| Course | STR 581 Strategic Planning & Implementation (STR/581) |
|---|---|
| Week | 5 |
| Paper type | Graduate strategy implementation plan |
| Length | about 1,155 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | MBA |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for STR 581 Week 5
From Choice to Action: Implementing an Upstream Strategy at a Coffee Roaster and Cafe Chain
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
STR/581: Strategic Planning & Implementation
Week 5 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Cascade Bean Roasters, its plans, people and figures are composites written for a model paper.
The strategy picked in Week 3 shifts Cascade toward selling its traceable coffee through grocers and subscriptions while trimming its cafes to about 30 showcase locations. Week 4 layered on promises about growers' earnings, proof of origin, plant energy, packaging and cafe pay. This paper plans how to carry out the strategy over three years, unit by unit.
Why Implementation Fails
Hrebiniak (2006) surveyed managers about strategy execution and found that the most frequently cited obstacles included inability to manage change, poor or vague strategy, lack of guidelines or a model for execution, poor information sharing, fuzzy accountability and plans that cut across who holds power. Noble (1999) reviewed implementation research and noted that it draws on structural views, emphasizing organizational design and control, and interpersonal views, emphasizing consensus, leadership and communication, and that successful implementation needs both. Kotter (2012) described common errors in leading change, including failing to create urgency, lacking a guiding coalition and not anchoring changes in the culture. Cascade's plan addresses each risk.
Objectives
By the end of year three: online subscriptions grow from $2.4 million to $15 million; specialty and natural grocery accounts grow by 40, reducing the four largest buyers' share of wholesale from 60 to 40 percent; the cafe network shrinks from 48 to 30, with average cafe margin rising from 2 to 8 percent; direct-trade coffee rises from 40 to 70 percent of volume; and overall operating margin returns to 8 percent.
Structure
Today Cascade is organized around its cafes, with wholesale as a small department under the chief operating officer. The new structure creates three units, each with a leader reporting to the chief executive: Coffee, covering sourcing, quality and roasting; Wholesale and Online, covering grocery, food service and subscriptions; and Flagship Cafes. Shared services such as finance, human resources and marketing support all three. This gives the growth businesses leaders with real authority and budgets and makes responsibility clear, addressing one of Hrebiniak's main obstacles.
Resources
Capital spending shifts away from new cafes. Over three years, Cascade will invest about $7 million: $2.2 million in an e-commerce platform and subscription marketing, $1.6 million in wholesale sales staff and trade marketing, $1.4 million in roaster heat recovery and packaging changes, $1.0 million converting three cafes to drive-through and $0.8 million in sourcing and traceability systems. Cafe closures free about $1.9 million a year in losses and some lease deposits.
People
Closing 18 cafes affects about 260 employees, many of them students and part-time workers. Leases end over three years, so closures will be staggered and announced at least 90 days ahead. Employees will be offered transfers to remaining cafes, the roasting plant or the expanding wholesale and fulfillment teams, which need about 70 new roles; severance and job search help will be provided to those who leave. New hires include an e-commerce director, digital marketers and wholesale account managers. The cafe wage ladder from Week 4 starts in year one.
Closing cafes is the part of the plan employees will remember, so it has to be done with the most care.
Communication and Change
Following Kotter's advice, leaders will explain the urgency, margins falling from 9 to 4 percent, and the opportunity, building on what Cascade does best, at all-hands meetings in every location. A guiding coalition of the three unit leaders, the chief financial officer and two respected cafe managers will meet biweekly. Early wins, such as the first new grocery accounts and subscription growth, will be shared widely in a monthly note from the chief executive to every employee. Cafe managers will hear about closures before anyone else, and customers will receive notice and offers to try subscriptions.
Culture
Cascade's culture grew up in its cafes: friendly, local and proud of service. The new strategy asks the company to see itself as a coffee company first, with cafes as showcases rather than the core. Leaders will reinforce the shift by telling stories of farmers and roasters at meetings, inviting cafe staff to cupping sessions and visits to the roasting plant and recognizing employees who help grow wholesale and subscriptions. Changing how people describe the company is slow, but it determines whether the new structure feels like a strategy or a retreat.
Building the Online Capability
Online subscriptions require skills Cascade does not have. The new e-commerce director will be hired in the first quarter of year one, with authority to choose the platform, set subscription pricing and run digital marketing. To learn quickly, Cascade will test offers with its 210,000 loyalty members before spending on broad advertising. A monthly review of subscriber acquisition cost, churn and lifetime value will show whether the channel is on track; the target is acquisition cost below $40 and monthly churn under 5 percent.
Coordinating the Units
Three units create new handoffs. Roasting must plan production for cafes, grocery and subscriptions, which have different timing. A weekly sales and operations meeting will match roasting schedules to forecasts from all three units, and a shared dashboard will show inventory and orders. Disputes over priorities, for instance when a large grocery order competes with a subscription promotion for limited roasting time, go to the chief operating officer for a decision within two days.
Measures
A balanced scorecard will track progress. Financial: revenue mix, operating margin, cafe margin. Customer: subscriptions and churn, grocery accounts, flagship cafe satisfaction. Internal process: direct-trade share, roasting capacity utilization, order fulfillment time. Learning and growth: employee turnover, training hours and e-commerce capability. Each measure has a baseline, annual targets and an owner who reports on it at the quarterly business review.
Budget Discipline
Each unit leader receives a budget tied to scorecard targets. Money for new cafes, the default use of capital for years, is frozen; any proposal to open a cafe must show that it serves the flagship role and meets a higher return threshold. Savings from closed cafes are tracked monthly and reported against the plan, so the board can see whether the shift is paying for itself.
Timeline and Decision Points
Year one: restructure, launch the new subscription platform, close the eight downtown cafes as leases end, add 15 grocery accounts and begin the wage ladder. Year two: install heat recovery, convert three cafes to drive-through, add food service roasting, reach 55 percent direct trade. Year three: complete the cafe reduction, expand subscriptions into California and reach all targets. At the end of each year, the board reviews results; if online growth falls below half its target, the plan will shift funds toward wholesale.
Conclusion
Cascade's upstream strategy will succeed only if the organization changes to deliver it. Research on implementation obstacles and change guides a plan with clear objectives, a new structure, shifted resources, careful treatment of employees, honest communication, a balanced scorecard and a staged timeline with decision points. Week 6 will add evaluation and risk management.
References
Hrebiniak, L. G. (2006). Obstacles to effective strategy implementation. Organizational Dynamics, 35(1), 12-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2005.12.001
Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Harvard Business Review Press.
Noble, C. H. (1999). The eclectic roots of strategy implementation research. Journal of Business Research, 45(2), 119-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0148-2963(97)00231-2
What the STR 581 Week 5 instructions ask
The fifth STR 581 paper asks MBA students to plan how a chosen strategy will be implemented. Prompts may ask students to set objectives and milestones, align structure, culture and leadership, allocate resources and budgets, plan communication and change management, define measures such as a balanced scorecard and identify implementation risks, building on the strategy from earlier weeks. A few prompts also want a dated action table or a simple timeline chart. Make the plan specific to the organization and strategy chosen, ground it in research on strategy execution and change and cite sources in APA. Show who is responsible for each action, what it costs and how progress will be tracked month by month and reported to the board.
How this STR 581 Week 5 example is built
Our model plan starts from research showing that strategies more often fail in execution than in formulation, because of poor coordination, unclear responsibility and weak change management. It sets three-year objectives: online subscriptions from $2.4 million to $15 million, 40 new specialty grocery accounts, cafes reduced to 30 with margins of 8 percent and overall operating margin back to 8 percent. Structure shifts from a retail-led organization to three units, coffee sourcing and roasting, wholesale and online and flagship cafes. Resources move from cafe expansion to e-commerce, sales and sourcing. A people plan covers closures, transfers and new hires. A scorecard tracks financial, customer, process and learning measures, and a staged timeline sets quarterly milestones.
STR 581 Week 5 grading rubric: where the points go
Graduate graders reward implementation plans that are specific, aligned and realistic. Strong papers set measurable objectives, align structure, resources and people with the strategy, plan communication and change management and define a balanced set of measures with targets. Credit goes to anticipating obstacles identified in research, to assigning owners and budgets and to a timeline with milestones and decision points. Graders also value attention to the people affected, such as employees in closing locations. Graders also look for decision points where leaders will adjust if results fall short. Research on execution and change, specific figures and APA references complete a strong plan.
STR 581 Week 5 help: mistakes to avoid
Implementation plans often restate the strategy and add a timeline without explaining how the organization will change to deliver it. Address structure, resources, people and measures. Another frequent gap is ignoring obstacles that research identifies, such as unclear responsibility and weak coordination across units. Plan for them. Students also set objectives without baselines or targets; give both. Some plans overlook employees affected by closures or role changes; treat them fairly and communicate early. Finally, include decision points where leaders will review progress and adjust. A tutor can help you turn your strategy into a table of actions, owners, costs and dates that fits on one page.
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- STR 581 Week 3: Formulating Strategy
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STR 581 Week 5 questions, answered
What does STR 581 Week 5 usually cover?
It usually covers strategy implementation: objectives, structure, resources, people, communication, change management, measures and a timeline for carrying out the chosen strategy.
Where can I find a free STR 581 Week 5 sample paper?
Above is the Week 5 implementation plan for Cascade's upstream strategy, open to read in full without charge.
Why do strategies fail in implementation?
Research points to obstacles such as poor coordination across units, unclear responsibility, resistance to change, weak leadership support and measures that do not match the strategy.
What is a balanced scorecard?
A set of measures across financial, customer, internal process and learning and growth perspectives that links strategy to day-to-day performance.
How should a company handle employees affected by closures?
By communicating early and honestly, offering transfers where possible, providing severance and support and treating people with respect throughout.
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