Explore BrainMass

Explore BrainMass

    Strategic Planning

    Strategic planning involves defining a company’s vision, mission, values and strategy. Strategic planning is used in drawing up the “business plan,” which often includes a vision statement or mission statement, and outlines a company’s goals and plan for reaching those goals.  A strategic plan maps out where the organization wants to be, and gives employees a common set of coordinates. Managers can factor these coordinates in when setting their own team’s goals and direction.

    The vision and mission statements are chosen to communicate the goals of the organization to its customers, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders.

    Mission Statement: The mission statement defines the organization’s purpose, its primary objectives and how the firm is going to measure its success. What is the firm’s “winning idea” and what performance measures are we going to use to make sure we succeed? A mission statement helps motivate people by giving them clear guidelines for how success will be measured.

    Vision Statement: The vision statement defines the organization’s purpose in terms of the organizations values. That is, we take the firm’s mission and give it intrinsic human value. What is the business’s worldview, and how are the business’s products and services going to promote the values that its stakeholders hold? Values are the beliefs that are shared among the stakeholders of the organization and that drive organizational culture. The vision statement helps motivate people by communicating that their interests and the interests of their stakeholders align.

    Values: Do the company and its stakeholders have things that they both think are important? These typically include financial measures for shareholders, such as profitability. Employees typically look at non-financial aspects of the company such as work-life balance, or the company's use of outsourcing or automation. Customers often look at things that add feel-good value to the company's products or services, such as locality, organic-ness, environmental friendliness, sustainability, and philanthropy.

     

    Strategy: The strategy is the road map for how the company is going to execute its vision and mission. Strategy formation typically begins with an environmental scan, such as performing a SWOT analysis (analyzing a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), or analyzing the attractiveness of an industry using Porter’s Five Forces framework. This type of internal and external analysis of the company and its environment will help the company identify their best strategic position and set their short and long-term objectives. The last step in strategy formation is designing the implementation plan. The implementation plan includes management tools and techniques that the company will focus on, these may include things such as TQM, Just-In-Time, or lean manufacturing. The strategic plan may also outline "critical success factors," which are objectives that must be met that will make or break the company's success.

    A good strategy must include a plan for communicating that strategy, and monitoring and controlling the implementation of the strategy. Inside the company, managers may accomplish this by using performance measurement tools such as the balanced scorecard. The balanced scorecard includes a list of key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect the objectives of the strategic plan. Strategy also includes details about where, how and when the company is going to compete: what is the company’s strategic position? How will the company design its system of activities so that they best support their strategic position? What is the company’s time-line?

    © BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com March 19, 2024, 2:28 am ad1c9bdddf

    BrainMass Categories within Strategic Planning

    Business Plan

    Solutions: 246

    A formal statement for a business which includes goals and the plan to reach those goals.

    BrainMass Solutions Available for Instant Download

    AirBnB Business Strategy

    In regards to the Airbnb business, should there be a separate strategy for the international component of the business model?

    Business and Corporate Level Strategies

    Why is it important that the business level strategy should have the corporate level strategy in mind in order for the company (as a whole) to be successful? Why are business level strategies usually managed by mid-level managers who are responsible for departments or divisions?

    Military Warfare: Gray Zone/Hybrid

    Which of the paradigms of Gray Zone/Hybrid (Competition: China, Russia, Lebanon, Iran) do you think will be the most important in the future? Defend your answer.

    Business Strategy, Six Paths Framework, Strategy Canvas

    In a footrace, the runner always wants to win, but, in order to train, the runner must focus on besting his or her own time rather than on the competition. In business, as well, focusing on the competition can limit possibilities for growth. Focus on several types of analytical tools, including the six paths framework, the st

    Balanced Scorecard Perspectives

    determine ur organizations 4 quadrants find an organization comparable to yours, do their 4 quadrants organization NOT comparable to yours do their 4 quadrants compare them all, identify everyones metrics, how they are the same and not the same? how will you fix those that are under performing?

    Outsourcing Perspective of Strategic Management

    1. From the perspective of strategic management, what are the costs and benefits of outsourcing? 2. As a manager, what type of information would you gather and what analyses would you conduct to decide whether to outsource an activity? 3. How do you predict that outsourcing from U.S., Japanese, and European firms to China, Tai

    Deloitte & Touche: Strateic Planning

    Please provide your assistance with the following: 1. What is the Competitive position of Deloitte & Touche, LLP within its industry. Please provide an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of Deloitte from the point of view of the Resource Based View of the Firm model and any other strategy frameworks that provide insight

    Importance of Vision in an Organization

    In any organization, it is important to have a vision for where the organization wants to be in the future. This vision often dictates the structure and strategic decision-making for the organization. What is the relationship between the vision and the organization's structure and decision-making process. You will also evaluate

    Strategic Management Process for Long Term Success

    Use an organization where you work or one in which you are familiar. Examine the process of strategic management. Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper in which you address the following: Identify the major components of the strategic management process. Discuss how these components work together to create value for the organizat

    Apple's remote/macro-environment

    I need help in doing an assignment I have to assume the role of an executive team member (i.e. CFO, CEO, COO, etc.) at your target company. The target company must be a U.S. corporation that is publicly owned and required to submit quarterly and annual reports to the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). (Apple is the company

    General Motors: Strategic Development

    Targets for Strategic Improvement or Development:  What specific areas of corporate performance does your strategic team suggest be targeted for improvement or development other than your identified strategy?  Are there "new products, services, or markets, etc." that the company should try to exploit?  What ratio

    Qverview of the company and its external environment

    Research ONE of the following four companies: 1. Apple 2. Google 3. Coca Cola 4. American Airlines Respond to the four writing prompts below. at least two online sources need to be used 1. Create a case study summary of the company you have chosen including a general overview of the company and its external environment, a

    Business Questions on Competitive Advantages

    APA format 100 words each and references for questions 1 &2 1. Discuss the most commonly practiced form of forecasting 2. Define competitive intelligence. APA format and 220 words and references for questions 3 & 4 3. In what ways may a corporation's structure and culture be internal strengths or weaknesses? Look

    Action Plan

    Using all documents attached an action plan needs to be developed Action Plan has 4 Elements • Identification of specific actions to be undertaken in the next year or less. • Establishment of a clear time frame for the completion of each action. • Creation of accountability by identifying who is responsible for each

    Environmental Analysis Strategic Management

    Current Event Blog 2 Still considering yourself as a strategic management subject matter expert The requirement for this assignment is to submit a second blog entry about another important aspect of the strategic management process and to provide examples based on current events pulled from recent articles from reputable sou

    SWOT Analysis: Long term and Short term plans

    Using the SWOT and Environmental Scanning attached consider the following: Analyzes long-term professional objectives. Analyzes long-term financial objectives. Analyzes the skills necessary to achieve long-term professional objectives. Skills needed to industrial change, and what you need to be able to grow with it. Analyzes

    Conduct an environmental scan focusing on both the internal

    Conduct an environmental scan focusing on both the internal and external factors that could affect success within an organization. Include in your scan responses to the following questions using the swot attached 1- Strategies for addressing internal and external factors using the personal SWOT attached. 2- What are so

    Comcast Company Strategy

    1. (In approximately 3-4 pages on the organization "Comcast") a). Discuss/present Comcast's mission/vision/values, and key stakeholders. b). Include their position and niche in todays cable worlds competitive environment. c). Upon presenting the mission/vision/values, discuss who are their most impor

    Carnival Cruise Line

    Cases: MG 800, Fall 2014 Case 1 Carnival Cruise Lines: This Company has had its image damaged severely by mishaps, bad publicity, angry customers, etc. The situation may be hopeless. On the other hand, this is an opportunity to think strategically. Imagine that you are an MBA working for the company. How could you propose

    Google's Acquisition

    Case 3 Google's Predicament Conduct research on Google. This means you must read about Google in The Wall Street Journal. Figure out basic information related to its strategy: • How much money does Google have? • Who are its competitors? • What acquisitions has it made over the last four years? • What are its s

    Describe the relationships between a mission statement

    Describe the relationships between a mission statement ,and a well-known finance professional as it relates to the philosophy of quality and image, core competencies, competitive advantage, target customer, and responsibility.

    Strategy Implementation and Analysis

    This is for threaded discussion purposes. Requires a few paragraphs with sources listed. See below for further information on the topic: Strategy implementation and evaluation are important aspects of the strategic management process. Consider an industry rooted in innovation (such as the cell phone industry) and the top c

    Airbus's Predicament

    Case 1 Airbus's Predicament The Airbus company is facing some very bad news. A number of ugly incidents are worrying top management and bringing difficulty with investors. Your job is to use your skill as an MBA candidate and devise a specific plan to improve their situation. You must first understand the situa

    Marketing Research Concepts

    In 200 words each, please discuss the following questions. 1. Explain why sugging and frugging are bad for marketing researchers. 2. Firms are categorized as internal and external suppliers of marketing research information. Explain what is meant by each, and provide an example of each. 3. Explain why marketing researc

    Postal Service Changes Over 20 Years

    The U.S. Postal Service's basic function is to provide postal services to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities. Over

    Competitive Intensity

    I was just reading about Michael Porters approach to industry analysis. From what I gather Porter contends that organizations are concerned primarily with the intensity of competition within an particular industry and that there are competitive forces which determine the intensity level;. I am having trouble relating this to