Melisa Hortons Strategic Plan

This paper evaluates the current strategic plan of Melisa Horton, Inc., its mission, values, and the interrelationship between the two. PEST and SWOT will be used to analyze Melisa Horton, Inc. and where it is positioned in the marketplace. The analyses will evaluate political, economic, social, and technological factors; as well as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Abstract
Melisa Horton, Inc. was established in 1988 upon graduation from high school. Some time was spent in college with no degree completion. Melisa spent some years working as a tax preparer before joining Detroit Public Schools as an administrative assistant. In 2009, Melisa enrolled at Regency Beauty Institute and completed the program achieving the

highest honor that the campus had seen as a Master Designer. She obtained her cosmetology license in 2010 and opened her basement salon. In 2011, she enrolled at Kaplan University and completed her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2013. Currently, she is enrolled in the Master of Business Administration program at Kaplan University; set to graduate in September 2016. Professionally, she is competing for a Deputy Executive Director position in Human Resources.
Detroit Public Schools has been experiencing financial difficulties since 2003. They are currently being controlled by an emergency manager that was appointed by the governor. For this reason, opportunities for advancement are present with extremely stiff competition.
The business environment consists of red ocean companies and blue ocean companies. Red oceans usually concentrate on strategies to dominate their competition. Blue oceans, in contrast, place their focus on strategies that make their business more relevant than their competition eventually making them insignificant. This concept is harder to grasp, but will contribute to creating a more beneficial personal strategy plan. It is important to open up new market space by differentiating oneself through value innovation (Kim & Mauborgne, 2005).
The personal strategy plan will involve creating a mission statement, a vision statement, evaluation of the environment by creating a PEST (political, economic, social, and technological) analysis and SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis.
Mission
A mission statement portrays the values and purpose of a person or company as well as short-term goals.

In order to achieve success in life, a mission statement is a critical first step to achieve future endeavors. The personal mission for Melisa Horton, Inc. is to continue to grow and advance professionally and personally. Her current background, reputation, and work environment offer the opportunity for Melisa to establish herself in a senior role. This experience and education can be monopolized at her current company, but is quite marketable elsewhere as well.
Vision
Vision statements are long-range goals of an individual or business. These goals describe core competencies that provide competitive advantage (De Kluyver & Pearce, 2011). Creating a personal vision statement involves envisioning the future from different points in time. Looking at a few months ahead out to a few years covers this area. The goal is to picture the desired goal for the future and evaluate the present to see what changes are needed to achieve the goal. The future self is directly connected to the present self as they are both a part of the entire person (Peterkin, 2003).
The personal vision of Melisa Horton, Inc. is to advance a meaningful career while maintaining a successful marriage and supporting the creation of a family business. These goals will be accomplished by continuing her education and investing money wisely; all while continuously working on keeping her marriage fresh and

happy.
Environmental Scan
Environmental scanning assesses the factors of the environment that the company deals with. It uses this scanning to influence the organization's goals and direction. This will include current and future factors that can affect the company. These factors can address both external and internal areas that affect strategic goals (Bacal, 2015). Environmental scans focus on two types of analysis. They represent external and internal analyses. The external environmental scan is a PEST analysis that focuses on four areas; political, economic, social, and technological. The SWOT analysis looks at internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats. The PEST and SWOT analyses are related and similar, but not the same (Unknown, 2010).
Political, Economic, Social, and Technological (PEST) Analysis
Political factors are the informal or formal rules and regulations that must be followed (Unknown, 2010). The biggest political factor related to Melisa’s career is the fact that the district is currently controlled by an emergency manager. He controls all of the finances of the district and makes decisions regarding staff and salaries. Another political factor involves retirement reform for public education in the state of Michigan. The continuous decrease of retirement and pension plans affects the decision to pursue a long-term position with the school district. In addition to previously mentioned factors, tax rates are different in different states. There is temptation to look for career advancement outside of the state of Michigan where the economy is not as depressed. Finally, the issue of healthcare reform has increased the prices paid for health insurance. This also directly affects any decisions regarding entrepreneurship as health care costs can be unaffordable.
Economic factors are those areas that can affect cost of capital and hiring power (Unknown, 2010). The biggest economic factor related to Melisa’s life involves living in the city of Detroit. The economy has dropped drastically and jobs are hard to find. The cost of living is up while pay checks are down. As the city goes through its current transformation, the cost of living is increasing while salaries are either staying the same or negatively affected by wage concessions. The unemployment rate is up in Michigan which contributes to increased crime. This makes living and working in the city and state more dangerous and less inviting. Lots of technical positions are being outsourced at companies. If these companies have less physical staff, there is less need for large HR departments. This makes competition for these positions much more vicious. Additionally, gas prices have been fluctuating. More time is spent with gas prices up than down. This adds to overall expenses of transportation and commuting. Lastly, holding on and surviving through the recession could have limitless earning potential.
Social factors are cultural and demographic aspects that affect the needs of society (Unknown, 2010). The first social factor that affects Melisa is that there are limited management positions in Human Resources and most of those companies hire from within. Seeking advancement in her current company will give her an advantage over an external candidate. Next, the cost of living is at an all-time high in Michigan. Many companies are closing their doors due to the economic downturn. This has contributed to large amounts of residents relocating to the suburbs or leaving Michigan altogether. Unfortunately, this increase in cost of living has not increased local salaries. Finally, socially acceptable internet behavior has grown rapidly and will continue to grow and change in the future. Social media is used for company advertisement, but can also be used by companies to screen potential employment candidates. Being careful with social media can mean the difference between being selected for a position or not.
Technological factors affect the efficiency of production, influence outsourcing, and lower barriers to entry (Unknown, 2010). Technological factors can have the greatest impact on this strategic plan. Advances in operating systems require less people to get the same amount of work completed. With less employees to manage, the need for HR personnel decreases. Additionally, web technology continues to evolve, especially in codes and standards. Next, the increased use of mobile functionality and devices has changed the way business is conducted in the market. Finally, social media is being used for advertisement, marketing and recruitment. These jobs were previously handled by employees and entire departments. These advances threaten the jobs of many employees world-wide.
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis
Strengths help a person have the competitive advantage in the market (Unknown, 2010).

Melisa pays close attention to detail and is meticulous at accuracy and competency. She has excellent interpersonal skills that effectively motivate her peers and team members to stay on task and complete projects timely. Moreover, she has concentrated analytical skills that contribute to her striving for stellar performance and success.
The opposite of strengths are weaknesses. Recognizing ones weaknesses gives them the opportunity to work to become a better person or employee (Unknown, 2010). Melisa can have the tendency to over-analyse information. At times, this has the possibility of delaying final response to promote accuracy and dependability of data. Co-workers can become irritated by her excessive attention to detail when expecting immediate responses. Demanding perfection and accuracy can ostracize team members if not presented properly. She must recognize these weaknesses to work on decreasing their affect or eliminating them

totally.
Opportunities are factors that allow a person to grow and profit (Unknown, 2010). With the reorganization of the district, advancement opportunities are present for Melisa to move to the next level professionally. Her current position provides opportunity to obtain management skills and experience. Also, continuing her education and adding to her experience opens doors both at her current company, but with other companies in the marketplace as well.
Threats are changes in the environment that affect goals (Unknown, 2010). There is a surplus of college graduates that are unable to find work in their field of study. This pool of eligible candidates creates more competition for higher level positions. Technology changes are quickly making experience obsolete criteria for advancement. It is more about who someone knows as opposed to what they know. Finally, Melisa has the disadvantage of being a minority female. This means that male competition for management positions makes career advancement more of a challenge for her. She will have to work twice as hard to prove herself as qualified and capable of handling the role.