Strategic Objectives Essays (Examples)

The company also provides a free toll phone number where the customers can call, as well as an online tracking capacity.

Operations

The operations are coordinated so as to ensure the company's strategic objectives. The capacity to track the routes online, notably where the products are at a certain point, is a great operational advantage. On the other hand, the company has also entered the truck sales market, offering tractors maintained in good condition to interested third parties.

IV. Financial Analysis:

While the company's base revenue has remained at similar figure in 2006 as in 2005 (around $400 million), the company's net income has dropped from just under $16 million to a bit above $12 million. The growth itself was affected by the decrease in demand, due to the general decreasing trend in the U.S. economy throughout 2006. Further more, the company has not yet managed to fully control costs,…

Bibliography

1. Investors Relations. On the Internet at  http://www.usa-truck.com/.Last  retrieved on September 16, 2007.

2. Sector Snap: Freight Carriers Mixed. September 2007. On the Internet at  http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070914/freight_carriers_sector_snap.html?.v=1.Last  retrieved on September 16, 2007

3. Yahoo Finance. On the Internet at  http://finance.yahoo.com/q/co?s=USAK.Last  retrieved on September 16, 2007

4. 2006 Annual Report. On the Internet at

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

What Sony needs to do is concentrate on creating a mobile Web-enabled series of devices, supporting services, and segmented digital content in both music-based and video content. In short, Sony needs to create an economic ecosystem that rivals the Apple ecosystem as shown in Figure 2, Apple Digital Content Ecosystem:

Figure 2: Apple Digital Content Ecosystem

Source: (Apple Investor elations, 2009)

The most critical objective for the three-year planning horizon for Sony is to emulate the model shown in Figure 2 and apply entirely new series of metrics to how they evaluate integration and cross-model compatibility of their entire product line. The strategic objective for the coming three years has to be centered on creating a scalable ecosystem that can deliver a continual stream of revenues through the licensing of digital music and video content in addition to the introduction of entirely new devices into this ecosystem that have not…

References

Apple, Investor Relations (2009). Investor Relations. Retrieved May 21, 2009, from Apple Investor Relations and Filings with the SEC Web site:  http://www.apple.com/investor/ 

Kemal Altinkemer, Wendi Shen. (2008). A Multigeneration Diffusion Model for it-Intensive Game Consoles*. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 9(8), 442-461.

Steven Cherry. (2008). Blu-ray's Empty Victory. IEEE Spectrum, 45(3), 16. ).

Lee G. Cooper. (2000). Strategic marketing planning for radically new products. Journal of Marketing, 64(1), 1-16.

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.

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

It offered a value proposition to consumers who cut back on high-end coffee purchases at the likes of Starbucks in favor of cheaper coffee at home. Consumers of Folgers benefited from the strength and increased visibility afforded the brand by Smuckers.

Employees have not necessarily benefited from the company's mission and objectives in recent years. Smuckers is the process of restructuring Folgers. This benefits workers in New Orleans, where a $70 million expansion is underway and it Orrville (Plain Dealer, 2010). However, workers in four other plants are losing their jobs in the restructuring (Associated Press, 2010). The strategy therefore benefits some of these stakeholders but only at the expense of others as the company is forced to rationalize some plants in order to contain costs and maintain its price competitiveness.

The company can improve its mission by lending it clarity. The company's strategy may be relatively clear, but it…

Works Cited:

Smuckers website, various pages. (2010). Retrieved April 19, 2010 from  http://www.smuckers.com 

Smuckers 2009 Annual Report. Retrieved April 19, 2010 from http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MzQyODkzfENoaWxkSUQ9MzI5MzkwfFR5cGU9MQ==&t=1

MSN Moneycentral: JM Smucker Company. (2010). Retrieved April 19, 2010 from  http://moneycentral.msn.com/detail/stock_quote?Symbol=sjm&getquote=Get+Quote 

Associated Press. (2009). Smucker's profit surges after acquiring Folgers. MSNBC. Retrieved April 19, 2010 from  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34060210/

Strategic Audit Format

Strategic Audit Areas

Describe

Industry situation

History, Development, Issues

Milestones (Identify minimum four milestones (events)

Past Issues/problems that the industry faced (Four to five issues)

Current Industry Issues (Minimum three issues)

Company situation

History, development, problems

Milestones (Minimum four milestones (events)

Current Company Problems (Minimum three internal or external problems)

Present strategic posture

In the following sub-sections (a, b, c, and d), analyze the current vision/mission/goals/objectives/STRATEGIES / structure & culture of the firm

Current vision/mission

- The vision is to be a leading IT company that grows and meets customer demands on all related IT accessories including desktops, servers, computer peripherals, computer storage and various IT accessories.

The Mission of Dell as it is information technology company is provide the newest technology to create full customer satisfaction with effective cost.

- The focus of Dell INC has always been to be a leader in computer accessories and…

My skills must be in line not just with my current position, but with the position in which I hope to find myself next. I will also seek opportunities to learn from experts within my own company. The second component is that I wish to develop a strong competency in technology. The role of information technology in modern management continues to increase and I will seek to develop a competitive advantage through continuous improvement of my technological skills. I will implement this part of the strategy my taking coursework and engaging in extensive study of the industry on my own time.

The second key strategy will be that I will build strong communication skills. Strong leadership is one of the most important traits in management today. It is therefore imperative that I build a competitive advantage in terms of my leadership and communication skills. I will implement this strategy by…

Works Cited

Thompson Jr., Arthur a.; Stappenbeck, Gregory J.; Reidenbach, Mark a. (2008) "The Business Strategy Game: Competing in a Global Marketplace" McGraw-Hill.

No author. (2007). SWOT Analysis. QuickMBA. Retrieved December 3, 2008 at http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/SWOT/

Barrett, Emily & Bater, Jeff. (2008). "Service-Sector Contracted in November" Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 3, 2008 at  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122831050293675589.html?mod=googlenews_wsj 

Coombes, Andrea. (2008). "Glum Outlook on Jobs." Marketwatch. Retrieved December 3, 2008 at  http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/slide-hiring-plans-worst-20/story.aspx?guid= {692FAA6C-1CEC-440D-82FF-0DB56D16853E}

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  

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

2011). Following the guidelines and supporting research provided in this article can help large enterprises avoid such pitfalls (Newman et al. 2011).

An article that recently appeared in the Sloan Management Review examines the internal rather than the external risks of an organization. This article divides these internal risks into three categories: risks created by the unwanted/unauthorized actions of employees, risks of not achieving strategic objectives that are inherent to any "interesting strategy," and risks caused by completely uncontrollable external events (Mangelsdorf 2011). It is only by understanding how each of these risks might affect the organization and by working to achieve a minimization of exposure to each type of risk -- often through the creation of contingency plans -- that organizational success can be assured (Mangelsdorf 2011).

In another article appearing in the summer issue of the Sloan Management Review, the ever-important issue of information is addressed. Information is…

Strategic Plan for General Motors Upper Mid Sedan Vehicle Segment

Mission Statement

To maintain and consolidate the status of the company as the number one auto manufacturer in the U.S. y employing the core values of continuous improvement, innovation and integrity and teamwork. To foster consumer enthusiasm and also enhance the team by giving them individual respect and responsibility.

External Environment

Remote Environment

Economic: Currently the U.S. economy is experiencing a slowdown. The buying power of the American consumers is shrinking and that is causing the sellers of goods to suffer. The automotive industry, being seller of high priced and high involvement product, is suffering as a result of this slowdown. The consumers are spending less and less on upgrading their cars or buying second hand cars. This will cause the sales of light vehicles in 2002 to go down from the 17 million units' barrier that has been achieved…

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. GM official web site, accessed on 7-26-2002: www.gm.com

2. Author not available, [FEBRUARY 1, 1999]. COVER STORY: Reviving GM. Business Week.

3. Kiley, D. [11/07/2001]. GM exec predicts market share gain. USA TODAY. B10

4. Stoddard, H. [03-01-2002]. How's fourth best sound?., Ward's Dealer Business, 16.

argaining power of suppliers

Price of aviation fuels is directly related to the cost of oil.

Regional airports have little bargaining power as they are heavily dependent on one airline.

4. argaining power of customers

Customer are price sensitive and switching to another airline is relatively simple

5. Threat of substitutes

a. UK -- none

b. Europe

c. Driving holidays

d. High- speed trains

e. No loyalty of customers (Ryanair, 2009)

. Ryanair - Value chain analysis

Cost-containment is the focus of the low cost airline and includes the following:

Cost containment realized through spending as little money possible for advertising with all marketing identified as 'in-house' marketing to customers to increase turnover;

Cost containment realized through turning the costs of food and drinks on a flight into a revenue stream through making drinks and a selection of food available at a reasonable price;

Cost containment realized through creating additional…

Bibliography

Ryanair.com

Industry Competitors

Rivalry among Existing Firms

HIGH

These values have a high degree of alignment with the organization's short-term plans. Iron Mountain is presently planning to continue its expansion, but also to build stronger brand loyalty in order to fend off competitors who trade on strong customer relationships. These values bring Iron Mountain closer to those competitors in terms of the way Iron Mountain relates to its customers, delivering a high degree of alignment in the process.

There is a moderate degree of alignment with the organization's long-term plans. Iron Mountain's long-term plans include industry domination and expansion in ancillary document security businesses. ith respect to the latter, there is a high degree of alignment, as these values will help build a competitive position that they can use to expand into new markets. However, dominating the industry is detrimental to the values, as it erodes trust, discourages the deliver of quality service and may in some cases…

Works Cited

Iron Mountain Website. Retrieved March 11, 2009 at  http://investors.ironmountain.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=91787&p=irol-irhome 

Recklies, Dagmar. (2001). Stakeholder Management. TheManager.org. Retrieved March 11, 2009 at  http://www.themanager.org/Resources/Stakeholder%20Management.htm 

No author. (2008). Iron Mountain Incorporated Hosts 11th Annual Investor Day in New York City. Reuters. Retrieved March 11, 2009 at  http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS108752+08-Oct-2008+PRN20081008

Compass has the experience in the U.S. with these markets to exploit this opportunity. The military and offshore markets have also been identified by management as strong potential sources of growth in the UK.

Another opportunity is with new markets, which include arenas, zoos and other public facilities. This emerging market is relatively untapped, and its size somewhat undetermined, pending the creativity of the catering industry. There appears to be good opportunity for growth that involves the maintenance of traditional margins, if Compass can win first-mover advantages at each facility.

One other source of opportunity is in existing markets, even the mature ones. The industry in the UK still has many smaller competitors. Compass can compete with these firms on price, and also on the provision of ancillary services, which many of the smaller firms simply do not have the expertise, equipment or manpower to provide. This gives Compass the…

Works Cited

Russell, George and Rosett, Claudia. 2006. 'UN Procurement Scandal: How Far did the Inside Information Travel?' Fox News [Online] Available at  http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184495,00.html 

Porter, Michael. 1979. 'Porter's Five Forces Analysis' QuickMBA [Online] Available at  http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/porter.shtml 

Weinberger, Christiane 2005 'The U.S. Food Service Market, 2004' Planet Retail [Online] Available at  http://www.planetretail.net/Home/PressReleases/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=27665 

King, Paul 1997 'Greater than the Sum of its Parts' Nation's Restaurant News. [Online] Available at  http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_n42_v31/ai_19926857

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.

strategic HM

There are a number of career paths within SHM. These include the human resource generalists, but also a growing number of specialists. Some of the specialties where the strategic human resources practitioner can contribute to the company's success are workforce planning, workforce development/onboarding, total rewards/compensation, labor and employee relations, training and risk management.

Organizations have begun to recognize that these specialized roles can be an important part in meeting the organization's strategic objectives. In the knowledge economy in particular, it is the skills, knowledge and experience of the employees that will often give a company its competitive advantage. Systems can be replicated by competitors fairly easily, but a superior workforce is much harder to duplicate. It begins with recruitment and onboarding, where finding the right candidates to execute the company's strategy is critical. Even with good people, they typically need to be trained. Then the company needs to…

References

Beer, M. & Eisenstat, R. (1996). Developing an organization capable of implementing strategy and learning. Human Relations. Vol. 49 (5) 597-619.

Davoudi, S., Cherati, H. & Kaur, R. (2012). Strategic human resource management: Providing sustained competitive advantages for organizations. Asian Journal of Social Science and Humanities. Vol. 2 (5) 289-303.

Huselid, M. (1995). The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance. Academy of Management Journal. Vol. 38 (3) 635-672.

SHRM. (2014). Careers in human resource management. SHRM.org. Retrieved April 25, 2014 from  http://www.shrm.org/Communities/StudentPrograms/Pages/careersinHRM.aspx

Strategic Management

3900 Words on Strategic Management

Why are you taking this course?

I am undertaking this course in strategic management because not only is it a field that I am greatly interested in, but it is also largely for the reason that strategic management is a course that is important and applicable in different fields and aspects. To begin with, strategic management is greatly applicable to globalization which can be deemed to be imperative for the existence of business. Any global aspect has an influence practically on all strategic decisions that are made. In the present day society, the borders of nations do not have any restrictions to the ingenuities that we have and organizations can only continue to exist and flourish if they used the different perspectives of the world. Through the knowledge and understanding of strategic management, managers are able to have clear apprehension of markets, prices,…

References

Boulton W.R. (2007). Strategic Analysis Model. Retrieved from  http://www.auburn.edu/~boultwr/html/strategic_analysis_model.htm 

Boundless. (2015, march, 2). Strategic Management. Boundless Management. Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/management/textbooks/boundless-management-textbook/strategic-management-12/creating-strategy-common-approaches-89/strategic-management-430-882/.

Carey A. (2009). How to audit your business strategy. Triarchy Press.

Maliti B. (2012). Lecture notes; strategic management.

Strategic Planning- Tourism Strategic Plan Lewis-Clark Valley

Lewis-Clark Valley is the beautiful site of Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington. The historical background of this valley is rich in cultural stories and its own heritage that dated back in some 18th century. The area has been land of Nez Perce Indians who had travelled to this valley and lived long in the land and rivers. The valley is so named because in the 1805, the Corps of discovery explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark visited this place and was welcomed by the native people. This meeting and warm welcome has developed good relations with the land and its people thus named it after their second names. Lewis-Clark Valley is the land of miners, merchants, railroaders, millworkers and farmers. Its geographical location is somewhere 465 miles from the Pacific Ocean at the convergence of the Snake and Clearwater ivers.

The cities of…

References

Aepel, T. (1997). Not All workers Find Idea of Empowerment as Neat as It Sounds. The Wall Street Journal, retrieved July 15, 2011 from http://www.sba.muohio.edu/snavely/empower.htm

David, F. (1999). How Companies Define Their Mission, Long-Range Planning, 22 (3), 90 -- 97.

Langley, A. (1998). The Roles of Formal strategic Planning, Long-Range Planning, 21 (3), 40-50.

Markides, C. (1999). A dynamic view of strategy. Sloan Management Review, 40 (3), 5 -- 63.

strategic marketing plan ANGOSTUA LTD related company ( alcohol related). identifing incorporating marketing objective. Use format: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS -Introduction -Company background -Vision -Mission (analyse) -Corporate objectives (financial & financial) -Portfolio analysis BCG show SBU -For SBU selected state critical success factors, unique resources & core competences give a competitive advantage INDUSTY & ENVIONMENT ANALYSIS -pestle implications -SPICC a table -7S's a table -7P's a table -Key drivers change -sector trends COMPETITO ANALYSIS -Porters forces -Identify major competitors, analyse including strategies -Customer analysis competitor -Portfolio analysis competitor -Company's SWOT -Two major competitor's SWOT PODUCT / MAKET FOCUS -Marketing & Product Objectives, SMAT objectives -Target Market -Segmentation -differentiation -positioning MAKETING POGAMME -Include marketing mix, financial data projections (past current sales revenue 3-year forcast (budget) showing sales, gross operating profit) -Option Ansoff growth strategy (choice & ) 2 strategies needed, market penetration objective -Promotional Gantt chart -Assumptions & Contengencies -Control.

Strategic marketing plan…

References:

Clark, W., 2011, Heineken SWOT analysis, eHow, http://www.ehow.com/facts_6790153_heineken-SWOT-analysis.htmllast accessed on August 20, 2012

Dukcevich, D., 2001, Stock focus: alcoholic beverage companies, Forbes,  http://www.forbes.com/2001/04/09/0409sf.html  last accessed on August 20, 2012

Lamb, C.W., Hair, J.F., McDaniel, C., 2008, Essentials of marketing, Cengage Learning

Moore, D.S., 2009, The basic practice of statistics, Palgrave Macmillan

In other cases, the mission statement is a longer sentence in which the company is making certain commitments, extremely useful in its relation with both its customer and the investors on the market. It shows a clear way that the company has decided to go by and will increase confidence among these shareholders (customers, investors) that the company seriously takes this into consideration when making its decisions and that the mission statement is included in the strategic management process by the decision makers in the company.

The mission statement does not only set the strategic objectives for the company and the framework in which these are likely to be included, but also the priorities of the company. In today's extremely competitive business environment, setting the right priorities is usually vital to the company's survival in the industry. Indeed, in this case, if the priorities are not right, the resources will…

Marketing

Muffin Tops Limited Company Principles Of Marketing

Increasing the awareness of consumers to the product provided by the company will be one of its key objectives. Situational analysis of the market where the organization is shows that the company has the weakness of low awareness of consumers to its products. Low consumer awareness to the product translates to decreased organizational visibility alongside the consumers utilizing its services. Therefore, increasing consumer awareness to the products of the company will improve the performance of the company in the modern competitive marketplace significantly.

Secondly, the company strives to increase the brand of the products provided to its consumers in the marketplace. Situational analysis of the organization reveals that the company faces the challenge of weak brand name. Weak brand name threatens the realization of organizational performance, competencies, and sustainability in the marketplace full of well-developed companies that provide similar products as Muffin…

References

Cafferky, M.E., & Wentworth, J. (2010). Breakeven analysis: The definitive guide to cost- volume-profit analysis. New York: Business Expert Press.

Hague, P. (2004). Market Research in Practice: A Guide to the Basics. London: Kogan Page.

Luther, W.M. (2001). The marketing plan: How to prepare and implement it. New York: AMACOM

Luther, W.M. (2011). The Marketing Plan: How to Prepare and Implement it. New York: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn

Strategic and Financial Analysis of Office Depot

Company Overview

Office Depot Strategic Analysis

Porter 5 Analysis

Office Depot Strategies

Office Depot Profitability

Annotated Bibliography

In a contemporary business environment, a strategic planning is one of the effective tools that an organization employs to achieve competitive market advantages. This paper carries out a strategic analysis of Office Depot, and identifies Office Depot as one of the Fortune 500. While Office Depot has recorded a consistent increase in total revenues, however, the company has recorded a net income loss in the last three years. The findings of the SWOT analysis and Porter 5 analysis reveal that Office Depot lacks distinct competencies to differentiate itself in the market. Typically, product differentiation, cost leaderships, and resources capabilities are the effective tools to achieve strategic market advantages. Although, Office Depot has resources, however, the company lacks effective strategic planning to achieve competitive market advantages. The…

Strategic Planning:

Apple Inc. and Industry

Apple Inc. is global technological corporation based in California, America. The company's business operations encompass the designing, developing and retailing of computer software, electronics and also provision of online services. In particular, Apple Inc. is set within the technology industry, competing on different fronts such as the mobile sector and computer sector as well. Technology transformation and change has completely altered the mobile industry and the manner in which it used to function. The internet specifically has changed the way in which people view business and make transactions. The current business model of Apple Inc. can be categorized broadly into three sectors: etail, Software Engineering and Hardware Engineering. Apple can be said to be a multinational corporation as it is involved with three major companies; Microsoft, The Gap and Dell which lie in different industries and that makes it even more successful. The software…

References

Blodget, H, 2013, Apple's 'Mission Statement' Is Making People Worry That the Company Has Gone to Hell, Business Insider. Retrieved:  http://www.businessinsider.com/apples-new-mission-statement-2013-8 

Bohm, A, 2009, The SWOT Analysis. Berlin: GRIN Publishers.

Cole, G, 1994, Strategic Management. New York: Thomson Learning.

Fine, Lawrence, G, 2009, The SWOT Analysis: Using Your Strength to Overcome Weaknesses, Using Opportunities to Overcome Threats, New York: Independent Publishing Platform.

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.

Walmart essentially has a foul image to most consumers, and that thus creates a negative stigma regarding working there.

ecommended Corporate Strategy

Based on all the intelligence gathered on Walmart the most vital corporate strategy it needs to engage in would be one which works hard to change its image. As already established, Walmart is essentially neck and neck with its major competitors on a price-based aspect; one could argue that the element which really deters people from shopping there is knowing that it doesn't treat its employees well. Many people view Walmart as a cold, unfeeling corporation that would rather line the pockets of its executives than give the people who do the really back-breaking work, a livable wage. In this era of the Internet, when information is readily at people's fingertips, and more and more shoppers are becoming educated, Walmart cannot afford to engage in such unpalatable business…

References

Banjo, S. (May, 17 2012). Can Wal-Mart Think Small? Retrieved from Online.wsj.com:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303879604577408540682212740.html 

Jalan, P. (2005). Encyclopaedia of Economic Development, Volume 3. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons.

Kavilanz, P. (2011, March 8). Low, low prices: Target beats Wal-Mart. Retrieved from Cnn.com:  http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/07/news/companies/walmart_target_better_price/index.htm 

RapidBI, & Morrison, M. (n.d.). Michael Porter's Five Forces. Retrieved from Rapidbi.com:  http://rapidbi.com/porterfiveforces/

Strategic Management Case

Over the last 20 years, the Balance Scorecard has been used as an approach by corporations to improve their competitiveness and ability to adapt to changes inside the industry. This is based on several fundamental principles to include: financial, the internal business process, learning / growth and the customer. Financial is when the firm is looking at tactics that will measure the monetary impact of the strategy on the organization. The basic idea is to be able to understand shareholders views of management and the company. The internal business process is when executives are examining various strategies inside the firm that will help them to become better in delivering products to customers and achieving the goals of shareholders. Learning & growth is when there is a focus on improving and creating value for different stakeholders. The customer is when management is concentrating on consumer perceptions and how…

References

Balance Scorecard Basics. (2011). Balance Scorecard. Retrieved from:  http://www.balancedscorecard.org/BSCResources/AbouttheBalancedScorecard/tabid/55/Default.aspx 

Carpenter, M. (2009). Strategic Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

ii. Operational Objectives:

The second key objective of the company encompasses its aim to become operationally stronger and unbeatable in the long run. McDonald's is currently the market leader in the global fast food industry due to various competitive advantages and core competencies: including extensive &D, quality management, efficient manufacturing capabilities, strong supply chain and distribution network, excellent customer services, etc. All these competitive advantages and strengths are focused on achieving its operational objectives (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson, 2011). By achieving these objectives, McDonald's aims to prove itself as the most competitive fast food brand which is always the first choice of customers.

iii. Human esource Objectives:

McDonald's has employed around 1.7 million employees in its production plants, regional offices, restaurants, and the Headquarters (McDonald's, 2013). It considers these employees as the most valuable resource for its business. Therefore, its five key objectives also constitute the human resource aspects of…

References

About McDonald's, (2011). Sustainability Scorecard. Retrieved on July 7th, 2013, from

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

Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D., & Hoskisson, R.E. (2011). Strategic Management: Competitiveness & Globalization - Concepts, 9th Edition. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning

McDonald's, (2013). Our Story. Retrieved on July 7th, 2013, from

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

Strategic Management Facebook

Strategic Management

Mission and Vision Statement against Organizational Performance

Evaluation of Strategic Goals

Financial Performance of the Organization

Competitive and Market Analysis

Corporate Strategy to Maximize eturn to Shareholders

Mergers or Acquisitions as a Viable Strategy

Employee Motivational Techniques

Organizational Existing Strategies' Support to Business Ethics

The world of commerce in the twenty fist century has changed, indeed revolutionized in terms of doing business and making money. The technological innovations and advancement has left an indelible imprint on the ways of operating business functions. Strategic management, in this regard, is one of the approaches that are put into effect by the organizations top management in order to analyze their vital initiatives and performance in the external environment (Thompson, Cram101 Textbook eviews, Strickland & Gamble, 2006).

Strategic management is an enduring phenomenon that serves as a roadmap to the organization, where it usually evaluates and controls the overall…

References

Facebook. (2012). Facebook -- About (Mission Statement). Retrieved from Facebook website:  http://www.facebook.com/facebook/info 

Facebook. (2012). Facebook -- Investor Relations (Code of Business Conduct and Ethics). Retrieved from Facebook website:  http://investor.fb.com/documentdisplay.cfm?DocumentID=10737 

Facebook. (2012). Facebook -- Investor Relations (Facebook Reports Third Quarter 2012 Results). Retrieved from Facebook website:  http://investor.fb.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=715607 

Fowler, G.A. (2012). Facebook: One Billion and Counting. Retrieved from The Wall Street Journal website:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443635404578036164027386112.html

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

Strategic Management Process

Strategic management entails the steps taken and combination of managerial decisions which sums up the future performance of a particular company. It entails the four pillars of management. The strategic plans give a framework for the entire company to not only use but also apply. The strategic management consists of steps that shape up the implementation, strategic planning as well as evaluation (Wheelen and Hunger, 2004).

First step: The initial step is to decide the mission of the company and its aims and objectives. Each company requires a mission. When the aims and objectives of an organization are crystal clear, then the managers can work with identifying the viability of its services and products. The managers also need to recognize the goals put in effect at present and strategies being worked upon. The aims and objectives of a company can decide the criteria for performance that employees…

References

Wheelen, T. And Hunger, D. (2004).Strategic Management and Business Policy.Prentice & Hall, New Jersey.

Knight, B. (2008).Strategic management of British Airways Company. Retrieved on November 10, 2013: from http://bizcovering.com/business/strategic-management-of-british-airways-company/

Wheelen, T. And Hunger, J.(2007). Concepts in strategic management and business policy: Achieving sustainability. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

This is challenging, as it will require Whole Foods to continue to adapt in order to make themselves stand out. Prices can have a negative impact on the firm's bottom line results. This is occurring through increasing costs on the wholesale level and tremendous amounts of discounting. Over the course of time, these factors can hurt the company's earnings and ability to maintain their competitive position. ("Global Food etailing Industry," 2013) (Burch, 2007) ("Annual Stakeholders eports," 2012)

ecommendation

Clearly, ABC should integrate with Whole Foods. This will allow the company to maintain its market share and augment the products they are selling into the firm's strategy. At the same time, the management team could help Whole Foods to more effectively address the challenges they are facing from: increased competition and pricing. This will enable both firms to take advantage of each other's cost structure and create a unique atmosphere which…

References

2011 Supermarket Trends. (2011). Seeking Alpha. Retrieved from:  http://seekingalpha.com/article/247930-2011-supermarket-trends-good-for-food-manufacturers-and-retailers-tough-for-consumers 

Annual Stakeholders Reports. (2012). Whole Foods Market. Retrieved from:  http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/sites/default/files/media/Global/Company%20Info/PDFs/2012-WFM_Annual_Report.pdf 

Company Info. (2013). Whole Foods Market. Retrieved from:  http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/company-info# 

Global Food Retailing Industry. (2013). Reporter Link. Retrieved from:  http://www.reportlinker.com/ci02212/Food-Retailing.html

Strategic Plan

Mr Myers:

I am writing today to impress upon you the value of conducting an analysis of the industry environment when developing a strategic plan, and offering a recommendation for a methodology that can make the strategic planning process simpler.

Environmental scanning is the second step of the strategic planning process (QuickMBA, 2010). The first step, as you know, is setting the organization's mission and objectives. Before the company can proceed from there with formulating and implementing a strategy, the organization will benefit from having a sense of the industry and macroenvironment in which the company operates. This is what is known as environmental scanning. This scanning includes an analysis of areas such as the political environment, technology, the economy, and other broad frameworks such as international trade. The competitive environment is also subject to considerable analysis during this process. It is important, if we are to outperform…

Works Cited:

Business Link. (2012). Strategic planning. Business Link.gov.uk. Retrieved October 14, 2012 from  http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1079687477 

Porter, M. (2008). The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved October 14, 2012 from  http://hbr.org/2008/01/the-five-competitive-forces-that-shape-strategy/ar/1 

QuickMBA. (2010). The strategic planning process. QuickMBA.com. Retrieved October 14, 2012 from  http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/strategic-planning/

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

Strategic Alignment

In the last several years, the Strategic Alignment Maturity model is focusing on understanding how an organization can evolve with the different challenges they are facing. This is achieved by carefully examining the business and IT configuration of the firm. To fully understand how this works requires comparing the model with an actual health care organization (i.e. Kaiser Permanente). These insights will illustrate its effectiveness and how it helps companies to adapt. ("About Us," 2013) (Wheatley, 2013) (Chandler, 2003)

I.1 Business Strategy 2

Kaiser Permanente is a managed care provider. They are focused on primarily delivering affordable low cost solutions to patients. This is accomplished by controlling expenses and investing in areas that will address their continuing needs. To achieve the objectives the firm operates three divisions to include: the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Permanente Medical Groups. The different kinds of products / services…

References

About Us. (2013) Kaiser Permanente. Retrieved from:  https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health/care/consumer/center/!ut/p/c5/dY3LDoIwFEShS-4F5CHy6KAbbWotWDYEIyGQEBYIIhfLxq3ziznZA6kMPeeD2WR92V7z2s4Q2pnAZOR5-kEIyuykO6scMlsYeDKgQQYpEXdXmY2wUWmKndsuWxGVcUHIYuB-1X0mnr2kj3zHltFa7XOZEH55D6FrjJa-d3gHH3h9GQXaq6BMaDOpBNG1-Tz9-NOnh6w3NiJ1-YnHS24iGr9TwiC2LTNDbrGNbvNqL0BV0dNzQ!!/dl3/d3/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/ 

Fast Facts. (2013). Kaiser Permanente. Retrieved from:  http://share.kaiserpermanente.org/article/fast-facts-about-kaiser-permanente/ 

Our Vision. (2013). Kaiser Permanente. Retrieved from:  https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health/care/consumer/center/!ut/p/c5/dY7LDoIwFEShS-4VxHEJcirrVKxVg0bgtEQCVhiqghfLxq3ziznJHMgg7G34nktC31Vt6KGI2R2HlLBPWiIre4hWRtRQtqJ1NczuEAFLKyVqeRPeAsl5XTKSaaTlb7NBHlkwUVH3pNB6Gp91hJUksFyVhvfNKJjJXdxfX4jK0ITO5H2hdbMWmP5lNnD9IG7a1DDGl-zjgSZJvx7RxkYkDtuxYKZiNPficuQhKr5gJt45ht3BlvFBv7ZQ!!/dl3/d3/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/ 

Strategic Alignment. (2010). Business Alignment. Retrieved from:  http://businessitalignment.wordpress.com/2010/12/22/strategic-alignment-maturity-model-luftman/

Strategic ecommendations

Understanding consumer buying process is very critical to make consumer complete transactions. (Homburg, Sabine, Harley, 2009).

Cango Company should design a very good Website to assist consumer to complete buying process.

Cango should provide necessary information in the company Web page to make consumer complete buying process.

The Homepage should deliver extensive information about the company's product and services.

All information should be displayed at the Webpage strategic location where consumer will be able to view the information without problem.

Strategic ecommendations Contn

The Webpage should mirror consumer's buying process starting from the problem recognition to a product purchase.

Cango should also carry out an extensive research on consumer characteristics that include demographic and psychographic consumer's patterns.

The company should understand the psychological, personal, and social factors affecting buying behaviors.

Strategic ecommendations Contn

Analysis and evaluation of alternative products is also very critical in a consumer buying process.…

Reference

Homburg, C. Sabine, K. Harley, K. (2009). Marketing Management - A Contemporary Perspective (1st ed.), London.

Laermer, R. Simmons, M, P. (2007). Marketing, New York: Harper Collins.

Shaw, E. (2012). Marketing strategy: From the origin of the concept to the development of a conceptual framework. Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, 4(1), 30 -- 55.

Evidence of FedEx's success can be found in Dahl's departure from the U.S. market. FedEx has several strengths, including a strong culture, established transportation networks, powerful brand and favorable plane lease terms. Weaknesses include being exposed, full force, to the business cycle. Another weakness at FedEx is the Kinko's unit, which has failed to generate synergies and seldom turns a profit. There remain opportunities to develop overseas businesses, and further opportunities to increase its presence in customs, LTL and other key transportation-related industries.

FedEx has a very strong competitive position. They are the #1 player in the key overnight business. FedEx and UPS have essentially an oligopoly, in which the two companies can manage their costs and prices in concert. The most significant strategic issue is that of the economy, which is hurting FedEx's customers. This reduces FedEx shipping capabilities. The second strategic issue will be the fuel costs. This…

Strategic National isk Assessment

Compare and contrast the deductions about the national-level threats and hazards as listed by the DHS in the SNA against the findings you made in Week 5's analysis of the WTAs. As always, assume what is listed first is the greatest risk [also called "most dangerous"] and probability [also called "most likely"] and the last is least

The Strategic National isk Assessment (SNA) is designed to provide the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with the tools it needs to effectively deal with various challenges. The threats and hazards are illustrating the overall scope of the problems and the probability that they will occur at some point in the future. They are classified into different categories called most dangerous and likely.

The most dangerous threats are areas where there is an immediate risk to the U.S. homeland and different national interests. A few of the most notable…

References

"Strategic National Assessment." DHS. (2011): 1 -- 7.

US DHS. National Infrastructure Plan. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2006.

Turabian Format  http://www.libs.uga.edu/ref/turabian2009.pdf 

"Strategic National Assessment," DHS, 2011, 1 -- 7.

Strategic Management Process/Vision, Goals, Objectives

This document examines the mission, vision, values, and goals of Kraft Foods Group. It does so primarily to denote the fact that these components are indicators of this company's strategy. The document also aligns these components with the interest of stakeholders.

It is exceedingly important for organizations within today's climate of rapid-fire technology and constantly changing marketplaces to adhere to strategy. Due to the celeritous pace of both of these factors, there has been a tendency of many competitive organizations to assume that they can only remain competitive by refining operations processes, which involves cutting costs and increasing time to market of its products (Hammond, 2001). Nonetheless, an evaluation of one of the most successful enterprises within the food and beverage industry, Kraft Foods Group, reveals that an adherence to strategic positioning is a critical prerequisite for not only short-term success, but that which continues…

References

Hammonds, K. (2001). Michael Porter's big ideas. www.fastcompany.com Retrieved from  http://www.fastcompany.com/42485/michael-porters-big-ideas 

Welch, J., Welch, S. (2008). State your business. Bloomberg Business Week. Retrieved from  http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-01-02/state-your-business

Strategic Vision: A section describing company's strategic vision. Performance target forecasting: A section shows performance targets EPS, OE, credit rating, image rating year-end stock price -managers set years (assuming simulation continue).

Strategic vision and performance target forecasting

Our organization focuses on the distribution of our products and services within the utmost highest quality of standards. We not only employ the required standards, but we take one step ahead and fully satisfy the needs and wants of our customers. We envision ourselves as the leaders of the industry and the first choice of the customer base. In other words, the strategic vision can be enunciated as follows:

The company seeks to become the leader of the industry and the first choice of the customers. We aim to attain this organizational objective through the full satisfaction of the needs and wants of our stakeholders.

The strategic vision of the firm has a…

References:

Bose, D.C., 2006, Fundamentals of financial management, PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.

Cowley, M., Domb, E., 1997, Beyond strategic vision: effective corporate action with Hoshin planning, Butterworth-Heinemann

Mintzberg, H., 2000, The rise and fall of strategic planning, Pearson Education

Moyer, McGuigan, J.R., Kretlow, W.J., 2008, Contemporary financial management, 11th edition, Cengage Learning

Strategic Management

Company Overview

Me Gusta Marketing is a boutique advertising agency that specializes in social media promotions. The company was founded in late 2010 and currently has three employees. The firm is in the advertising industry, and competes with a niche strategy. The firm specializes in social media promotions, an area where many traditional advertising agencies are relatively weak. The company was founded after its principle started an online promotions campaign for a friend's DJ night at a local pub. The response was far better than expected, so the principle decided to professionalize the service and seek new customers. From there, two other friends were hired into the firm and a number of clients have been signed up thus far. The business is in the process of becoming organized and needs to determine what the business will look like going forward now that the venture looks as though it…

Works Cited:

Adams, N. & Myers, J. (2009). Ad industry hit by economic crisis. NPR. Retrieved May 1, 2011 from  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99120537 

Greenwald, D. (2010). Social media: Changing the world of business communication. Bowling Green University. Retrieved May 1, 2011  http://www.businesscommunication.org/conventionsNew/proceedingsNew/2010New/ABC-2010-08.pdf 

Reinhard, K. (2005). Advertising industry's commitment to social responsibility. Advertising Educational Foundation. Retrieved May 1, 2011 from  http://www.aef.com/on_campus/classroom/speaker_pres/data/3010

In other words, the higher the price, the higher the status they confer.

The active products are developed for customers interested in the products' medical properties.

In conclusion, L'Oreal's target customers are sophisticated, educated, beauty oriented people, with medium to high incomes, that appreciate the company's products' quality.

egarding the company's earnings, 54.8% of the cosmetics sales come from consumer products, 25.1% come from luxury products, 13.9% come from professional products, and 5.5% come from active products. More than half of the company's sales incomes, 52.7% come from Western Europe, 27.6% come from North America, and 19.7% come from the rest of the world.

Even if L'Oreal is the worldwide leader in the cosmetics industry, competition is very harsh in this line of business. L'Oreal's most important competitors are Procter & Gamble's Max Factor International, Clinique, Estee Lauder, but also "niche players such as Los Angeles-based cosmetics maker Stila."

All…

Reference List

L'Oreal (2007). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved February 18, 2007 at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Oreal .

L'Oreal: The Beauty of Global Branding. BusinessWeek online. Retrieved February 18, 2007 at  http://www.businessweek.com/1999/99_26/b3635016.htm .

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

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.

Strategic Framework in BP-Deepwater horizon accident

One of the most eminent names in the oil and gas industry is British Petroleum, considered as the largest provider of oil and gas to its customers for transportation, energy for heating and light and retail services for petrochemical products globally. The financial and operational picture of the company's performance is illustrated in table1 below.

Performance at a glance for 2010

Facts and figures

Sales and other operating revenues

eplacement cost profit

Number of employees

Proved reserves

etail sites

Upstream

efineries (wholly or partly owned)

efining throughput

$297,107 million (year 2010)

($4,519) million (year 2010)

79,700 (at 31 Dec 2010)

18,071 million barrels of oil equivalent

22,100

Active in 29 countries

16

2,426 thousand barrels per day (year 2010)

(BP's Corporate website, 2010)

On 20th April 2010 the company faced a serious challenge when one of its oil rigs started leaking and simply couldn't…

References

BP's Corporate website, 2010. Annual Report 2010. Retrieved through  http://www.bp.com/sectionbodycopy.do?categoryId=9035798&contentId=7066618  on 12th August 2010

Corner, P. Kinicki, A. And Keats, B. (1994) Integrating organizational and individual information processing perspectives on choice, Organizational Science, vol. 3.

Drucker, P. (1954) The Practice of Management, Harper and Row, New York, 1954.

Gellerman, S. (1989) Managing Ethics from the Top to Down, Sloan Management Review;

cipd.co.uk/subjects/corpstrtgy/general/strathrm.htm?IsSrchRes=1).

Secondly, when designing the reward strategy, the HR manager must pay high attention to the stages earlier described for the HRM strategy. This will give him a clue about the 'light at the end of the tunnel', that is the main goal that the organization strives to achieve. According to such findings, he will establish the behaviors he wants to encourage and the types of rewards that are needed for stimulating the respective conducts.

One of the most recommended and in fashion approaches is the total reward strategy. Unlike earlier times which used to lay exclusive stress on pecuniary advantages, contemporary specialists have found that employees are motivated by both financial rewards encompassing base pay, variable pay, share ownership, benefits, and non-financial rewards, comprising recognition, quality of working life, career opportunities and opportunity to develop skills.

According to Thompson, some of the most important features that such strategy boasts…

Bibliography

De Silva, S.R. (1998). Trends in human resource management and management objectives. On the Internet at: www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/actemp/papers/1998/srshrm.htm. Retrieved March 31.

Developing a HRM strategy (2007). On the Internet at: www.accel-team.com/human_resources/hrm_08.html. Retrieved March 31.

More flexibility in reward strategies could assist public sector efficiency drives (2006). On the Internet at  http://www.cipd.co.uk/pressoffice/_articles/pr_09022006.htm?IsSrchRes=1.Retrieved  March 31, 2007.

Reward strategy (2007). On the Internet at  http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/corpstrtgy/general/strathrm.htm?IsSrchRes=1.Retrieved  March 31, 2007.

However the lack of stability in these partnerships is a major weakness for the company today. In 2008, Apple released the following graphic illustrating just how pervasive they believed video-based devices would be, which clearly makes the value of digital content providers critical to their future business model.

Market Assessment of Video-Capable iPods

source: (Apple Investor Relations, 2008).

Implementation: Apple will need to work closely with their research and development team to see what Apple is bringing to the table. Despite the success of the iPod and the iPhone, Apple should continue making products that are familiar to the customer but more user friendly. By doing so Apple can offer their customers products at a lower cost. In addition, Apple can also cut costs by using outsourced research and development teams.

Implementing a competitively featured product relevant to Apple then needs to take into account a business model that reflects…

The ramifications of creating a more equitable partner ecosystem that respect the needs and profit requirements of digital content providers will serve to create greater differentiation faster than products (Berling, 1993). Apple's innovation has been driven at the product level, yet they are faltering in the areas of partnerships (Abel, 2008). What is needed are products that compete with Apple at a functional level yet have a more open architecture that allows content providers to retain their margins and profitability.

Evaluation

In evaluating the performance of the differentiation strategy the metrics associated with content use and transfers which Apple relies on heavily (Casadesus-Masanell, Hervas-Drane, 2010) need to be added to with profit per partner as well. Only then, will an open

Nigeria has defined its policy by a 'concentric circle' model. The core is "the economic viability and full mobilization of the resources of the country [of Nigeria], in which the internal security forms the foundation for a realistic diplomacy" (Agreen 2010).When the core is taken care of, then Nigeria can take into consideration the economic viability of its people. "The second circle takes into consideration the strategic interest of the states in the West African sub-region. The third circle involves Nigeria's foreign policy involvement in the African continent" (Agreen 2010). However, one of the problems with such an approach is that it can be difficult to create a coherent national policy when Nigeria's personal interests clash with those of another African state's or when two states have competing interests and Nigeria must 'take sides.'

Q3. A failed state in Africa

The term 'failed state' is not a generic one, but…

References

Agreen, John. "The problematic of redefining Nigeria's national interest in the context of global diplomacy." Point Blank News. 2010.

[May 12, 2011]  http://www.pointblanknews.com/Articles/artopn2675.html 

Burns, Alex. "The evolution of strategic culture in counterterrorism studies." 2010. [May 12,

2011]  http://www.alexburns.net/Files/MonashPhDProposal.pdf

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  http://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/diversification.asp 

Investopedia. (2013). Risk and diversification. Investopedia. Retrieved November 22, 2013 from  http://www.investopedia.com/university/risk/risk2.asp 

Katzenstein, J. (2013). Diversification strategies. California State University. Retrieved November 22, 2013 from http://som.csudh.edu/depts/adjunct/jkatzenstein/mgt490/Diversification%20Strategy%20Presentation.ppt

MSN Moneycentral (2013). Earthlink. Retrieved November 22, 2013 from  http://investing.money.msn.com/investments/stock-income-statement/?symbol=elnk

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

Strategic Plan & Analysis of New Commercial Endeavor

Planning

Mission statement

Louisville Community Development Bank was set up in the year 1997 as a consequence of a scheme by Louisville mayor Jerry Abramson and a team of business, community and religious leaders to ensure betterment of the Louisville inner city. The Bank's mission is to inspire economic growth with the West End and the Smoke town, Shelby Park and Phoenix Hill localities of Louisville, Kentucky, by offering a range of financial and development resources. (Louisville Community Development Bank from a Home Business to a Million-Dollar Plaza)

Why you have selected the business or department

As the sphere of Banking comes aptly well within my domain knowledge, I would choose for a current venture as that of a local community development bank. Louisville Community Development Bank (LCDB) is a profit oriented, FDIC guaranteed, commercial bank that focuses its functions in the…

References

"Catholic Health Initiatives Commits $1 Million to Louisville Community Development Bank" Retrieved from http://www.morethanabank.com/whatsnew100.htm Accessed on 26 September, 2004

"Community Development Banks" Retrieved from http://www.betterworldhandbook.com/action7(banks).html Accessed on 26 September, 2004

"Directory: Louisville Community Development Bank" Retrieved from http://www.morethanabank.com/staff2.htm Accessed on 26 September, 2004

"Federal tax credit announcement spurs inquiries" (21 May, 2004) Retrieved from  http://louisville.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2004/05/24/story3.html

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

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…

Each employee takes responsibility for his or her continuous improvement in terms of the skill set, behavior and contributions needed for optimal work performance.

Expectations are shared in a clear and concise manner, rather than being obscured in business language that does little more than inflate the ego of the manager. In this way, managers and individuals enter into a sharing relationship rather than a strictly autocratic employee/employer relationship. In addition to managers who clarify their expectations to individuals and teams, the latter also clarify to managers how they expect to be managed and helped towards optimal performance so that collective company goals can be reached.

The focus of strategic human resource management is therefore the complexity of interrelationships between management and employees in order to optimize performance. These interrelationships refer not only to the one between management and employees, but also between members of groups and teams, as well…

Relationship management is then integrated with performance management. While this makes the process much more complicated than the traditional business model, where the autocratic manager would give orders and expect to be obeyed without question, it is also a more effective way of managing performance. Effective relationship management results in a more pleasant work environment, which in turn is conducive to a higher level of performance. Such an integration of strategic human resource management with performance management systems, if handled correctly, can therefore be highly profitable for a business and result in goals being reached within the optimal time frame.

Source

CIPD. "Performance Management: an overview." August, 2004.  http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/perfmanagement/general/perfman.htm

Strategic Advantage

Goold and Campbell's comprehensive study sheds a new light on the ways a company uses to improve its financial results, whether from a quantitative point-of-view (i.e. through acquisitions) or a qualitative one (i.e. through the improvement of ratios) It would seem, according to the two researchers, that multi-business company management proves to be a difficult problem, considering that, according to their study, most "parent" companies tend to destroy value rather than add value to the businesses it parents.

The two authors conduct a short analysis of the previous strategies used by multi-business corporations, and find that the growth / share matrix, which was implemented on a large scale in the United States in the 70's and 80's lead to disillusionment, as the performance of companies was quite poor. In regard to the core-competence concept, although its appeal is quite powerful, it failed to provide practical guidelines for its…

Bibliography

1. Campbell A., Goold M., Alexander M., Corporate Strategy: The Quest for Parenting Advantage," "Harvard Business Review," March-April 1995

2. Campbell A., Goold M., Alexander M., "Corporate Strategy and Parenting Theory," Long-Range Planning, Vol. 31, No. 2, 1998

3. Campbell A., Goold M., Alexander M., "Corporate Parenting," Answer to Lasse Kivikko and Rolf Lappaenen

4. Campbell A., Goold M., Alexander M., "The Value of the Parent Company," California Management Review, Vol. 38, No. 1, Fall 1995