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Strategies, Policies and

Planning Premises
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Strategy
A companys strategy consists of the competitive
moves, internal operating approaches, and action
plans devised by management to produce successful
performance.

Strategy is managements game plan for running
the business.

Managers need strategies to guide HOW the
organizations business will be conducted and HOW
performance targets will be achieved.

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Levels of Strategy
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Levels of Strategy
1. Corporate-level Strategy
The set of strategic alternatives that an organization
chooses from as it manages its operations
simultaneously across several industries and several
markets.
2. Business-level Strategy
How the organization conducts business in a particular
industry.
3. Functional-level Strategy
Strategy developed for specific functional areas
such as marketing, finance, and so forth.
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Corporate
Strategy
Business
Strategies
Functional
Strategies
Levels of Strategy-Making
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BCG Matrix*
Cash
Cows
?
Question
Marks
Dogs
Relative Market Share
M
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k
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t

G
r
o
w
t
h

R
a
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e

Low
High
High
Low
Stars
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BCG Market Share/Market Growth Matrix
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What is Strategic Planning?
Strategic planning is a systematic process
through which an organization agrees on
and builds commitment among key
stakeholders to priorities that are essential
to its mission and are responsive to the
environment.
Strategic Planning guides the acquisition and
allocation of resources to achieve these
priorities.
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Strategic Planning
vs. Operational Planning
Strategic Planning
formulation
What, where
ends
vision
effectiveness
risk
Operational Planning
implementation
how
means
plans
efficiency
control
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Three Big Strategic Questions
Where Are We
Now?

Where Do we Want
to Go?

How Will We Get
There?


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Strategic Planning Process
Developing a Vision and a Mission
Assessment
Setting Objectives
Crafting a Strategy
Implementing and Executing Strategy
Evaluating Performance, Reviewing the
Situation and Initiating Corrective Action

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Strategic Planning
First Stage of Strategic
Planning may involve:

Futures Thinking
Thinking about what the
business might need to do
1020 years ahead

Strategic Intents
Thinking about key strategic
themes
that will inform
decision making

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Strategic Planning
The Vision
Communicating to all staff where the
organisation is going and where
it intends to be in the future

Aims and Objectives:
Aims long term target
Objectives the way in which you are
going to achieve the aim

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Strategic Analysis
Constantly evaluate their position

Strategic analysis includes different methods
of assessing the current position of the
business in the market place

Two basic methods:
Internal
External

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Internal Audits
Productivity
Efficiency
Costs
Other Internal Data
Labour turnover, absenteeism
Customer satisfaction surveys
Quality procedures
Cash flow statements
Sales trends
Skills audit
Strengths and weaknesses analysis

Core competencies
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External Audits
General business environment Inflation, competitiveness,
unemployment/employment, growth, consumer spending
Competitors
PEST factors
Political e.g. change of government

Economic Trends in economic growth, inflation, etc.

Social-changed outlook, age structure of population, etc.

Technological
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SWOT
Analysis
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Vision & Mission
An organizations fundamental purpose
Good Strategies
SWOT Analysis
To formulate strategies that support the mission
Those that support the mission and:
exploit opportunities and strengths
neutralize threats
avoid weaknesses
Internal Analysis
Strengths
(distinctive
competencies)
Weaknesses Threats
External Analysis
Opportunities
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Strengths
Strengths Those things that you do well, the
high value or performance points

Strengths can be tangible: Loyal customers,
efficient distribution channels, very high quality
products, excellent financial condition

Strengths can be intangible: Good leadership,
strategic insights, customer intelligence, solid
reputation, high skilled workforce

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Weaknesses
Weaknesses Those things that prevent you from
doing what you really need to do

Since weaknesses are internal, they are within
your control

Weaknesses include: Bad leadership, unskilled
workforce, insufficient resources, poor product
quality, slow distribution and delivery channels,
outdated technologies, lack of planning, . . .
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Opportunities
Opportunities Potential areas for growth and
higher performance

External in nature marketplace, unhappy
customers with competitors, better economic
conditions, more open trading policies, . .

Timing may be important for capitalizing on
opportunities
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Threats
Threats Challenges confronting the
organization, external in nature

Threats can take a wide range bad press
coverage, shifts in consumer behavior, substitute
products, new regulations, . . .

The more accurate you are in identifying threats,
the better position you are for dealing with the
sudden ripples of change
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Five Forces Model of Competition
Substitute Products
(of firms in
other industries)
Suppliers
of Key
Inputs
Buyers
Potential
New
Entrants
Rivalry
Among
Competing
Sellers
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Porters Five Competitive Forces
1. Threat of new entrants

2. Competitive rivalry

3. Threat of substitute products

4. Power of buyers

5. Power of suppliers
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Gap Analysis
Vision
Assessment
Gap = Basis for Long-
Term Strategic Plan
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Setting Objectives
The purpose is to
convert the mission into
Specific Performance
Targets

Yardsticks for tracking
company progress and
performance.


Should be set at levels
that require stretch and
disciplined effort.
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Crafting a Strategy

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Generic Strategies
Porters Generic Strategies
1. Differentiation strategy
An organization seeks to distinguish itself from
competitors through the quality of its products or
services. Developing an image perceived as unique
2. Overall cost leadership strategy
An organization attempts to gain competitive
advantage by reducing its costs below the costs of
competing firms.
3. Focus strategy
An organization concentrates on a specific regional
market, product line, or group of buyers.
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Types of Strategy
Market Dominance
Achieved through:
Internal growth
Acquisitions mergers and takeovers

New product development: to keep ahead of rivals and set
the pace

Contraction/Expansion focus on what you are good at
(core competencies) or seek to expand into a range of
markets?

Global seeking to expand Global operations

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Strategy Implementation

Technology
Human Resource
Reward System
Decision Process

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Characteristic of the Good
Strategy Implementation
An ongoing exercise
Proper Communication
Contingency Plan
Emphasis on Organisation Culture
Regular Review
Importance of Planning
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DECISION-MAKING
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What is Decision-Making?
Decision making
The process of choosing a course of
action for dealing with a problem or
opportunity.


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Types of Decisions
Programmed decisions.
Involve routine problems that arise regularly
and can be addressed through standard
responses.
Nonprogrammed decisions.
Involve nonroutine problems that require
solutions specifically tailored to the situation at
hand
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Decision environments
Certain environments.
Risk environments.
Uncertain environments.
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Certain environments.
Exist when information is sufficient to
predict the results of each alternative in
advance of implementation.

Certainty is the ideal problem solving and
decision making environment.
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Risk environments
Exist when decision makers lack complete
certainty regarding the outcomes of
various courses of action, but they can
assign probabilities of occurrence.

Probabilities can be assigned through
objective statistical procedures or
personal intuition.
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Uncertain environments.
Exist when managers have so little information
that they cannot even assign probabilities
.
Uncertainty forces decision makers to rely on
individual and group creativity to succeed in
problem solving.

Also characterized by rapidly changing:
External conditions.
Information technology requirements.

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Classical Vs. Behavioral Decision Theory
Classical decision theory.
Views the decision maker as acting in a
world of complete certainty.

Behavioral decision theory.
Accepts a world with bounded rationality
and views the decision maker as acting
only in terms of what he/she perceives
about a given situation.
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Classical decision theory
The classical decision maker:
Faces a clearly defined problem.
Knows all possible action alternatives and
their consequences.
Chooses the optimum alternative.

Is often used as a model of how
managers should make decisions.
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Rationality
Problem is clear and unambiguous.
Single goal.
All alternatives are known.
Clear and constant preferences.
Maximum payoff.
The decision is in the best interest of
the organizationnot the manager.
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Behavioral decision theory
Recognizes that human beings operate
with:
Cognitive limitations.
Bounded rationality.

The behavioral decision maker:
Faces a problem that is not clearly defined.
Has limited knowledge of possible action
alternatives and their consequences.
Chooses a satisfactory alternative.
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Bounded Rationality
Behavior that is rational within the
parameters of a simplified model that
captures the essential features of the
problem.

Making a decision that is
good enough. (Satisficing Model)
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Bounded Rationality
Limited
Search
Inadequate
Information
and Control
Decisions
Satisficing
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Other decision making models
The garbage can model
A model of decision making that views
problems, solutions, participants, and
choice situations as mixed together in the
garbage can of the organization.

Incremental Model
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Intuitive Decision Making
An unconscious process of making decisions
on the basis of experience and accumulated
judgment.

Making decisions on the basis of gut feeling

It does play an important role in managerial
decision making.

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Too Slow Too Quick
Procrastination
Indecision
Analysis paralysis
Ready, fire, aim
Impulsive, compulsive
Arbitrary
Range of decision making
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Cultural and Social Influences
Decision-Making Process
M
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Perception
Learning and
Memory
Attitudes
A
F
F
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T
Problem
Recognition
Search Evaluation Choice Outcomes
Ethnicity, Race,
and Religion
Household and
ref. groups
Socio-Econ:
income,educ.
Demographic:
Gender, Age
Psychographics:
Lifestyle, Person.
Basic Psychological
Processes
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Group Decision-Making
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Forms of Group Decision Making
Interacting groups

Delphi Methods

Nominal groups
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Decision-Making Techniques
Marginal Analysis
Financial Analysis
Break-Even Analysis
Ratio Analysis
OR Technique
Linear Programming
Queuing Method
Game Theory
Simulation
Decision Tree