Nada Wagner - Business Plans for Canadians for Dummies

Business Plans For Canadians For Dummies

by Paul Tiffany, PhD, Steven D. Peterson, PhD, and Nada Wagner, MBA

Business Plans For Canadians For Dummies

Published by
John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.
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Copyright 2008 by John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this book, including interior design, and icons, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Tiffany, Paul

Business plans for Canadians for dummies / Paul Tiffany, Steven D. Peterson, Nada Wagner.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-0-470-15420-5

1. Business planningCanada. I. Peterson, Steven (Steven D.) II. Wagner, Nada III. Title.

HD30.28.T576 2008 658.4012 C2008-902117-7

Printed in Canada

1 2 3 4 5 TRI 12 11 10 09 08

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About the Author

Paul Tiffany, Ph.D.: Paul Tiffany is a Senior Lecturer at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and an Adjunct Professor of Management at The Wharton School of the University of California. He teaches courses in strategic management, global strategy, and business and its environment to students in the graduate program as well as to participants in executive education programs. Dr. Tiffany is also a Visiting Professor at Sasin, the graduate school of business administration at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok (Thailand), and CEIBS, the graduate school of business in Beijing (China). He received an MBA from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. In addition, he has provided management training programs to firms throughout the United States and the world. He can be reached at tiffany@haas.berkeley.edu.

Steven D. Peterson, Ph.D.: Steven Peterson is founder and CEO of Strategic Play, a management training company specializing in hands-on software tools designed to enhance business strategy, business planning, and general management skills. He is the creator and developer of the Protean Strategist, a business simulation that reproduces a dynamic business environment where participant teams run companies and compete against each other in a fast-changing marketplace. Each team is responsible for developing a business plan along with the strategies and programs to put it to work. For more information, check out the Web site at www.StrategicPlay.com.

Steven has worked with both large and small companies around the world on strategy and business planning, strategic marketing, new product development, and product management. He uses the Protean Strategist simulation to help managers improve their skills in teamwork and collaboration across functional areas and even across cultures. Prior to founding Strategic Play, Steven served for many years as a consultant to companies in the United States and abroad. He holds advanced degrees in mathematics and physics and received his doctorate from Cornell University.

Nada Wagner, M.B.A.: Nada Wagner is a business consultant, Principal of Next Wave Marketing Inc., and an instructor at The Business School, Humber Polytech in Toronto, Ontario. She consults on business planning, performance management, and teaches courses in entrepreneurship, marketing, and sales. Nada assisted numerous start-up ventures with business planning and implementation, and was the former Director, Centre of Entrepreneurship at Centennial College, Toronto, Ontario. Nada earned an M.B.A. from Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario. She can be reached at nada.wagner@nextwavemarketing.ca.

Authors Acknowledgments

Paul Tiffany: I would like to thank the executives and students who have used this book and offered wise counsel in how it could be improved. I would like to acknowledge the many insights and suggestions provided by Dr. Tamara St. Claire, one of the first people to read the U.S edition of this book and utilize it to create a winning business plan for a successful start-up firm.

Steven D. Peterson: Many people helped us in the writing of this book. I especially want to thank our U.S. editors at Wiley, Sherri Pfouts and Josh Dials, for all of the time, effort, and hard work they put in.

Nada Wagner: Many thanks go to the clients and students who have taught me as much as I have them, and to talented colleagues who have generously shared their insights and wisdom. There are a number of people at Wiley I would like to acknowledge. I especially want to thank our Canadian editor Robert Hickey for his guidance, direction, and encouragement; the project team of Elizabeth McCurdy, Pam Vokey, Lindsay Humphreys, and Laura Miller for their hard work and diligent effort keeping the project on target; and to Erika Zupko and Denise Koch for their enthusiasm and professionalism to bring this book to the market place. It has been a delight to work with such a dynamic and dedicated group.