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The Need for Strategic Management

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The Need for Strategic Management The primary components of a strategic management process vary according to the organization; however, the need to develop effectively a strategic process is a core responsibility of any successful organization. A strategy is a plan that an organization develops to accomplish its long-term goals and objectives. The four phases of strategic management are phases that a manager must experience to address the needs of a changing environment. The phases consist; of basic financial planning, forecast-based planning, externally oriented planning, and strategic management. As defined by (Wheelen & Hunger, 2010), strategic management is a set of managerial decisions and actions that sets the tone and focus of the long term performance for an organization. Goals and objectives identify what the company plan to achieve and provide. Goals and objectives are vital to an organization to ensure that the business is consistently growing and meeting the expectations of stakeholders. Stakeholders are concerned with the profitability of the organization and the security of his or her investments (Wheelen & Hunger, 2010). The benefits of strategic management aids to provide are a clear vision for the firm, a specific focus on what is strategically needed, and an improved sense of understanding when evaluating the environment and the changes occurring. Meaning, a corporation that has a strategic plan has the competitive advantage over other corporations not as advanced in the area of planning, implementing, and controls. Strategic management not only requires that the functions of a corporation are aligned with the mission and objectives of the organization, but managers must be aware of any external factors that may harm the reputation and productivity of the company (Wheelen & Hunger, 2010). General Electric (GE) developed an

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