This document discusses strategic tactics for international business management. It emphasizes that tactics refer to how a strategy is implemented and execution is as important as the strategy. Good communication between team members is critical. Tactical considerations include environmental understanding, abilities, expertise, alliances, resources, and impact objectives. Example tactics include blitz, false flag, loss leader, and sunshine approaches. Developing tactical options involves scenario planning and prioritizing plans A and B. Monitoring, measuring, modifying, and shifting to contingencies allows adjusting the tactics. Layering connects current and future strategic plans.

1. Strategic Tactics
International Business Management
UCLA
David E French

2. Tactics?
Tactics refers to how a strategy is
implemented.
These points are as important as the
strategy itself as without a good execution a
great plan will fail
This is where excellent communications
between your team members matters
Their savvy, their intelligence, their
emotional intelligence and understanding of
the company’s strategy are critical pieces

3. Understand the plan
Communication is key here – whether a team meeting or a series of
team meetings to present information, clarify goals, take inputs from
your management team on implementation considerations and then
collaborate on key implementation pieces
This initial communication loop is critical in determining the nature of
how the plan will be executed.
From these meetings a tactical plan is developed

4. Tactical Options

5. Tactical Considerations
 Environmental Understanding: what is your competition doing, what does the market
offer/restrict – legal, cultural
 Abilities: what can the company do? What are its limitations?
 Expertise of the team: team’s knowledge and experience levels
 Strategic alliances: who can help and what are their strengths
 Financial resources
 Time
 Impact objectives: 1st impact, 2nd impact, etc

6. Some tactical strategy examples
 Blitz: Make a bold and quick entry. Push hard, fast and seem unstoppable
 False Flag: It’s easy to mobilize people against an evil opponent – don’t have one, no problem, make one
 Loss Leader: Offer something very cool at a loss to gain market acceptance, but lock the customer into your
platform
 Sunshine: 3 S’s: Soft, Subtle, Sublime – There’s no enemy/issue here – just moving in, no worries, we’re all
happy. If you don’t enter a market with subtlety, then you have the advantage of seeming natural and that
you were here all along
 Sampling: A good strategy for consumer products – try it, you’ll like it. Of course, this only works if it’s
actually good 
 End Around: Facing a big competitor – do not take them on directly
 Positive: There’s some aspect of the product/service that is very positive (e.g. ESG) that becomes the key to
your communication more than the product itself

7. Inputs to action
 Now, we that have all these inputs and considerations to ponder we must develop tactical
options
 We develop various actions plans, scenario sets, and look at their impacts & compare to our
objectives
 We need to rate each of the options and then prioritize (e.g. plan A, B, etc)
 Once we have our plans and are ready to go, the final piece is one last review by the CEO or
appropriate – finalize a time to launch – then proceed

8. Adjustments and Contingencies
 After you launch – now you need to see how the plan is going. Is it going as intended and
having the desired effect?
 Monitor, Measure, Modify
 Environmental Conditions: What you know a year ago may be outdated, but understanding
why & how the conditions have changed is so very important
 Shifting to Plan B happens when it is clear that Plan A is not achieving what is needed or is
achieving it with unanticipated/undesired issues. These criteria are also in your scenario
plan
 Making adjustments to plans are expected elements, but shifting to a contingency means that
you feel that the objective can’t be met, and another tact must be taken

9. Layering
 One key aspect of strategy and tactics is remember that it is an ever evolving process
 A current strategy will likely be replaced with a new plan for new objectives based upon new
and emerging market data
 Connecting the current plan with what you wish to do next is referred to as transitioning with
the concept of having connectivity between multiple plans as layering
 Layering can be done for one long-term objective and then your strategic plans are shorter in
term to connect intermediate objectives
 It allows companies to maintain degrees of flexibility while strategically working towards
objectives