project realization. The Microsoft project and the operations model identify the existent and potential task dependencies about the plan, which remains crucial to the construction of the project plan.
Community Health Plan
The preferred model for the community health plan would be the operational model as it would identify the existent need in the community together with the identification of critical resources and the provision of a viable timeline necessary in meeting the existent goals.
References
Carrier, C. (2007). Strategies for teaching entrepreneurship: What else beyond lectures, case
studies and business plans. Handbook of research in entrepreneurship education, 1, 143-159.
Cavico, F. J., Orta, M., Muffler, S. C., & Mujtaba, B. G. (2014). Business Plans as Legally
Protected Trade Secrets under the Uniform Trade Secrets Act. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 6(2), 42.
Karlsson, T., & Honig, B. (2007). Norms surrounding business plans and their effect on
entrepreneurial behavior.
Perry, S. C. (2001). The relationship between written business plans and the failure of small
businesses in the US. Journal of small business management, 39(3), 201-208.
