What you’ll learn to do: identify the types of planning and decision making managers engage in, and explain how these help organizations reach their goals

In this section, we’ll introduce the concept of planning, including the foundational documents—vision and mission—that need to be in place prior to developing a plan. We will identify the three levels of planning—strategic, tactical, and operational (plus contingency)—and the role of each in achieving the business goals and objectives. This section also introduces the SWOT Analysis, a planning tool that provides a framework for analyzing an organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.