Strategic planning in large firms—some guidelines

Some argue that a foundation for planning has been achieved when a firm can state its strategic plan in terms of products and markets. (This is referred to as the ‘business form’ in this article). If this statement is true, what factors will aid a firm in achieving the business form in its strategic plans? In this article, details of strategic planning in over 50 large firms taken from an empirical research sample are examined to illustrate which factors seem to lead to the business form of strategic plan in these firms.