Strategic Direction Essays (Examples)

Strategic Planning

The business that I want to start is a small barbeque and soul food restaurant. This business will have one location to begin with. The business will be defined by the quality of the food and the fun, comfortable atmosphere of the restaurant. This paper will first explain the benefits of strategic planning, and then outline some of the strategic plan for my new restaurant.

Strategic planning is "an organizational management activity that is used to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure that employees and other stakeholders are working towards common goals and ensure that the organization is setting its direction in relation to the external environment (BSI, 2013). Thus, strategic planning begins with a mission and vision for the company and what it wants to accomplish. These things underpin the actions and directions that the company wants to take.

There are several different elements…

References

BSI. (2013). What is strategic planning? Balanced Scorecard Institute. Retrieved December 4, 2013 from https://balancedscorecard.org/Resources/StrategicPlanningBasics/tabid/459/Default.aspx

Ashkenas, R. (2013). Four tips for better strategic planning. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved December 4, 2013 from  http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/10/four-tips-for-better-strategic-planning/ 

Conerly, B. (2013). 3 strategic planning pitfalls. Forbes. Retrieved December 4, 2013 from  http://www.forbes.com/sites/billconerly/2013/08/15/3-strategic-planning-pitfalls/ 

Norman, L. (2013). What are the four basic functions that make up the management process? Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 4, 2013 from  http://smallbusiness.chron.com/four-basic-functions-make-up-management-process-23852.html

In both cases, Barclaycard should expand with the aid of its already existent products. Were the new markets or territories to retrieve the desired outcomes, the bank could develop and launch new products and services.

3. ecommended Alternatives

Out of the strategic alternatives presented in the previous section, the organization has to choose those that best fit its unique needs and features. They must also focus on the strategies that help the bank better adapt to the changes and requirements of the micro and macro environments. In order to make the best informed decision, the officials at Barclaycard should analyze each strategy proposed and identify its positive and negative implications. Based on the analysis, the final recommendation would be made.

The product diversification strategy implies additional expenditure and does not guarantee a positive return on investment, just like the expansion strategy for that matter. The first one however is necessary…

References

Batlz-Lazo, B., Hacialloglu, N., Barclaycard: Still the King of Plastic?, Case Study

Dorf, R.C., Byers, T.H., 2004, Technology Ventures: From Idea to Enterprise, the McGraw Hill Companies

Hoskisson, R.E., Hitt, M.A., 1994, Downscoping: How to Tame the Diversified Firm, Oxford University Press

Kono, T., Clegg, S.R., 1998, Transformation of Corporate Culture: Experiences of Japanese Enterprises, Walter de Gruyter Inc.

Strategic Management

The Case for Diversification

Deltacom/Earthlink is facing a challenging operating environment. As a regional player in an intensely-competitive market, we face an uncertain future. We acquired Deltacom in order to facilitate future growth, but a quick look at our financials indicates that our growth has flatlined and our profits declined to almost nothing last year (MSN Moneycentral, 2013). One of the issues is that there was considerable overlap between Earthlink and Deltacom, and we felt that this would provide us with synergies, in reality it simply made us bigger without enhancing our operations or reducing our risk. At this point, we probably need a new strategic direction in order to ensure our future survival. Diversification is one of the best strategies to achieve this.

In portfolio management, diversification is a strategy where a number of different types of investments are created in a single portfolio (Investopedia, 2013). The…

References

Investopedia. (2013). Definition of diversification. Investopedia. Retrieved November 22, 2013 from  

The main advantage is that the stories are well documented and written in an objective manner.

008, GSK Outlines Plans to Become More 'Biotech-like', Fierce Biotech, http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/gsk-outlines-plans-become-more-biotech/008-06-10 last accessed on June 3, 009

009, GlaxoSmithKline Plc., Hoovers, last accessed on June 3, 009 -- Hoovers is a centralized database that reveals information on multiple organizations. The benefit is that the data offered is extensive and comprises features such as industry forecasts, competition nature and organizational financial highlight, alongside with description of the respective company. The downside of the source is however given by the reduced amount of free information and for more extensive data, the user has to create a paid account.

009, The Industry Handbook -- Biotechnology, Investopedia, http://www.investopedia.com/features/industryhandbook/biotech.asp last accessed on June 3, 009 -- Investopedia.com has been developed as an initiative of the highly popular and leading business publication Forbes. It can be useful for novice as…

2009, Website of GSK,  http://www.gsk.com  last accessed on June 3, 2009 -- The official of the British pharmaceutical company is a highly useful research tool as it contains vast information on the organization, its strategies and its products. It is however insufficient as it does not contain any information on the overall industry and as the organizational information are presented from their angle, without mentions of organizational problems.

2009, myalli.com,  http://www.myalli.com  / last accessed on June 3, 2009 -- the website presents the features of the Alli weight loss program in a manner that makes it attractive to the prospective buyer. The main role of the website was that of promoting the product, familiarizing the population with its existence and boosting sales. Despite the offering of extensive data on the product, the website under the patronage of GSK reveals the disadvantage of only praising the product and not seeming objective.

GSK 2008 Annual Report, Retrieved from

In this sense, one could consider launching several new brands, specifically adapted to the South African market, created especially for it.

Second of all, in the markets where SA is a challenger, the main strategic objective is the increase of the company's market share. The current activity in this sense, with the acquisition of several important brands, seems to have delivered the expected results. As a pointer, it is advisable that the capacities in Central and South Eastern Europe be efficiently used, as these can provide significant scale economies for the company, given the lower overall production costs available in the countries. SA has already purchased local brands in Romania, Poland, Hungary or the Czech Republic, but, considering the particular efficiency of each of these local brands, the operating capacities can also be used to produce original SA brands (although in this case, one needs to consider the European market's…

Bibliography

1. 2005. SAB Miller plc -Annual Report 2004. Page 2. On the Internet at  

Each will be tied to different tactical objectives and timeframes. The effectiveness of the process will be measured in terms of adherence to time frames, cost and key market variables such as penetration and market share. Each variable should be quantitative to facilitate ease of measurement and evaluation.

A wide variety of legal issues will need to be considered. Doing business is foreign countries creates significant exposure to risk, in that the foreign legal environment can be substantially different from the domestic one. The nature and intensity of these differences will be considered. Also, it will be considered if there are any legal or ethical considerations domestically as a result of overseas expansion. To use an extreme example, setting up a factory in Cuba would create a host of legal and ethical concerns that would need to be accounted for in the option evaluation process. It will be critical to…

Mitchell, Charles & Curry, Jeffrey E. (2003). A Short Course in International Business Ethics: Combining Ethics and Profits in Global Business. World Trade Press, Petaluma. 2003.

No author. (2000). Chapter Four: The Legal, Political/Trade Environment. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved February 22, 2009 at http://www.fao.org/docrep/W5973E/w5973e08.htm

Boyce, Sharon Yvette. (2007). Using Intellectual Capital and Organizational Capacity to Enhance Strategic Implementation for Pharmaceutical Firms. Journal of Business and Public Affairs. Retrieved February 22, 2009 at http://www.scientificjournals.org/journals2007/articles/1072.htm

(J & J. Official ebsite, 2005) This is a wise description in that, rather than specializing in one arena of health care, Johnson and Johnson's diversity of products and character buffets it against some of the specific regulatory turmoil that has affected largely pharmaceutically-based health care companies, such as Pfizer and Merck. The stress on local managerial control also allows the company's diversity to be regionally specific and focused, tailored to the needs of its environment. Its lack of directive control is a calculated strategic decision of control that allows regional branches of J&J both to take advantage of J&J's diversity as a company and to tailor the company's resources to the region commercially.

orks Cited

Strategic Control." (2004) Johnson & Johnson Official Investor ebsite. Retrieved 1 Jan 2005 at http://www.investor.jnj.com/strategic.cfm

Works Cited

Strategic Control." (2004) Johnson & Johnson Official Investor Website. Retrieved 1 Jan 2005 at http://www.investor.jnj.com/strategic.cfm

Strategic Management

It is very important that the factor of 'change' figures within an organization prominently. Different people utilize different approaches to implement these changes, and most often, it is that particular method that suits the organization the best that is used. Among some of the tried and tested methods of implementing change within an organization is the 'Delta Technique', which is one of the more popular and extremely successful methods used by the management. 'Delta' in fact means 'a small change' in Greek, and this is in essence what it represents. This technique has its base on the theory of Lewin, 1952, and it revolves around the three stages of change, like for example, when a piece of ice changes its shape, and it goes through unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. (Strategies for implementing change: an experiential approach)

Lewin has stated that it is very important to devote both time…

References

Augustine. R. (July 04, 2001) "Planning and innovation in R& D" Business Line. Retrieved From  http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/businessline/2001/07/04/stories/040467au.htm  Accessed on 7 July, 2005

'All about Dividends" Retrieved From

 http://beginnersinvest.about.com/od/dividendsdrips1/a/aa040904.htm 

Accessed on 6 July, 2005

Strategic Planning & Strategy Formulation

Case: Strategic Planning & Strategy Formulation

Case Assignment -- Comcast

Comcast's Current Strategy

Current Event Blog

Discussion Question: Strategy Planning and Formulation

Case

Strategy Implementation & Evaluation

Current Event Blog 4 -- Strategy Implementation & Evaluation

Discussion Question: Strategy Implementation and Evaluation

eflective Discussion

Case: Strategic Planning & Strategy Formulation

Case Assignment -- Comcast

Comcast's Current Strategy

Comcast has developed a current business strategy that is completely focused on the customer. The company has positioned itself at the "intersection of media and technology" (Corporate.comcast.com, 2016). The company seems to be doing well and in 2015 the company had raised their dividend by 10%, for the eighth consecutive year.

The present strategy of the company is to focus on innovation and enhancing of customer experience and being innovative at the same time. The company claims that this strategy has paid off well for them. In fact,…

References

Business success: Strategic unit comprehensive computer-based Expert support system. (1991). Long-Range Planning, 24(3), 107-108.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0024-6301 (91)90212-7

Carter, T. (2016). Comcast rolls out strategy for new emphasis on customer care. Mississippi Business Journal, p. 1. Retrieved from  http://msbusiness.com/2015/05/comcast-rolls-out-strategy-for-new-emphasis-on-customer-care/ 

Collins, M., & Winrow, B. (2010). Porter's generic strategies as applied toward e -- etailers post -- e Leegin. Journal Of Product & Brand Management, 19(4), 306-311.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/10610421011059621 

Cooper, C., & Finkelstein, S. (2009). Advances in mergers and acquisitions. Bingley: Emerald Group Pub.

General Electric (Collis, Montgomery, 2008) pioneered the development of this framework, working in conjunction with the oston Consulting Group to tailor its specific market sizing and profitability measures to the conglomerate of businesses that comprised GE at the time. One of the key assumptions of the CG Growth/Share Matrix is that there must be continual monitoring of the market, specifically competitors and relative market share growth over time. Only by continually measuring and monitoring these two attributes can the Growth/Share matrix be an effective framework for strategic planning. GE, through their Crotonville Learning Center in Connecticut also defined a series of external customer-facing processes that managers at GE could use to gain the critical information they needed to populate the CG Growth/Share Matrix and use it as a planning tool. Soon other larger multinational corporations (MNCs) with complex value chains and series of unrelated businesses also relied on the key…

Bibliography

Stewart Adam, Andrea Vocino, David Bednall. 2009. The world wide web in modern marketing's contribution to organisational performance. Marketing Intelligence & Planning 27, no. 1 (January 1): 7-24.

Deborah F. Beard. 2009. Successful Applications of the Balanced Scorecard in Higher Education. Journal of Education for Business 84, no. 5 (May 1): 275-282.

Josh Bernoff, Charlene Li. 2008. Harnessing the Power of the Oh-So-Social Web. MIT Sloan Management Review 49, no. 3 (April 1): 36-42.

Rob Docters, Christine Durman, Tracy Korman, Bert Schefers. 2008. The neglected demand curve: how to build one and how to benefit. The Journal of Business Strategy 29, no. 5 (September 1): 19-25.

McDonald's strategic issue is a fundamental policy question or challenge affecting an organization's mandates, mission, and values; product or service level and mix; clients, users, or payers; or costs, financing, structure, or management (Bryson, 1995). This paper describes a strategic issue faced by fast food giant McDonald's, which is fighting to maintain its position as a market leader.

McDonald's has built one of the most successful fast food franchises in the world, with incredible growth for over three decades. The company's long-term strategy has focused on uniformity in its product, service, and the consistency of its information systems. However, with a slew of recent challenges, McDonald's learning that times are changing. The company's main new concern is portraying their sense of healthy eating habits and staying ahead of the competition.

McDonald's reached a low point in 2001, when customer-satisfaction surveys revealed that the company was falling well behind its competitors,…

References

AP. (March 3, 2004). McDonald's Scrapping 'Supersize'. Associated Press.

Bryson, John M. (1995). Strategic Planning for public and non-profit organizations. Jossey Bass.

Green, Alison. (October 14, 2004). Big Mac's makeover. The Economist.

Tsao, Amy. (October 10, 2004). Salad Days for McDonald's? Business Week.

eviving a Company: How to Bring New Life to a Mature Business

An Independent Learning Project

Poly-Metal Finishing, Inc. is a company that has had a successful history of more than thirty years in the metal-working industry, providing complete anodic service to the aerospace, military and commercial sectors. I have worked for this company for eight years and am now part of the management team.

With a change in management has come the need for a revision in management philosophy. We have seen an erosion in employee dedication over the years, partly as a result of somewhat authoritarian and outdated leadership philosophies. We have undertaken to research and analyze the factors that experts have determined are essential to the creative health of a company and how this climate can be brought about. Our goal is to preserve the positive elements of PMF, while correcting the negatives, with the aim of…

References

Atkinson, Philip E. (1990). Creating Culture Change: The Key to Successful Total Quality Management. San Diego: Pfeiffer and Company.

Beck, Nuala. (1993). Shifting Gears: Thriving in the New Economy. Toronto: HarperPerennial, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Crosby, Philip B. (1979). Quality Is Free: The Art of Making Quality Certain. New York: A Mentor Book, Penguin Books, USA.

Daniels, Aubrey C. (1994). Bringing Out the Best in People: How to Apply the Astonishing Power of Positive Reinforcement. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.

This alignment of listening strategies and strategic plans stops short however in the area of globalization and cultural variation.

An example of this short-coming is in how the Hofstede Model of Cultural Dimensions is not used in this analysis to show how a leader listens across different cultures can have a major effect on the effectiveness of this strategy (Hofstede, McCrae, 2004). The five cultural dimensions Hofstede discusses is also not included from the standpoint of aligning strategies to the unique cultural requirements of different nations as well. Including this in the analysis would have also made the listening competence of the HUIE Model more relevant to unique geographies and their respective cultural differences as well (Hofstede, McCrae, 2004).

Most significant however is the need for anchoring the HUIE Model 6 stage learning process into the strategic planning process in a more agile, and market-driven framework. As it stands, the…

References

Brownell, Judi . 2008. "Exploring the Strategic Ground for Listening and Organizational Effectiveness." Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 211-229.

Jeffrey H. Dyer, and Kentaro Nobeoka. 2000. Creating and managing a high-performance knowledge-sharing network: The Toyota case. Strategic Management Journal: Special Issue: Strategic Networks 21, no. 3, (March 1): 345-367.

Geert Hofstede, and Robert R. McCrae. 2004. Personality and Culture Revisited: Linking Traits and Dimensions of Culture. Cross - Cultural Research 38, no. 1, (February 1): 52-88.

Richard Teare, Hadyn Ingram, Gordon Prestoungrange, and Eric Sandelands. 2002. High performance learning at work. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 14, no. 7, (January 1): 375-381.

Strategic Analysis of Comcast / Comcast Corporation's Strategy

Key Strategies Implemented by Comcast

Viewpoint on Strategic Direction of Comcast

CS of Comcast

ecommendations for Future

As one of the country's biggest internet, video and telephone service providers, Comcast provides its services both to business and individual customers, one of its brands, Xfinity. It has four areas of diversification in terms of business, two being the top ones and these are the NBC Universal and the Comcast Cable. Through its NBC Universal arm, it serves a wide variety of groups, such as television audiences through its NBC and Telemundo networks; movie makers through television production; movie goers through Universal Pictures; and those looking for recreation and relaxation through its Universal Parks and esorts. It has also ventured into the area of sports management through its Comcast-Spectator. The venture firm, Comcast Ventures, looks for innovative businesses in which to invest by coming…

References

Comcast NBC Universal. (2015). 2015 Corporate Social Responsibility Report. 1-48. Available on  https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://corporate.comcast.com/images/2015-Corporate-Social-Responsibility-Report.pdf&ved=0CBwQFjABahUKEwiVgazWmv3IAhWUCI4KHT2qDhY&usg=AFQjCNGdYvPuee5BMcpwXlbKRsj2yvO3Nw 

Corporate Comcast. (2015). Company Overview. Comcast Video Blogs. Retrieved from  http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/company-overview  on 6th November, 2015.

Corporate Comcast. (2015b). NBCUuniversal and Buzzfeed Announce Strategic Investment. Comcast Video Blogs. Retrieved from  http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/news-feed/nbcuniversal-and-buzzfeed-announce-strategic-investmenton  6th November, 2015.

Lev-Ram, M. (2015). Beset by big customer service problems, Comcast promises a big fix. Fortune, Time Inc. Retrieved from  http://fortune.com/2015/05/05/comcast-hiring-call-center  / on 6th November, 2015.

Strategic Development

Supporting Strategic Development

One of the biggest development issues any company ahs is if they are at a stage where growth into new markets is possible. At some point the market place is going to get so crowded that a company has to decide whether it is going to try and survive in the present market or forge into new ones. Or, the company can simply create a new market through a niche product. Whatever the solution, the company first has to tak a close look at itself to determine if it is a good idea for them or not. The process by which companies do this is by determining a strategic plan whereby it is possible. To implement this strategic plan a company will have use different approaches that take into account how the company is doing at all levels of the process. Considering that a certain…

References

Buzzell, R.D., & Gale, B.T., (1987). The PIMS (profit impact of market strategy) principles: Linking strategy to performance. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Dias, L.M.C. (2001). A definition of robustness analysis in decision aiding. Retrieved March 15, 2012 from http://www4.fe.uc.pt/lmcdias/english/defroba.htm

Manktelow, J., & Carson, A. (2010). Risk analysis: Evaluating and managing the risks that you face. Retrieved March 19, 2012 from  http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_07.htm 

Osborn, A.F. (1963). Applied imagination: Principles and procedures for creative problem solving. New York: Scribner & Sons.

Strategic Management Action: Strategic Position, Choices, And Strategy Implementation

Strategic management is stated to be the "process by which an organization formulates its objectives and manages to achieve them. Strategy is the means to achieve the organizational ends." (Thomas, nd) Managers are required to have a strategic vision in order to become strategic managers and implement strategic management initiatives. The strategic vision of the manager is inclusive of the following elements:

(1) The ability to solve complex and more complex problems;

(2) The knowledge to be more anticipatory in perspective and approach, and (3) The willingness to develop options for the future. (Thomas, nd)

The work of Peter Drucker states that the primary task of strategic management is the focus on the business overall mission and states:

"…that is, of asking the question What is our usiness? This leads to the setting of objectives, the development of strategies, and the…

Bibliography

Futuring: Strategic Planning for Making Your Visions Come True. J. Scott Thornton. American Society of Association Executives, 1986.

Introducing Strategy (nd) Strategy Lab -- Chapter 1. Retrieved from:  http://catalogue.pearsoned.co.uk/assets/hip/gb/hip_gb_pearsonhighered/samplechapter/0273757253.pdf 

Long-Range Planning. American Society of Association Executives. 202/626-2748 2. Planning for the Future. By Stephen Gilbert. American Society of Association Executives, 1986.

Manual OD Toolkit (nd) Retrieved from: http://www.zenska-mreza.hr/prirucnik/en/en_manual.htm

As is shown in the low penetration globally an enhanced media platform is also critical for the company to take advantage of these trends.

Apple echnology Sourcing and Internal Innovation

he company is susceptible to a supply risk for key components. IBM is currently the company's sole supplier of the PowerPC G5 processor, which is used in its current Power Mac, Xserve, and iMac G5 products. Freescale is the sole supplier of the G4 processor, which is used in the company's eMac, Mac mini, and portable products. IBM experienced manufacturing problems with the PowerPC G5 processor, which resulted in delaying the shipment of various products and constrained certain product shipments during 2004, 2005 and in the first quarter of 2006. In a market where speed to market is critical, Apple's dependency for key components could put it at a competitive disadvantage.

Apple outsources the majority of its manufacturing for both…

The company is susceptible to a supply risk for key components. IBM is currently the company's sole supplier of the PowerPC G5 processor, which is used in its current Power Mac, Xserve, and iMac G5 products. Freescale is the sole supplier of the G4 processor, which is used in the company's eMac, Mac mini, and portable products. IBM experienced manufacturing problems with the PowerPC G5 processor, which resulted in delaying the shipment of various products and constrained certain product shipments during 2004, 2005 and in the first quarter of 2006. In a market where speed to market is critical, Apple's dependency for key components could put it at a competitive disadvantage.

Apple outsources the majority of its manufacturing for both its iPod and Mac product lines to Taiwanese companies such as Hon Hai, Asustek, Quanta, and Inventec. The company's largest component suppliers include Intel for PC microprocessors, Toshiba for 1.8" iPod hard disk drives, and Samsung for NAND flash.

With the rapid growth of its iPod line, management of the supply chain has become a focal point for Apple, enabling the company to

Strategic planning is a systemic and elaborate plan of action expressing the future move or plans a company plans to take. It is a long-term plan that a company puts down in an attempt to shape or build the future. It gives an organization the direction and a goal. This plan can be laid down to cover the near future, but it can run longer depending on the organization's plans. For most organizations, the strategic plan usually focuses on the entire organization. However, a strategic plan can focus on a department or on one product only. This is referred to as a business plan. Strategic planning involves different models, perspectives and approaches, and this depends on the organization leadership, its culture, the planners and also its size, Boyd & euning-Elliott, 1998()

The Sweet Peas Catering services company has the objective of not only delivering their products to the customers but…

References

Boyd, B.K., & Reuning-Elliott, E. (1998). A Measurement Model of Strategic Planning. Strategic Management Journal, 19(2), 181-192.

Powell, J.H. (2001). Generating Networks for Strategic Planning by Successive Key Factor Modification. The Journal of the Operational Research Society, 52(4), 369-382.

Strategic Linkages

The modern day working environment is the result of decades of evolution. The labor force initially set its basis in the Industrial Revolution, when the people moved from villages to towns and cities in order to become factory workers and pursue better lives. What they found was nevertheless different from a better life, as they were exploited, overworked, underpaid and forced to live and function in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

Since those times however, the labor force has gained more and more rights, which are enforced through legislations. The modern day employees then are the most valuable asset within the company, as they support the company in attaining its objectives. In such a setting, the role of the Human Resource Department in the organizational setting has become more complex, to be assessed as part of an integrated and multifaceted strategic setting. At this level, it is important to…

Therefore, they use strict evaluation criteria to make choice among different alternatives. Keeping in view the strength of customers' bargaining power, Toyota and other automakers are expending huge amounts on advertisements and promotional campaigns to create awareness about their brands and convince these customers to prefer them over all other brands (Jenny & Scammon, 2010).

5. Internal Environmental Analysis for Toyota Motor Corporation

5.1. The esources Types:

Like other types of business corporations, Toyota also relies on four different organizational resources. These are: financial resources, human resources, informational resources, and physical resources. Financial resources are the money invested by the company's shareholders and the profits left after paying off liabilities. These resources enable the company to run its day-to-day operations, run marketing campaigns, and make strategic investments to keep it innovative and competitive in all aspects. Secondly, the human resources are the intellectual capital that plays a major role in…

References

Bearden, W.O., Ingram, T.N. & LaForge, R.W. (2007). Marketing: Principles and Perspectives, 5th Edition. Boston, Mass: McGraw-Hill

Blythe, J., & Megicks, P. (2010). Marketing Planning: Strategy, Environment and Context, 3rd Edition. U.K: Prentice Hall

Brassington, F. & Pettitt, S. (2006). Principles of Marketing, 4th Edition. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall

Frederic, M., Agnes, V. & John, M. (2011). Pest Analysis, 2nd Edition. U.K: Gardners Books

Strategic Management

Mission and Vision

Brocade Communications systems "provides innovative network solutions that helps the world's leading organizations transition smoothly to a virtualized world where applications and information can reside anywhere" (Brocade.com, 2013). The company notes that "these solution deliver the unique capabilities for a more flexible IT infrastructure with unmatched simplicity, non-stop networking, application optimization, and investment protection" (Ibid).

This is the company's description of its business, and is not specifically billed as a mission or vision statement, this is precisely what it is. The company is stating what it does, what its vision of its market is, and how it seeks to deliver value to its customers. There are all good elements of a mission statement, so in that sense this description of the business can be evaluated as a business statement. The company's focuses on data centers, Ethernet, storage and converged network solutions. The company competes with…

References

Brocade.com (2013). About Brocade. Retrieved November 30, 2013 from  http://www.brocade.com/company/about-brocade/index.page 

Brocade Q4 and FY 2013 Report. Retrieved November 30, 2013 from http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/BRCD/2817837717x0x707768/6cb0cbe6-e365-44b5-ad6e-76c2fa174d50/Brocade_Reports_Fourth_Quarter_and_Fiscal_2013_Results.pdf

Caplinger, D. (2013). Can Brocade kick Cisco and Juniper while they're down? Motley Fool. Retrieved November 30, 2013 from  http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/11/14/can-brocade-kick-cisco-and-juniper-while-theyre-do.aspx 

MSN Moneycentral: Brocade (2013). Retrieved November 30, 2013 from  http://investing.money.msn.com/investments/stock-price?symbol=BRCD&ocid=qbes

Strategic Plan

This is a strategic plan for a business start-up that will be a pet store with an adoption center specializing in eco-friendly products and services for large breed dogs. The store will have a physical location and an internet Web site where people can buy products and get information about owning and caring for large breed dogs such as great Danes, Great Pyrenees, Irish Wolfhounds and Newfound lands. The store will be called Big Dogs. The first step in developing the business is to create a vision statement and mission statement for the business and then to develop objectives, strategies, goals and programs (Planware, n.d.).

Vision Statement

A vision statement should tell the world what the business wants to become. Vision provides the long-term perspective and your reason for being -- why you are in business (May, 2010). A clear business vision improves organizational performance and helps attract…

References

May, Gary L. (2010). Strategic Planning: Fundamentals for Small Business. New York: Business Expert Press, LLC.

Planware (n.d.). Business Planning Papers: Developing a Strategic Plan. Retrieved from  http://www.planware.org/strategicplan.htm#1

Then they can transfer them to all the business units and follow through. A best practice of an organization provides it with unique and distinctive competence and cost/benefit impact. Therefore the transfer and sharing of the best practice organization wide becomes necessary for attaining a competitive edge.

enchmarking attempts to improve business processes by analyzing the top-notch approaches of others and adapting it to one's own organization to achieve a competitive lead. est practices and benchmarking can give an organization strategic, operational, and financial advantage. ench marking is an attempt by an organization to look for continuous improvement. Japanese concept of "Kaizen" or continuous improvement also considers benchmarking an important part of its philosophy. enchmarking can also require management to think out of the box. For example, if someone wants to see the standards for team management in the steel industry they might look for the best practice in the…

Bibliography

Choy, C., Suk, C. 2005, 'Critical Factors In The Successful Implementation Of Knowledge Management', Journal of Knowledge Management Practice, Available at;

 http://www.tlainc.com/articl90.htm 

David, Fred R. 1991, Strategic Management. 3rd Ed. McMillan

Dehoff K., Neilson, G. et al. 2001, 'Best practices transfer: Unleashing the value within', Available at;

Strategic Management in Business Development

The term "strategic planning" is generally used in the narrow sense, namely the application of management tools to address areas such as, profitability, efficiency, growth and competitive advantage. Ultimately, to address concerns of stakeholders for increase shareholder value and long-term competitiveness.

Business development is at the heart of strategic thinking and needs imagination and innovation. It should be proactive and anticipatory. It involves the creation of a unique configuration of the company's key features, which will match the challenges of its environment and provides strategic advantage. There are two distinct phases:

The option generation phase, where creativity must be allowed to flourish and diverse ideas emerge.

The option selection phase, where the options are narrowed down through a systematic filtering process.

The process is often iterative with multiple cycles occurring through the two phases.

In the first phase the strategic management team works with the…

Works Cited

Aguilar, F. (1967). Scanning the business environment. New York: Macmillan.

Brown, A., & Weiner, E. (1985). Super managing: How to harness change for personal and organizational success. New York: Mentor.

Brown, L.R., Slavin, C., & Postel, S. (1991). Saving the planet: How to shape an environmentally sustainable global economy. New York W.W. Norton and Co.

Coates, J.F., Inc. (1985, July). Issues identification and management: The state of the art of methods and techniques. Research project 2345-28. Palo Alto, CA: Electric Power Research Group.

raster graphics, wire-frame and 3D modeling performance, and refresh rates of their screens. What began to occur in the company's culture as a result of this focus on graphics performance and CPU acceleration was a bifurcation or splitting of product lines. At the high end Apple was gradually turning into a workstation company that could easily challenge Sun Microsystems or Silicon Graphics for supremacy of graphically-based calculations. At the low-end, the company was pursuing an aggressive strategy of dominating special-purpose laptops.

This strategy was entirely predicated on the core metrics of price/performance on hardware defining a culture that put pricing above all else, paradoxically nearly driving the company out of business during this period. The focus on metrics that were meant to purely define the Apple competitive advantage made the company descend into pricing wars with competitors whose business models were much more attuned to pricing competition. The metrics the…

Reference

Berling, Robert J. (1993). The emerging approach to business strategy: Building a relationship advantage. Business Horizons, 36(4), 16. Accessed from: http://www.berlingassociates.com/features/horizon.pdf

Keidel, Robert . THE GEOMETRY OF STRATEGY New York: Routledge, May 2010

Sakakibara, Kiyonori, Lindholm, Chris, & Ainamo, Antti. (1995). Product development strategies in emerging markets: The case of personal digital assistants. Business Strategy Review, 6(4), 23. Accessed from  http://www.soc.utu.fi/laitokset/iasm/SakakibaraEtAlPDAs1995.pdf

At Google, areas of interest include their intensive sustainability commitment to promote eco-friendly buildings and energy efficiency, the company's approach to managing the Chinese government relationship and messaging, and the torrent of new applications they produce. In conclusion, the organizations I'd seek out to work for after graduation would have brands that were global and could use my skill set of globally-based coordination and intercultural collaboration while also being highly creative with a pace that made programs challenging yet attainable.

Upload a 300-500-word persuasive essay that describes what you understand to be the fundamental role of public relations in society. Illustrate your commentary by citing a recent example (good or bad) of strategic public relations at work from an area of the field that is of particular interest to you.

At its most strategic, public relations seeks to unify the messaging and communications across a company while ensuring accuracy, authenticity…

References

Hamilton, J., Knouse, S., & Hill, V. (2009). Google in China: A Manager-Friendly Heuristic Model for Resolving Cross-Cultural Ethical Conflicts. Journal of Business Ethics, 86(2), 143-157.

James S. O'Rourke IV, Brynn Harris, & Allison Ogilvy. (2007). Google in China: government censorship and corporate reputation. The Journal of Business Strategy, 28(3), 12-22.

Strategic Management at McDonald's

McDonald's Strategic Management

Strategic Management at McDonald's

Strategic Management at McDonald's

McDonald's: Introduction

Organizational Structure and Corporate Governance

Industry Sector Analysis

Michael Porter's Five Forces Model

Key conditions in the External Operating Environment of McDonald's and its Industry

The Value Proposition on McDonald's Products

Financial Performance

SWOT Analysis for McDonald's

TOWS Matrix for Alternative Strategies

BCG Growth Share Matrix for McDonald's

Marketing, Financial, and esearch & Development Strategies

McDonald's Leadership

Joint Ventures, Strategic Alliances, and Partnerships

Performance Measurement Methods and Benchmarks

ecommendations

eferences

Table of Contents

Sr. No.

Particulars

Page No.

Figure 1: Organizational Structure of McDonald's

Table 1: TWOS Matrix

Figure 2: BCG Growth Share Matrix

Table 2: Gantt chart for Strategy implementation

List of Figures and Tables

Executive Summary

This report presents a complete analysis of strategic management practices at the world's largest fast food restaurant chain, McDonald's. The report starts by introducing and…

References

About McDonald's, (2011). Sustainability Scorecard. Retrieved on November 24th, 2012, from

ADVFN, (2012). McDonald's Historical Stock Chart. Retrieved on November 24th, 2012, from

Baertlein, L., & Dorfman, B. (2012). McDonald's July same-store sales flat, worst in 9 years. Retrieved on November 24th, 2012, from

Hill, C.W., & Jones, G.R. (2012). Strategic Management Theory, 10th Edition. Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning

Strategic Planning consists of fitting the organization's objectives and resources to the available market opportunities. The purpose of strategic planning is long-term profitability and growth.

Strategic Business Units are independent of one another and maintain distinct missions and specific markets. They have control over their resources and their strategies are unique to their competitive environment.

Strategic Alternatives are different conceptual approaches toward strategic planning. Examples include: Ansoff's Opportunity Matrix, the Boston Consulting Group Portfolio Matrix, and the General Electric Model.

The Marketing Plan Process allows the organization to anticipate future events and design a plan for achieving the organization's objectives by adapting strategies for the marketing environment.

Business Mission Statements provide direction for the organization by defining its business and business objectives.

Situation Analysis is a process that allows the organization to identify its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). Environmental scanning identifies opportunities and risks based on the six…

The Porter Five Forces Model has also shown these strengths and their ability to provide the company with resilience in the face of significant competitive threats. Weaknesses include too much fo a dependence on the iPhone and iPad products, a lack of products at the low-end of the market, and a lack of control of the gray market in China for their products (Apple Investor elations, 2012). The opportunities for Apple are very significant and include selling more iPads and comparable products into the enterprise, greater market penetration into emerging markets including Brazil, ussia and China, in addition to the advances being made with Apple TV. Threats include extreme price competition at the low-end of the market; lack fo control in gray markets over their products, and their high dependence on key suppliers for advanced components for their future products (Apple Investor elations, 2012).

ecommendations for Future Strategies and Conclusion…

References

Apple, Investor Relations (2012). Investor Relations. Retrieved August 23, 2012 from Apple Investor Relations and Filings with the SEC Web site:  http://www.apple.com/investor/ 

Robert E. Cole, Tsuyoshi Matsumiya. (2007). Too Much of a Good Thing? Quality as an Impediment to Innovation. California Management Review, 50(1), 77-93.

Douglas B. Holt (2003). What becomes an icon most? Harvard Business Review, 81(3), 43-49.

Kawasaki (1990) -- the Macintosh Way. Harper Collins. Reprint Edition. September, 1990

Strategic Management

Porter's Five Forces Model and Strategic Management

as Applied to Bowne & Company

Porter's Five Forces Model and Strategic Management

as Applied to Bowne & Company

Bowne & Co., Inc. is a financial services company which has been in business for 235 years. During this time the company has grown to become the world financial services leader in communication services, investor/shareholder relations and communications, and capital markets communication guidance. The communications side of financial services is Bowne's specialty, as they provide "regulatory and compliance documents; personalized financial statements; enrollment kits; and sales and marketing collateral" (Bowne, 2009). The company has expanded its operations in recent years due to the wish to be involved in all aspects of their customer's financial transactions. In February of 2010, Bowne merged its services with those of .. Donnelley & Sons in an all cash deal. Bowne will remain completely autonomous except in…

References

Bowne. (2009). Bowne 2009 annual report.

Cesnovar, T. (2006). The impact of strategic management on business outcomes: Empirical research. Journal for East European Management Studies, 11(3). 227- 238.

Grant, J.H. (2007). Advances and challenges in strategic management. International Journal of Business, 12(1). 11-21.

O'Shannassy, T. (2003). Modern strategic management: Balancing strategic thinking and strategic planning for internal and external stakeholders. Singapore Management Review, 25(1). 53-60.

Although the company relies on information technology it is not at the forefront so can adapt more slowly. There are limited political-legal and societal implications. The most important force -- economic -- does vary but the North American market is by far the most important. Jet fuel prices do not vary significantly from country to country.

Industry competition is driven by overall demand levels, price and service. These forces do not vary globally. There is low threat of new entrants due to high entry costs. Buyers have average buying power due to competition. There is a high threat of substitution from electronic communications and slower shipping services. Rivalry among firms is intense. Unions, governments, interest groups have low relative power.

Customers are the only immediate factor affecting FedEx, as they have curtailed spending on shipping. A major threat is that customers will find ways to reduce shipping permanently. An opportunity…

Works Cited:

MSN Moneycentral: FedEx. (2009). Retrieved December 8, 2009 from  http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/invsub/results/hilite.asp?Symbol=FDX 

Carey, N. (2009). FedEx says taking market share despite slump. Reuters. Retrieved December 8, 2009 from  http://www.reuters.com/article/pressReleasesMolt/idUSTRE52I3C820090319 

Shult, K. (2008). Battle of the brands: UPS vs. FedEx. Blogging Stocks. Retrieved December 8, 2009 from  http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/05/05/battle-of-the-brands-ups-vs.-FedEx/ 

2009 FedEx Annual Report. Retrieved December 8, 2009 from http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/FDX/791567587x0x312397/557bd7f3-8372-4afe-a664-1fdb82a488b0/FedEx2009AnnualReportl.pdf

Again, in an ever-changing environment only through flexibility can an organizational strategy hope to be effective in providing competitive advantage.

Applying this knowledge to the analysis of the statement, 'A strategic architecture, and therefore a strategic plan, cannot be a detailed plan' results in several realizations. First, that strategic architecture goes beyond concerning itself with external factors, but also focuses on internal factors as well. These factors are continuously changing, and therefore an organization's strategic architecture must be able to respond to these changes. Being able to be proactive when certain opportunities and threats present themselves is what sets certain organizations apart from their competitors.

This, as the statement notes, translates to strategic planning. An organization's strategic plan must be flexible enough to quickly adapt to a shifting external and internal environment. And, for this reason, an overly detailed plan becomes more ineffective. An overly detailed strategic plan cannot take…

References

Kiernan, M. (Feb 1993). The new strategic architecture: Learning to compete in the twenty-first century. Academy of Management Executive, 7(1). Retrieved November 8, 2007, from Business Source Complete database.

Mansfield, G. & Fourie, L. (Mar 2004). Strategy and business models - strange bedfellows? A case for convergence and its evolution into strategic architecture. South African Journal of Business Management, 35(1). Retrieved November 8, 2007, from MasterFILE Premier database.

Scholes, J. (Spring 2005). Steps to implementation. European Business Forum, (21). Retrieved November 8, 2007, from Business Source Complete database.

Strategic Architecture, and Therefore a Strategic Plan, Cannot be a Detailed Plan

The flat structure is also valued greatly by working in teams.

The SHM is supported by flexible work, structure and people and is integrated into the larger participative change business strategy.

2. The report above described the evolution of the business strategy for Macquarie Bank. By emphasizing the continuous adaptation to the environment and adjusting the internal structure to meet expected outcomes, the Bank adopts a prospective business strategy. According to Miles and Snow's model (1984) (cited in Ahmed, Ullah & Uddin, 2006), who investigated the competitive strategies of several hundred companies in widely different industries, three basic strategies exist termed as the Defender, Prospector, and Analyzer. The Defender is also called 'Type a', characterized by such product-market strategies: limited, stable product line; predictable market; growth through market penetration; and emphasis: 'deep'. The Prospector also known as 'Type B', is defined by product-market strategies that are broad, changing product line;…

References

Armstrong, M. (2006), a Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, Kogan Page, 10th edition.

Guest, D. E., Michie, J., Sheehan M. & Conway, N. (2000). Employment relations, HRM and business Performance: An analysis of the 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey. London: Institute of Personnel and Development.

Ahmed F., Ullah M. S, Uddin M.K. (2006). Strategic Human Resource Management: Linking HR Practices with the Business Strategy, the Cost and Management, Vol. 34 No. 3 May-June, pp. 15-30

Wade D.M. (2006) Business strategy types and innovative practices. Journal of Managerial Issues June

Strategic Alternatives Addresses an External issue? Draws on a competitive advantage or fixes a competitive disadvantage? Fits with Mission, Values? Moves the organization toward the vision? Achieves one or more goals? Partner with a travel company to offer vacations that include dental surgery, plastic surgery, and vascular surgery.

Supports the strategy of increasing global reach of the company and strengthening the ability to recruit physicians in key specialties.

Draws on a competitive advantage of specialist expertise and high performance of ashid and markets this strength to bring in more German and British clients

Supports the pursuit of international standards as defined within the Strategic Plan.

Yes; also increases the stature of the facility and enhances the ability to recruit world-class physicians.

Invest heavily in medical research in cardiology and vascular research

This investment is focused on making ashid Hospital a center of excellence in cardiology and vascular surgery, attracting the…

References

Boston Consulting Group (2006) - Definition of Growth/Share Matrix from Boston Consulting Group; Accessed from the Internet on December 2,2006:

 http://www.bcg.com/this_is_bcg/mission/growth_share_matrix.html 

Porter (1990) - The Competitive Advantage of Nations. New York: Free Press, 1990. (Republished with a new introduction, 1998.)

Porter (1985)- The Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. N.Y.: Free Press, 1985. (Republished with a new introduction, 1998.)

Strategic Planning

Achieving a strategic vision in an era of globalization and increasing competitiveness from rapidly emerging economies is complex and multidimensional in scope. The notion of including an ethical component may appear to be a luxury that some companies cannot afford, yet it is something expected by more and more stakeholders, as well as the general public. Achieving and sustaining a competitive advantage in an increasingly globalized marketplace demands that companies of all sizes and types take advantage of every opportunity to reduce costs and add value. For example, Sussan (2006) emphasizes that companies of all sizes and types require effective leadership in order to formulate a corporate vision and make informed day-to-day decisions. The need for leaders to integrate values and ethics in their decision making has been fueled, in part, by three global trends:

Successful leaders in all types of organization understand that ethics and values are…

REFERENCES

Bryson, J. (2011). Strategic Planning For Public and Nonprofit Organizations. 4th ed.

New York: Wiley.

Burke, F. (1999). Ethical Decision Making: Global Concerns. Public Personnel

Management. 28 (4): 529-31.

Their biggest barrier to success dealt with the encroachment of e-commerce and companies who were competing in our market without having brick and mortar expenses; American taxes and employee issues; and American taxation and regulatory issues. Management decided that competition was not dead, and it was up to the company to change and adapt as opposed to ensuring the clients did so.

Traditionally, competition is based on price, offers, and markets -- product or service A versus B. For more sales, more customers. The new market template though, is part of a fluid cooperative environment -- for instance, a great restaurant in a neighborhood that is failing will likely go under. So, the coevolution of companies that take into context environmental issues as part of their ecosystem (supplies, producers, competitors, stakeholders); form a different type of competitive nature. Porter notes that "Substitutes limit the potential returns of an industry by…

This then allows equal weight to be pulled in various decisions. Finally, utilizing executive compensation as a method for proper governance which is many times set by a board of trustees or directors also proves beneficial in some circumstances. This allows top executives to be compensated for their influence within organizational decision making. These last two prove to be weaker than bearing weight on the stock holders, for they only allow a few voices to be heard.

3) Briefly describe how the external corporate governance mechanism "the market for corporate control" acts as a restraint on top-level managers' strategic decisions. Also, while corporate governance should foster ethical strategic decisions, what are at least two crucial factors that can negate this?

As much as organizations would like to control every situation in the business environment, this has never been the case. In terms of external market factors, managers and executives are…

References

MSN Money. (2009). Walmart Stores Inc.: financial statement. Retrieved May 29, 2009 at  http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/invsub/results/statemnt.aspx?symbol=WMT

Strategic Information Technology Plan

Oesterlen Services for Youth is an organization that helps troubled youth in Ohio. It consists of a counseling center and a foster care placement program, as well as residential services for both male and female youth for intensive care cases. In order for Oesterlen to continue to help as many youth as possible, it has to be up-to-date on its technology. To that end, it has set some goals for its computers from both a software and hardware standpoint. The current M.T.I. goals for the organization are to consolidate the servers and applications as much as possible. By partnering with others, Oesterlen will be better able to fulfill its mission of helping youth. The alliance between Qbase, ADP online, and the merger of a sizeable competitor will enable Oesterlen the ability to serve the clients better while maintaining the delicate balance between the mission goals and…

References

Haviland, W.A. (2004). Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge. The Thomson Corporation.

Kelly, K. (2010). What Technology Wants. New York, NY: Viking Press.

Kleiman, L.S. (2010). Management and Executive Development. Reference for Business: Encyclopedia of Business.

Kotter, J.P. & Cohen, D.S. (2002). The Heart of Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing.

"Our growth strategy is to increase the number of customers benefiting from repeatable supply chain solutions, particularly in the healthcare, high tech and retail sectors, and to increase the amount of small package transportation from these customers. We intend to leverage our small package and freight customers through cross-selling the full complement of UPS services" (UPS 2008 Annual eport).

Focus on environmentally friendly operations -- UPS has already declared a supporter of environmentally friendly operations and in order to prove this standpoint they have already purchased 200 hybrid electric and 300 compressed natural gas vehicles. The move not only increased their fleet to the largest private fleet in the industry, but also made a strong statement. UPS has also invested in the purchase of hydraulic hybrid automobiles, a new technology that promises to reduce emissions and fuel consumption (UPS 2008 Annual eport).

3.2. Available Strategic Courses of Action

Given the…

References:

Dickerson, B., Massott, FedEx and UPS in China -- Competing with Contrasting Strategies, Drexel University, http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~mcm38/FedEx%20and%20UPS%201.ppt last accessed on June 3, 2009

Stroman, J., Wilson, K., Wauson, J., 2008, Administrative Assistant's and Secretary's Handbook, 3rd Edition, AMACOM Div American Management Assn, ISBN 081440913X

2009, United Parcel Service Inc.,, Hoovers,  

In this sense, large companies operating in different sectors would fit this description. An example in this sense would be Vivendi, the French company who went from being a simple water company to having businesses in cinema and movies, the music sector, etc.

4. Michael Milken was an ambitious financial tycoon who was CEO at one of the best investment banks on Wall Street, Drexler. His ambition drove him into deals with junk bonds and inside trading affairs, which led to a $200 million fine and 22 months in jail due to fraud on 1989.

Jake Welch, CEO at General Electrics, revolutionized management by introducing a series of innovatory ideas at his company. Among them, the best known is the Six Sigma methodology, which was subsequently successfully implemented by Motorola as well.

ill Gates was indeed a man with vision, having the chance to foresee the success that the information…

Bibliography

1. Strategy Notes. On the Internet at  http://www.tutor2u.net/business/strategy/what_is_strategy.htm 

2. Entrepreneurial Leadership. On the Internet at  http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/leadership_entrepreneurial.html 

Strategy Notes. On the Internet at

Strategic eview

Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis formed Skype in 2003. The two produced VoIP software based on P2P architecture that revolutionized the field of communication. The software provided its users with high quality and free voice calls, as firewalls did not affect this software. The company rapidly grew due to the free quality voice calls reaching its critical user mass in a short time. The company later started premium Skype products to corporate users, which increased the revenue generated. VoIP technology used by Skype means that the company relies on the internet or IP-based networks to transmit the signal. The information transferred through the software requires protection from hackers and for privacy thus encrypted.

Microsoft acquired the company in 2011 for a record 8.5 billion U.S. dollars. This is considers one of Microsoft's most expensive acquisitions as the company grows to become the number one software company in the…

References

Capon, N., & Hulbert, J.M. (2007). Managing marketing in the 21st century: Developing and implementing the market strategy. Bronxville, N.Y: Wessex Inc.

Cronin, M.J. (2010). Smart products, smarter services: Strategies for embedded control. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Hill, C.W.L., & Jones, G.R. (2012). Strategic management theory. Mason, OH: South-Western/Cengage Learning.

Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D., & Hoskisson, R.E. (2012). Strategic management: Competitiveness & globalization. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness in Coca Cola Company

Assess how globalization and technology changes have affected the Coca Cola Company

Technology and globalization are part of the mechanistic avenues that have played a critical role in the growth and development of Coca Cola Company. Technology is a lucrative avenue of the entity that has contributed to changes in the global business and organizational performance. In most institutions and places of work, technological applications have upraised the general procedures and execution duties that are found within the available measures of performance. In order to have a genuine and a competitive scale in the market, Coca Cola Company has embraced advancement in technological production. Through technology, the company has managed to increase its trading avenues in the market.

For instance, the company has involved numerous technological approaches in marketing its products and services in the market. In order to have an…

References

Hitt, M.A., Hoskisson, R.E., & Ireland, R.D. (2013). Strategic management:

Competitiveness & globalization: cases. Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage

Learning.

Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D., & Hoskisson, R.E. (2011). Strategic management:

3) Whether or not I would encourage an entrepreneurial mindset would depend on the type of business I had. Many firms require constant innovation to excel, others do not. Internal innovation can drive business forward, but this does not need to come from the entire company. If the business is one that is well established the preference may be for incremental innovation, in which case the entire firm need not be engaged. However, if the firm requires radical innovation in order to flourish then in that case I would encourage an entrepreneurial mindset in order to engage the entire workforce in this vital activity.

4) The three versions of M-form structure are the cooperative form, the competitive form and the strategic business unit (SBU) form. In the cooperative form the divisions are integrated and work with one another; in the competitive form they can be in competition with one another…

At all entity levels, the company might have to downsize part of its staff members as a cost cutting strategy.

But the problems generated by the complete satisfaction of the customers' needs and wants are not limited to the organization alone. At the level of commodities for instance, using fewer resources negatively impacts the organizational purveyors, reducing as such their business operations and financial stability. At the community level, two relevant consequences emerge from, first, the financial inability of the organization to support the development of the community through sponsorships, and secondly, the firing of employees, which would eventually deepen the socio-economic problem of unemployment. Consequently then, not all the things which help the customer help the organization, and furthermore, not all the things that help the individual help the community.

But since customer satisfaction remains the constant of organizational success, Cochran argues on the necessity to promote marketing strategies…

References:

Cochran, C., 2003, Customer satisfaction: tools, techniques and formulas for success, Paton Professional, ISBN 0971323143

Hill, N., Alexander, J., 2006, the handbook of customer satisfaction and loyalty measurement, 3rd edition, Gower Publishing Ltd., ISBN 0566087448

Steingold, F., 2009, Legal guide for starting and running a small business, 11th edition, Nolo, ISBN 1413310559

Szwarc, P., 2005, Researching customer satisfaction and loyalty: how to find out what people really think, Kogan Page Publishers, ISBN 0749443367

Strategic Dissection of COMOPTEVFO

This text concerns itself with the various strategies employed by COMOPTEVFO in the execution of its mandate. The strategies highlighted in this case will not only be identified but also discussed at the various levels of strategy formulation and implementation. These levels comprise of the corporate, business, and functional levels.

COMOPTEVFO: An Overview

Before discussing the various levels of strategy COMOPTEVFO makes use of, it would be prudent to first highlight its key operations and dealings. In basic terms, COMOPTEVFO is involved in the provision of "an independent and objective evaluation of the operational effectiveness and suitability of naval aviation, surface, subsurface, expeditionary, C4I, cryptologic, and space systems in support of Department of Defense and Navy acquisition and fleet introduction decisions" (United States Navy, 2013). In addition to providing procedural and technical guidance with regard to the objective as well as independent testing of tactics and…

References

Ireland, R.D., Hoskisson, R.E. & Hitt, M.A. (2010). Understanding Business Strategy: Concepts Plus (3rd ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

Samson, D. & Daft, R.L. (2012). Management (4th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

United States Navy. (2013). Commander Operational Test & Evaluation Force. Retrieved from  http://www.public.navy.mil/cotf/Pages/home.aspx

Economic agents who diversify their product and service offering stand increased chances of better appealing to their customers' needs and wants. In turn, a satisfied customer is a loyal customer that will provide the company with sustainable revenues. And aside from increasing the levels of satisfaction and loyalty of the already existent customer palette, diversification also increases the number of new customers by increasing the company's ability to serve new needs. In terms of resources, the most important ones are the staff members, who benefit from new challenges that reduce the routine on the job and increase their professional satisfaction as well, all to culminate with superior levels of product and service quality, and consequently, increased organizational revenues.

eferences:

Hitt, M.A., Ireland, .D., Hoskisson, .E., 2009, Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization, Concepts and Cases, 8th Edition, South-Western, Cengage Learning

2009, Hoovers, http://hoovers.com last accessed on May…

References:

Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D., Hoskisson, R.E., 2009, Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization, Concepts and Cases, 8th Edition, South-Western, Cengage Learning

2009, Hoovers,  http://hoovers.com  last accessed on May 19, 2009

The differentiated strategy was the means by which FedEx launched its business. At the time, there was no overnight courier business. The speed and efficiency of FedEx's service offering was entirely differentiated for the first decade or so of the company's life. Intelligentsia Coffee from Chicago is an example of a focused differentiated firm. They have a niche in the ultra high-end coffee market. Intelligentsia produces, for example, single-estate coffees that appeal to customers who find Starbucks too mainstream for their tastes.

4) the four criteria of sustainable competitive advantage are that the advantage is valuable, that it is rare, that it is costly to imitate, and that it is non-substitutable. For example, at Southwest Airlines they have a culture from which they derive value, it unusual for the industry, is hard to imitate and which cannot be easily substituted for with other typical industry activities. While no advantage is…

Strategic Plan 0200

The Management.

July, 2nd, 2013

Leading the Team

Individual Evaluation:

The requirements for leadership role include understanding of the inner self as well as the needs of others. The Emotional Intelligence Theory is presented as an evidence for the notion that leaders require to maintain efficient emotional self-awareness, accurate self-awareness, and self-confidence in order to gain self-awareness, The second domain of the theory is with respect to the competencies of self-control, transparency, adaptability, achievement, initiative, and optimism. The personal competence is dependent on the internal and external factors including the emotional state, values, personal standards, and gathering feedback from trainings of the teams (Walsh, 2009).

The social awareness includes the empathy, organizational awareness, and personal service. The relationships management is also one of the significant requirements in team management and leadership. The requirements of relationship management include interpersonal leadership, influence, and development of team members, change, conflict…

References:

Walsh, W.B. (2009). The Evaluation of Leadership Styles in Relationship to Job Performance.USA: ProQuest.

While emerging evidence, theory and practical demands are increasing the visibility and credibility of human capital as a key to organizational success, the measures used to articulate the impact of human resource management decisions remain misunderstood, unwanted by key constituents or even counter-productive." (1998) Stated as well by Boudreau is the fact that a body of research exists that is growing rapidly suggesting that "the key to competitive advantage lie with the organization's human resources. (Boudreau, 1998) p. 3 Widely suggested as an emerging key to the success of the organization is "intellectual capital." (Boudreau, 1998; p.3) This element is sated to not be: "...effectively reflected in standard accounting and the financial report, and the diminishing correlation between future financial performance and standard accounting measures of value seems to attest the importance of more intangible factors." (Boudreau, 1998; p.3) H measurement that is effective will be a system that is…

Resources Management System - Incorporating Human Capital Management Strategies for an Effective Workforce" states that effective HR strategy "requires the adoption of a comprehensive human capital management (HCM) strategy." (Oracle, nd) p.1 Oracle believes that effective workforce is built from development of "a cohesive HCM strategy that is tightly linked to your overall

Lukacs, RN, asserts (Lukacs, 1984, p. 11). So, with those issues clearly on the table (as they are today in many hospitals), strategic planning in hospitals offers nursing directors a direct path to increased effectiveness, Lukacs explains. The way for nurses to get in on the strategic planning movement and increase their clout and effectiveness within the hospital structure, Lukacs explains, is to do the research necessary that matches patient / client needs and preferences "with specific provider strengths and competencies" (p. 12). Doing that research and making certain that those data and narrative get into the strategic plan is paramount to upgrading their departments, Lukacs goes on. "Knowledge of user needs must be accompanied by free and direct communication with the public," Lukacs reminds. She goes on, insisting that nurse executives "…carefully review and contribute to information upon which institutional plans are based…in order to identify implications for nursing…

Bibliography

Beckham, Dan, 2010, 'Physician Involvement in Hospital Strategic Planning', Trustee, Vol. 63, No. 6, 6-7.

Butler, Timothy W., Leong, Keong G., and Everett, Linda N, 1996, 'The operations management role in hospital strategic planning', Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 14, 137-156.

Champagne, Francois, Contandriopoulos, Andre-Pierre, Larouche, Danielle, Clemenhagen, Carol, and Barbir, Caroline, 1987, 'Strategic Planning for Hospitals -- a Health-Needs Approach', Long-Range Planning, Vol. 20, No. 3, 77-83.

Christman, Corey, 2007, 'Strategic planning, the hospital board, and you', Healthcare Strategic Management, Vol. 5, No. 5, 1-3.

If a startup is being planned, the strengths and weaknesses are related mainly to the promoter(s) - their experience, expertise and management abilities - rather than to the project. The objective is to build up a picture of the outstanding good and bad points, achievements and failures and other critical features within the company.

Threats & Opportunities

The external threats and opportunities confronting a company, can exist or develop in the following areas:

The company's own industry where structural changes may be occurring

(Size and segmentation; growth patterns and maturity; established patterns and relationships, emergence/contraction of niches; international dimensions; relative attractiveness of segments)

The marketplace which may be altering due to economic or social factors (Customers; distribution channels; economic factors, social/demographic issues; political & environmental factors)

Competition which may be creating new threats or opportunities

(Identities, performances, market shares, likely plans, aggressiveness, strengths & weaknesses)

New technologies which may be…

Periodic evaluations of strategies, tactics, and action programs are essential to assessing success of the strategic planning process. It is important to measure performance at least annually (but preferably more often), to evaluate the effect of specific actions on long-term results and on the organization's vision and mission (Rowley, Lujan, & Dolence, 1997). The organization should measure current performance against previously set expectations, and consider any changes or events that may have impacted the desired course of actions.

G) Competitive strategies

Unpredicted and unintended events frequently occur that differ from the organization's intended strategies, and the organization must

5. Strategic recommendation

The strategic possibilities mentioned above are all important and have the ability to provide the financial institution with long-term stability. Nonetheless, since the company possesses limited financial resources at the time being, but also due to the complexity of the external and internal environments, not all four strategies can be developed. It is at this stage necessary to implement strictly those strategies which serve the immediate needs of the company and the stakeholders. In order to identify these needed strategies, it is important to assess them through the lenses of four specific criteria:

esource availability to implement the strategy

Urgency of strategy implementation and esults availability of the strategies.

The table below reveals the criteria-based assessment of the four strategies.

esource availability for strategy implementation

Urgency of strategy

Expectancy of results (in the short-term)

Organizational ethics

High

High

Medium

Diversification

Low

Medium

Low

Infrastructure developments

Low

Low…

References:

Carsewell, S., 2010, Fingleton's successor says events at INBS an outrage, Irish Times,  http://www.webcitation.org/5rqiBQWJl  last accessed on November 18, 2011

Doddy, J., The Irish banking sector, Deloitte, http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-Ireland/Local%20Assets/Documents/Real%20estate/IE_PS_John%20Doddy_Soc_Chartered_Surveyors_Presentation_0311.pdf last accessed on November 18, 2011

Farrell, S.., 2009, Anglo Iris Bank nationalized, The Independent,  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/anglo-irish-bank-nationalised-1380495.html  last accessed on November 18, 2011

Kuenkeel, P., Gerlach, S., Frieg, V., 2011, Working with stakeholder dialogues, BoD -- Books on Demand, ISBN 3839183022

2. SWOT Analysis

2.1. Strengths and Weaknesses

The most important strong point of Earth's Best is its wide range of products. The company's extremely diversified products satisfy all types of customers. Earth's Best has lines of products for each age group: the Infant Line, based on iron-fortified cereals and single ingredient foods. The product line for children aged 18 months and older is consisted of Arrowroot Squares, Cereal Bars, Crunchin' Blocks, and Organic Juices. There is also a line for older children, consisting of Organic 2% Milk, Apple Sauces, and Whole Grain Bars. In addition to this, Earth's Best has launched a body care products line.

Another strength refers to the quality of Earth's Best's products. The company's products benefit from a lot of credit from its customers, which become loyal clients. The company's web site presents a series of testimonies from customers that appreciate the quality of the company's…

Reference List

Canada (2007). Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook. Retrieved November 29, 2007 from  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html#Econ .

Baby Foods Market Assessment (2001). Research and Markets. Retrieved November 29, 2007 at  http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/3492 .

Reyes, Sonia (2006). Organic Baby Formula Segment Growing Fast. Brandweek online. Retrieved November 29, 2007 at  http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003189679 .

Duggan, Tara (2006). Health Minded Parents Fuel Boom in Organic Baby Foods. Organic options abound for parents' fledgling gourmets. Organic Consumers Association. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 29, 2007 at http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_3248.cfm.

Strategic Management Concept: Outsourcing

Strategic Management: Ourtousrcing

Definition of outsourcing

Outsourcing is defined as the contracting another person or company to perform a specialized function (Lacity and Hirschheim, 1993). Outsourcing can also be defined as contracting out a business process to a third party. In the current business environment, all business will outsource in some way. The term outsourcing not only refers to the large contracting of firms to perform specific functions, but also refers to any non-core activity that a business contracts out to another company. For example, an insurance company could outsource its janitorial operations to another company, which would ensure that the insurance company can focus on its core business. Outsourcing ensures that a business can concentrate on its core business and its overall strategy (Grossman and Helpman, 2005). The firms contracted to perform or offer the service have the necessary expertise and have specialized in the…

References

CHAN, F.T., KUMAR, V. & TIWARI, M.K. 2009. The relevance of outsourcing and leagile strategies in performance optimization of an integrated process planning and scheduling model. International Journal of Production Research, 47, 119-142.

DUHAMEL, F., GUTIERREZ-MARTONEZ, I., PICAZO-VELA, S. & LUNA-REYES, L.F. 2012. The Key Role of Interfaces in IT Outsourcing Relationships. International Journal of Information Technologies and Systems Approach (IJITSA), 5, 37-56.

FEENSTRA, R.C. & HANSON, G.H. 1996. Globalization, outsourcing, and wage inequality. National Bureau of Economic Research.

FEENSTRA, R.C. & HANSON, G.H. 1999. The impact of outsourcing and high-technology capital on wages: estimates for the United States, 1979-1990. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 907-940.