...Assignment : Analytical tools Business professionals often use strategic planning frameworks such as a SWOT analysis or a five forces analysis in strategic planning initiatives. These frameworks help organizations think about the types of questions they need to ask and the information they need to be thinking about before making any business decisions. SWOT A SWOT analysis is a strategic evaluation framework used to look at a company. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The first step of a SWOT analysis is to evaluate the positive and negative aspects of the company. Once the strengths and weaknesses have been determined, the company can look beyond its own organization to evaluate opportunities and threats from the market or competitors. Competitive forces affect strategy because your competitors react to the strategic actions you take in the marketplace, and your company has to react to their strategic moves. You have to make sure this interplay works to your advantage by using SWOT analysis to identify your company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and by performing the same analysis for your competition. You use this information to take action in areas where you are strong and your competitors are weak, exploiting their threats and capitalizing on your opportunities. Five Forces Porter's Five Forces is a framework used to evaluate an industry as opposed to a company. The "forces" refer to five aspects of an industry that...
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...Topic Gateway Series Strategic Analysis Tools Strategic Analysis Tools Topic Gateway Series No. 34 Prepared by Jim Downey and Technical Information Service 1 October 2007 Topic Gateway Series Strategic Analysis Tools About Topic Gateways Topic Gateways are intended as a refresher or introduction to topics of interest to CIMA members. They include a basic definition, a brief overview and a fuller explanation of practical application. Finally they signpost some further resources for detailed understanding and research. Topic Gateways are available electronically to CIMA Members only in the CPD Centre on the CIMA website, along with a number of electronic resources. About the Technical Information Service CIMA supports its members and students with its Technical Information Service (TIS) for their work and CPD needs. Our information specialists and accounting specialists work closely together to identify or create authoritative resources to help members resolve their work related information needs. Additionally, our accounting specialists can help CIMA members and students with the interpretation of guidance on financial reporting, financial management and performance management, as defined in the CIMA Official Terminology 2005 edition. CIMA members and students should sign into My CIMA to access these services and resources. The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants 26 Chapter Street London SW1P 4NP United Kingdom T. +44 (0)20 7663 5441 F. +44...
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...Conceptualizing a Business Tammie Dillard BUS/475 Aug. 29, 2011 Matt Nosbisch Introduction In present scenario, strategic direction plays a vital role in the overall success or failure of a business organization (Joyce & Woods, 2001). Key strategic elements guide the strategic direction of the organization. Alignment between strategic direction and business activities is essential to ensure the attainment of vision and mission. The selected company is beauty line organization to develop a strategic plan. It will cover vision, mission and guiding principles. Mission Statement A mission is the strategic direction that guides the organization to attain its business goals. To nourish and glow the skin of people will be the mission of beauty line business. To attain the mission, the organization will cover offer different beauty care products to the people. A wide range of beauty care products is offered that covers cosmetics, small instruments to improve beauty and beauty soaps (Joyce & Woods, 2001). Products are developed with a differentiated approach. It assists the company to develop competitive advantage in the respective industry. Vision Statement Vision is what the company wants to attain in its coming years. To become a market leader through differentiation will be the vision of the beauty line organization. To accomplish the vision, product differentiation will be used. An innovative thinking will be followed to ensure creativity in the beauty...
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...Strategic Plan Internal dynamics along with cultural and structural leadership considerations The internal dynamics along with cultural and structural leadership considerations that should be used in implementing business strategy for Riordan is readiness of employees in terms of supporting the new strategic initiatives. Employees should not only be committed towards the implementation of the plan, but should possess extensive knowledge and training and new strategic initiatives. Hence, it is extremely important that Riordan should ensure extensive training for the employees to understand the importance, benefits and know-how to handle the new processes, initiatives and strategic action plan in the organization. It is also important that the existing processes, systems and infrastructure should support the new strategic initiatives in the organization. It is important for Riordan to invest in necessary upgrading of infrastructure and restructuring of processes and systems to support the new business strategies. From a cultural perspective, it is important that Riordan's leadership and management should foster a culture that empowers Riordan's employees to work in a supportive, flexible work environment with adequate decision making authority. The culture of Riordan should be such that employees feel motivated to contribute towards the growth and new initiatives of the organization and remain loyal and committed towards the organization. To develop the quality culture and...
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...Assessing Strategic potential of Singapore Airlines (1100 words) The velocity of competition in recent times has put an extreme demand on corporations to articulate their strategic management in terms of positioning, choices and execution. Strategic positioning is the foundation that establishes organisations strategic potential, what it can do and strategic ambitions, what it actually seeks to do (Johnson et. al 2011). This requires good understanding of the externalinternal environment, organisational purpose and culture. The tools commonly used to develop understanding and perform a strategic analysis are presented in Appendix 1.0.This essay aims to lay the foundation for a comprehensive analysis of current strategic potential of Singapore Airlines (SIA). Firstly, the focus is on how to identify the sources of information about macro environment, unique features of airlines industry and in depth view of internal dynamics of SIA. Secondly, the focus is on comparison of four core tools in terms of relevance, advantages, disadvantages and creative adaptability for SIA. A preliminary application of these tools is made to illustrate the arguments for or against using a particular tool. The essay briefly touches on another crucial aspect of right expertise and competence for an effective analysis. The essay concludes with key observations and recommendations for a further comprehensive analysis of SIA.A simple structure is adopted in this essay as indicated in Fig 1.0 The airlines...
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...FACULTY OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT MGT 790 STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Course Outline 2011 Course Prescription Strategic Management is the process and practice of managerial decision making and implementation that seeks to create and maintain competitive advantage. In essence it determines the long term performance of a business and as such is the role of the senior executive members to refine but the responsibility of all to roll out. Included in the process is comprehensive environmental scanning, strategy formulation (strategic planning), strategy implementation, and monitoring. Students in this course will review how the strategic decision makers within an organisation first identify, define and analyse commercial problems and then develop practical and ethical solutions. It provides a practical guide for, and an initial experience in, strategy formulation and strategic management. Class time will be largely spent in lecture, discussion, case studies and experiential exercises. Students will learn from the theoretical literature, instructor, case studies, videos, research presentations, and from each other. The course materials explain and describe the different aspects, challenges, and stages of strategic management simply and clearly. Goals of the Course To examine and understand the nature and role of strategy, strategic management and strategic leadership within an organization. Learning Outcomes 1. To develop skills in strategic analysis, development...
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...dimensions[hide] * Strategy • Strategic management * Military strategy • Strategic thinking * Strategic planning • Game theory | Thought leaders[hide] * Michael Porter • Henry Mintzberg * Bruce Henderson • Gary Hamel * Jim Collins • Liddell Hart * Carl Von Clausewitz • Sun Tzu | Concepts[hide] * Competitive advantage • Experience curve * Value chain • Portfolio theory * Core competency • Generic strategies | Frameworks & Tools[hide] * SWOT • Five Forces * Balanced scorecard • Strategy map * PEST analysis • Growth–share matrix | * v * t * e | The balanced scorecard (BSC) is a strategy performance management tool - a semi-standard structured report, supported by design methods and automation tools, that can be used by managers to keep track of the execution of activities by the staff within their control and to monitor the consequences arising from these actions.[1] The critical characteristics that define a Balanced Scorecard are[2] * its focus on the strategic agenda of the organisation concerned * the selection of a small number of data items to monitor * a mix of financial and non-financial data items. Contents [hide] * 1 Use * 2 History * 3 Characteristics * 4 Design * 4.1 First Generation Balanced Scorecard * 4.2 Second Generation Balanced Scorecard * 4.3 Third Generation Balanced Scorecard * 5 Popularity * 6 Variants * 7 Criticism * 8 Software tools * 9 See also ...
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...Final Strategic Plan Bus/475 09/19/11 Matthew Nosbisch Introduction Effective cross-functional teaming is vital to the success of a company. Successful companies possess common traits in how its employees execute on tactics. A common trait employees at properious companies have is the ability to collaborate and work well with other employees in different departments that they rely upon for support or assistance to complete a common goal or objective. “Functional tactics are the key, routine activities that must be undertaken in each functional area—marketing, finance, production/operations, R&D, and human resource management—to provide the business’s products and services” (Pearce & Robinson, 2009, p. 309, para 4). Functional managers who provide clear functional tactics enable their employees. Clear functional tactics and direction enable employees to understand what they need to do in their day-to-day work and thereby strengthens accountability. In a present scenario, strategic direction plays a vital role in the overall success or failure of a business organization (Joyce & Woods, 2001). Key strategic elements guide the strategic direction of the organization. Alignment between strategic direction and business activities is essential to ensure the attainment of vision and mission. Strategic Objective According to the vision and mission of Mapua (spring) water company, the main objective of the company is to gain highest shares of the market by providing...
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... | | |Quality Management and Productivity | Copyright © 2010, 2009, 2005, 2004, 2003 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course examines the concepts of continuous improvement and quality management, viewing quality as a systematic process that improves customer satisfaction. The course covers methodologies that will aid managers in assuring that the organization's quality system is effectively meeting the organization's continuous improvement goals. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. • Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Goetsch, D. L., & Davis, S. B. (2010). Quality management for organizational excellence: Introduction to total quality (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. All electronic...
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...Khattab, Adel and Anchor, J.R The Use of Strategic Planning Tools and Techniques by Hotels in Jordan Original Citation Aldehayyat, Jehad S., Al Khattab, Adel and Anchor, J.R (2010) The Use of Strategic Planning Tools and Techniques by Hotels in Jordan. Working Paper. Emerging Markets Research Group University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK. (Unpublished) This version is available at http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/7507/ The University Repository is a digital collection of the research output of the University, available on Open Access. Copyright and Moral Rights for the items on this site are retained by the individual author and/or other copyright owners. Users may access full items free of charge; copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided: • • • The authors, title and full bibliographic details is credited in any copy; A hyperlink and/or URL is included for the original metadata page; and The content is not changed in any way. For more information, including our policy and submission procedure, please contact the Repository Team at: E.mailbox@hud.ac.uk. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/ The Use of Strategic Planning Tools and Techniques by Hotels in Jordan ABSTRACT Purpose This paper aims to understand the use of strategic planning tools and techniques and the nature of its relationship...
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...-:Strategic Management:- “Strategic management is an ongoing process that evaluates and controls the business and the industries in which the company is involved; assesses its competitors and sets goals and strategies to meet all existing and potential competitors; and then reassesses each strategy annually or quarterly [i.e. regularly] to determine how it has been implemented and whether it has succeeded or needs replacement by a new strategy to meet changed circumstances, new technology, new competitors, a new economic environment., or a new social, financial, or political environment.” Financial Benefits: 1. Improvement in sales. 2. Improvement in profitability. 3. Improvement in productivity. Non-Financial Benefits: 1. Improved understanding of competitors strategies. 2. Enhanced awareness of threats. 3. Reduced resistance to change. 4. Enhanced problem-prevention capabilities. The Main Advantages of Strategic Management 1. Discharges Board Responsibility The first reason that most organizations state for having a strategic management process is that it discharges the responsibility of the Board of Directors. 2. Forces An Objective Assessment Strategic management provides a discipline that enables the board and senior management to actually take a step back from the day-to-day business to think about the future of the organization. Without this discipline, the organization can become...
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...professionals in determining the analysis of current and past activities, and aids them to predict future events in the organization or business. This leaves room and time for strategic planning processes in the organization. Business Intelligence Systems mostly carries the weight of strategic and well analyzed decision making. This is a system that any business organization should take into consideration, due to the fact that it promotes the opportunity for organizations to acquire, extract, and analyze data for beneficial information. Business Intelligence Systems gives organization managers and professionals the ability to acquire and determine solutions to a vast amount of future organization scenarios and complications. This aids in the rendering of the best possible result or outcome so that upper management in an organization can take action. Utilizing Business Intelligence Systems is the best way for higher management in organizations to make or determine accurate decisions for their organizations; the ability for upper management to use this system leads any organization to success. Most organizations tend to capitalize due to the benefits brought by utilizing the Business Intelligence System. Any organization can benefit from a system that generates useful or relevant reports, and graphs for upper management to utilize and make sense of in order to analyze that business or organizations trends. Business Intelligence Systems involves the use of Business Intelligence Software...
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...importance of a strategic plan for the success of the defined business. Strategic planning is critical to business success. Different from classic business planning, the strategic variety involves vision, mission and outside-of-the-box thinking. Strategic planning describes where you want your company to go, not necessarily how you're going to get there. However, like all other "travel plans," without knowing where you want to go, creating details on how to arrive are meaningless. Strategic planning defines the "where" that your company is heading. Strategic planning is the core of any business. Thompson, A.A., Strickland, A.J., & Gamble, J.E. (2010) Crafting and Executing Strategy: The quest for competitive advantage: Concepts and cases: 2009 custom edition (17th ed). Unlike business plans, there is no one right way to create effective strategic planning. It is, by definition, brainstorming at its best. Strategic planning involves "feel" just as much as it depends on management science. Since it depends on creativity and outside-the-box thinking, there is no perfect way to design a winning strategic plan. The more you understand your company, your industry, and your corporate "wish list," the better a winning strategic plan you'll create. Pearce, John, & Robinson, Richard Strategic Management 12th edition As critical as business planning is to the success of your company, all plans are useless unless followed by action. An additional side benefit of strategic planning is...
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...QCF LEVEL 7 EXTENDED DIPLOMA IN STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP STRATEGIC CHANGE MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT UNIT: STUDENT NAME : COLLEGE ID : TUTOR : SUBMISSION DATE : WORD COUNT : TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction …………………………………………………………………………… 03 LO1. Understand the background to organizational strategic change 1.1 Discuss a minimum of three established models of strategic change, highlighting the differences in approach. 1.2 Evaluate the relevance of models of strategic change, and using examples from organizations, Explain why the models for change are appropriate in their selected examples. 1.3 Assess the value of using strategic intervention techniques that are used in organizations. LO2. Understand issues relating to strategic change in an organization 2.1 Examine the need for strategic change in an organization. 2.2 Show an understanding of the forces that are impacting on an organization and driving the need for Change. 2.3 Assess the resource implications of the organization not responding to strategic change. It is Expected that learners will assess the relevant financial, human and physical resources. LO3. Be able to lead stakeholders in developing a strategy for change 3.1 Develop systems to involve stakeholders in the planning of change. The systems need to be Appropriate...
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...Topic Gateway Series Strategic Analysis Tools Strategic Analysis Tools Topic Gateway Series No. 34 Prepared by Jim Downey and Technical Information Service 1 October 2007 Topic Gateway Series Strategic Analysis Tools About Topic Gateways Topic Gateways are intended as a refresher or introduction to topics of interest to CIMA members. They include a basic definition, a brief overview and a fuller explanation of practical application. Finally they signpost some further resources for detailed understanding and research. Topic Gateways are available electronically to CIMA Members only in the CPD Centre on the CIMA website, along with a number of electronic resources. About the Technical Information Service CIMA supports its members and students with its Technical Information Service (TIS) for their work and CPD needs. Our information specialists and accounting specialists work closely together to identify or create authoritative resources to help members resolve their work related information needs. Additionally, our accounting specialists can help CIMA members and students with the interpretation of guidance on financial reporting, financial management and performance management, as defined in the CIMA Official Terminology 2005 edition. CIMA members and students should sign into My CIMA to access these services and resources. The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants 26 Chapter Street London SW1P 4NP United Kingdom T. +44 (0)20 7663 5441 F. +44...
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