The development of business strategies, including models to conceptualise this
development, is an important subject in strategic planning. Most models are normative,
showing the stages that are seen as necessary or at least desirable in the development
of business strategies. It often departs from the business mission, which is seen as the
central objective of the organisation, to which the goals and strategies are
subordinated. The business mission determines what to analyse. After the analysis,
goals are formulated and worked out step by step towards individual actions. Steiner is
generally regarded as the founding father of strategic planning. In his process model
(Steiner, 1979), several of the above-mentioned stages can be recognised (see Figure 1).