Strategic Analysis and Planning: Starling Bank's Business Strategies

This report presents a strategic management plan for Starling Bank, a digital challenger bank in the UK. It begins with an introduction to strategic management and the importance of analyzing both internal and external environments. The main body of the report applies various frameworks to analyze Starling Bank. This includes a PESTLE analysis of the macro-environment, a SWOT and VRIO analysis of the internal environment, and Porter's Five Forces model to evaluate competitive forces. The report concludes with a discussion on applying strategic planning theories and models to devise strategies for Starling Bank. The analysis covers the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors influencing the bank. It also assesses the bank's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, as well as the value, rarity, imitability, and organization of its resources. Furthermore, it examines the competitive landscape, including the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of suppliers and consumers, the threat of substitute products, and the rivalry among existing competitors. The overall goal is to provide a comprehensive strategic analysis of Starling Bank's position in the market and its potential for future success.

Strategic management
plan

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................3
Part 1................................................................................................................................................3
Apply framework analyse the impact and influence of macro environment. ............................3
Analyse the internal environment and capabilities of an organisation.......................................4
Apply Porter's five forces model evaluate the competitive forces of a given market sector .....6
....................................................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................8
Part 2 ...............................................................................................................................................9
Applying a range of theories, concepts and models, interpret and devise strategic planning for
a given organisation....................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Strategic management is the process of ongoing planning, monitoring and executing of
all the necessities of an organisation to meet its goals and objectives. Strategic management plan
is the document that is used to communicate within an organisation the company goals,
configure resources, focus energy and strengthen operations ensures that employees and
stakeholders are working towards common goals and objectives. For making any strategic plan
organisation first needs to analyse its internal and external environment so that they could find
out any opportunities and threats of businesses (Bryce, 2017). The organisation which is chosen
in this project is Starling bank. It is a digital challenger bank which is situated in UK. It mainly
focus on current and business accounts products. This bank was founded on the year 2014 by
Anne Boden. This report includes application of frameworks that can influence macro
environment. This can be done through PESTLE analysis. Then it covers analysis of internal
environment which is done through SWOT and VRIO analysis. Then there is a used of Porter
five forces model to evaluate the competitive forces. At last there is a range of application
theories, models and interpret and there is a devise of strategic planning for a Starling bank
organisation.
MAIN BODY
Part 1
Apply framework analyse the impact and influence of macro environment.
Starling bank is one of the biggest bank of UK as it is a digital challenger bank which
mainly focus on current and business accounts. This bank was founded in the year 2014. To
analyses the impact of macro environment on the bank, it is conducting PESTLE analysis for
analysing external environment.
PESTLE analysis
 Political factors: The banking sector looks powerful but is more affected by government
rules and regulations (.Carayannis, 2018). As government can interfere in the activities of
banking sector whenever they wants. So this leave the industry hypersensitive to political
influence. This involves corruption in political parties and legislative laws for example

tariffs, labour laws and trade restriction etc. these all can affect the business environment
of bank too much.
 Economical factor: There is a tie up between economy and banking industry. There how
income flow and whether the economy is surviving during the time of recessions and how
much it can affects the capital banks. As in this economic factor, spending of customer
habits can affect the customer borrow or spend funds on bank.
 Social factors: Cultural influences or using behaviours and necessities can effect the use
of banking options. As people who are turn to advice and take loans related to their
business and studies can affect the banking options.
 Technological factors: Technology is changing how customer is handling their funds.
As most of the banks giving many options to customer to scan their cheques through
smartphones and bank can process it from their end to the location. This change helps in
saving paper and need to drive directly to the branch. In context of Starling bank, they are
providing facilities to customers for using debit card through chips in which customer
need to insert their card in debit machines rather then swiping them ( Cosenz, 2017). This
create opportunity for bank to attract customers.
 Legal factors: As Starling bank strictly follows laws regarding consumer law, privacy
and trade structure to confirm frameworks within the industry. These structures are
required by customers in allocated country.
 Environmental factors: With the use of digital transaction, use of paper has been
reduced in the country. In addition, now need not to visit branches for every work. Many
of the issues has been solved for a consumer such as there is a occurrences of apply for
credit and debit card online, but cheques online and can chat online with their executives
if they face any issues or problems. Hence, this has reduced individual environment
footprints.
Analyse the internal environment and capabilities of an organisation.
Starling bank is conducting internal environment analyses which helps them in knowing
in their strength and weakness (Denhardt, 2018). It is conducted through SWOT and VRIO
analysis.
SWOT analysis

 Strength: The biggest strength of bank is that now banking industry are becoming
digital. Now customer can deposit cheques and pay bills online and also apply credit card
without entering in to the branch. Then another strength of Starling bank is that it is a
leader in economic growth because supply and demand have nourished the growth and
also enhance financial trade and stability and security. This is one of the reason for
increasing employment and reduction of world worldwide poverty.
 Weakness: Weakness is that there is a lack of worldwide coordination because banks
handle finances. It also relies on the coordination of economy but at the time of global
scale it creates as problems. Also fluctuation currencies and exchange rates can results in
trouble for banks. Another weaknesses is that bank cannot run in rural areas (.Garzella,
and Fiorentino, 2017). Because of conflicts between governments objectives and banking
objectives.
 Opportunity: Opportunity for the Starling bank is that they could start their banking
service to the rural areas. By this they will get opportunities to get more customers.
Banks should have to keep high customers demands and needs. By having banking app
isn't enough for customers. Banks needs to provide more custom services to customers so
that they can feel secure while doing banking transactions and their time will also get
save. By providing this will results in create opportunity to bank.
 Threat: As now a days there are certain competitors of bank which can affect its overall
performance. As by having another competitive of finance company, customers can shift
to another company of they are providing more interest on their savings (Greenwood, and
Hinings, 2017). So this can affect the profitability of banks and results in decreasing of
customer satisfaction also.
VRIO analysis
Resources Valuable Rare Imitable Organised
Employees Yes Yes No No
Financial
resources
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Strong global No No No No

presence
 Valuable : The Starling bank of UK, VRIO analysis says that financial resources of
company are highly valuable because these helps the banks in investing into various
external opportunities. Then employees are also very highly valuable resource to bank
because their workforce and staff members are highly trained and this results in
increasing their productivity (Hauser, Eggers, and Güldenberg, 2020). But the global of
bank is not highly valuable because it is situated only in UK.
 Rare: The financial resources are found to be rare because strong financial resources are
to be possessed by some of the banks. The employees are also considers as highly trained
because employees in Starling bank are highly trained which cannot be found in other
banks. Then another is global presence of banks is not rare because bank is not present at
global level.
 Imitable : Financial resources are costly to imitate as identify by Starling bank. These
resources are being identified by the company after they receive profits and revenues
over the years. Then employees are not costly because other firms are also train their
employees in such a manner they train to them. Also they provide compensation benefits
to them. In terms of global presence, it is not that much costly as it is not operating in any
other country.
 Organised: As financial resource are organised because these resource are being invest
in right places, they make use of opportunities and combatting threats. Then employees
are also organised because they if they find opportunity then they could shift to another
bank or another company (Haynes, Nunnington, and Eccles, 2017). Then global presence
of company is not organised because if bank will not work at global level then there
could be no organisation and operation of bank.
Apply Porter's five forces model evaluate the competitive forces of a given market sector
Porter's five forces models is the tools which analyse the industry and understand implicit
machine of profitably. It is used by Bank to understand how competitive forces and factors
influence the development of strategy for enhancing competitive advantage and long term
profitability. These five forces are :

 Threat of new entrants: As new entrants in banks brings innovation and identification
of new ways to do any task and this put pressure on Starling bank through reducing cost,
lower price strategy etc. So for that bank has to mange all these challenges and issues and
build their barrier into the opportunities. This will helps helps in gaining competitive
advantages. So the role of trust act as a barrier to new entry that are looking for
competing with existing banks. Hence, the barriers of new entry is relatively low for
Starling bank (Jabbour, and et.al., 2019). So, it is easy to open bank by offering wide
range of services.
 Bargaining power of suppliers: As capital is the primary resource for every bank. It
consist of four major suppliers these are customer deposits, mortgage based securities,
mortgages and loans and loans form other financial institutions. By having these
suppliers, banks can have major sources to provide funds to customers while maintaining
efficient capital. So by seeing this it is said that bargaining power of suppliers is very
high in Starling bank. Although it is fluctuating from medium to high.
 Bargaining power of consumers: The major factor which affect the buying power of
customers is high switching cost. Buyers now a days are very demanding and they wants
best offering available by paying their minimum cost. Internet has increase the power of
consumers by providing them various services and products. So the bargaining power of
consumers is high in banking industry.
 Threat of substitute products and services: Some of the threats for banking industry is
not from competitor firms but from the non- financials competitors. When a new product
or services comes in the market then company its profitability suffers. In Starling bank,
the threat of substitutes is high as there are certain banks which are operating in the
market and all are providing same services to the customers. But some are providing less
interest and some not (Lawton, 2017).
 Rivalry among existing competitors: As banking industry is considerer to be highly
competitive. As banks need to provide lower financing, investment facilities and higher
interest rates etc. so the rivalry among existing competitors is very high because there are
several competitors which are coming in the market of banking industry.

CONCLUSION
From the above report it has been concluded that Starling bank is one the biggest bank in
UK. As it is using certain strategies and models to analyse it business conditions. In this report, it
is discussed about while making a strategic plan, bank needs to first analyse the situation of
internal and external environment of business. For this they have conducted PESTLE analysis for
analysing external environment and SWOT and VRIO analysis for internal conditions of
environment. In PESTLE analysis founds that banks is facing certain political rules and
regulation which are to be considered by bank because this will helps the bank in smooth
functioning of their business activities. There are certain economical factors like customers
buying behaviour which can impact the borrowing from banks. Then they have conducted
SWOT analysis by which its strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are identifies. The
major strength of banks is that it is providing digital services to its customers. Then by
introducing its branch in rural areas bank can create opportunity to attract more customers.
However, banks can have certain competitors which can reduce its effectiveness of working in
the market. Banks needs to focus on those weaknesses and turns them into their opportunity.
This will helps them in increasing their probability and customer base both.

Part 2
Applying a range of theories, concepts and models, interpret and devise strategic planning for a
given organisation.
Strategic plan
Bank Mission :
The mission of bank is to create a banks like no one else and puts customers first and to
make best use of technology to transform better relationship with money.
Bank Vision
The vision of bank is to puts customer first and provide them all services which can helps
them in satisfying their demands and needs.
Ans off metric
The Ans-off matrix model is important strategic marketing planning where it can applied
to look them towards the opportunity and growth of the organisation by developing new products
or services or tapping existing products into the new global market (Malekpour, and et.al., 2020).
This method is considered to be the most important and widely used by companies who are
launching into the new market or who are introducing new products or services in the existing
market. This matrix is used for evaluation of the opportunities for increasing their sales and
growth by showing alternative combination and resources to the market and customers. This
matrix consist of four strategies. These are Market penetration, Market development, Product
and development and Diversification. These are discussed below:
 Market penetration: In this strategy, company is sells more existing products and
services into the existing market. In this company can change its opening hours of their
store, can reducing order processing times. In this company trying to sell its more
products into the same market. In this new development of marketing strategy takes place
and introduction of loyalty scheme can be occurred. Company sometimes launches prices
and other special offer to customers to increase their sales (McKiernan,, 2017).
 Market development: In this strategy bank target new market and new areas of existing
market and try to sell their products and services in that market. Also, in this banks or
organisation sales through various sources like digitally and through agents and
intermediaries. In this strategy there is a use of market segmentation to target different

groups of people and target to their different age of people. Also in this type of strategy,
mangers should have to identify all the internet services that are been used in the
company to target customers.
 Product and development: In this strategy, organisation sells different products and
services in the existing market. In this company move to produce different products
which is unique and made by them. In this extending of the products by producing
various variants or their can be repackages existing products (.Möller and Halinen, 2017).
In this strategy, company make new products and services which helps them in attracting
more customers towards their brand and products.
 Diversification: In this strategy, company introduces new product into the new market.
This strategy considers to be the most risky stage of company because in this there is a
new products and also this new products and service is introduced into the new market.
So in this there is a risk that weather this products or service may be like by customers or
not. Because if not liked by them, then this is to be considered as one of the biggest loss
for them. And if this is liked by people then company can earn competitive advantage in
the market.
From the above strategy, the Starling bank is coming in Market and development strategy
because in this Starling bank is introducing itself in rural areas which will helps it in attracting
more customers towards its products and services. These are one of the biggest advantage for
bank to introduce itself into the rural areas. By this they will earn more profits and revenues.
Stakeholder analysis
Stakeholders are the one in an organisation who are standing to be affected by the
programme. There could be make or break of programme of success (Plan, Council, and Plan,
2021). Stakeholders are those who are working in an organisation or are interconnected with an
organisation. These stakeholders are Employees, owners, directors, mangers, suppliers and
customers etc.
stakeholder analysis the identification of projects key stakeholder and assessment of their
interests in strategic planning and the ways in which these are affected by the projects.
There are some of the reasons which helps to identify:
 Which is the individuals is planning to include in the organisation.
 Which of the roles they have to play in the organisation and at what stage.

 Who are the person could build their relationship and how these relationship can be
nurture.
 Employees: Employees are the one who are the assets of company and bank. Thee power
in the bank is low and their interest is more.
 Owners: Owner are the one who are executing the firm. There interest and power both are
high and they make all rules and regulation of the firm.
 Customers: Customer are the one in the bank who comes to borrow or lend their money.
There interest is low and power is also low (Zhang, and et.al., 2017).
 Suppliers: Suppliers are the one show are providing raw material to the company and
bank. In case of Starling bank, the suppliers of a bank are mortgages and loans and
customer deposits. There interest is low low and their power is also low.
 Managers: Managers are the one who are executing employees and providing tarining to
the employees and monitor their performance. There power in the company is high and
also their interest is very high in the bank.
 Government : It is that which have high interest in bank and low power in bank.
So, from the above analysis, it is interpreted that if bank wants to expand itself in the
rural area then stakeholders of the company should have to work efficient and effectively in the
organisation so that they can serve better to customers. By having branch in rural areas, bank can
increase it customer base and 5resdults in increasing its deposits and getting more funds from
government.

REFERENCES
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