Strategic Management Essays

Strategic Management
Strategic Management Introduction To deal effectively with the wide array of factors affecting the
ability of a business to grow and prosper, managers need advanced processes they feel will facilitate
the optimal positioning of the business in its competitive environment. Such positioning is possible
with strategic management because this process improves preparedness for unexpected internal or
competitive demands. Therefore, strategic management is an all–encompassing approach for
formulating, implementing and evaluating managerial decisions in a way that permits the business
to reach its objectives. For a strategic management plan to be successful, however, every manager
should: В•Clearly see the need for change В•Be firmly...show more content...
John, 44–59). В•Portfolio analysis is a technique, similar in some respects to capital budgeting but
usually at the business rather than project level, used to examine the relative value of the various
businesses, subsidiaries, or other units within a company, and to determine if a balanced "mix" has
been achieved. This helps corporate–level planners reach a better understanding of the competitive
position of the overall portfolio of businesses, to suggest strategic alternatives for the businesses, to
understand the value of acquiring new businesses, and, overall, to develop priorities for resource
allocation. Often, this is done through use of portfolio matrices, a set of graphic displays that help
managers visualize the portfolio along two dimensions: usually an external dimension related to the
overall attractiveness of the industry, and an internal one that relates to the strength of the business
within that industry. В•Road mapping is a technique used by many companies, including high–tech
firms such as Motorola to plan new product development. Lately, the term "road mapping" has been
broadly applied to many kinds of planning activities underway in industrial firms, industry
collaborative groups, and government agencies. These organizations are producing many types of
roadmaps, including product or product line roadmaps, sales roadmaps, industry roadmaps, and
technology roadmaps (Burgelman, 193–214). В•Game theoretic modeling
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Summary
In management domain, strategic management encompasses identification coupled with definition
of strategies. Usually, managers employ these strategies to strive for high performance levels as well
as admirable competitive advantage for business establishments. In addition to that, it includes
decisions as well as acts managers set about, and which determine the outcome of the organizations'
performance.In this respect, strategic management draws higher profitability if well planned and
executed. Incisively, a science is whatever skill that manifests detailed use of facts for a particular
purpose. Subsequently, an art is clearly characterized as skill critical for any human tasks. Not only is
strategic management a behavioral...show more content...
In this perspective, an art is outlined as individualized application of theoretical formulas for
attaining coveted results. For the most part, an art has to a large extent practical knowledge. In this
case, a manager needs to be well–rounded in academic qualifications and the practical part of
management, whereby he or she can apply concrete principles in relative situations for fruitful yield.
In addition to that, a manager must have also personal skill. For one thing, each manager has a
unique style and address for strategic management, depending on knowledge level coupled with
personality (Hodgkinson and Healey, 1510).
Moreover, a great sense of creativity is critical in an art. In the case of strategic management,
creativity is displayed in targeting to bring forth unique results via combination of cognition and
imagination. Above all, it harmonizes human as well as non human endowments to accomplish
desired objectives (Leaptrott and McDonald, 35). Again, continued practice leads to mastery of a
given art. As an example, managers gain skills by way of trial and error in the earlier stages, yet
daily application of strategic management principles over a long period makes them competent in
strategic management. To sum up, an art is goal oriented, whereby in strategic management efforts
are directed towards attainment of preset goals by utilizing available resources. Therefore, in a way

Strategic Management Essay
Title: Strategic Planning "Competing in Changing Markets" Assignment topic Develop a vision
statement, a mission statement and a statement of values, and explain their appropriateness.
Undertake an internal analysis of the organisation and an analysis of its external environment, using
several appropriate tools like an industry five forces analysis. Craft strategies and explain their
appropriateness. Word count (from the start of the Introduction section to the end of the Conclusion
section): 2314 words Executive summary Competing head to head with international companies in
the IT industry can have challenges. This paper considers the apparent challenges in the market, how
crafting new strategic plans can make a small...show more content...
Leader Computers is a family owned small business that is focussed on being a value add IT
distributor. In a strongly competitive market, Leader has found that offering additional services
and flexibility with their customers have given them a niche in the market. They focus on
providing goods at a fair price, while still offering extra services such as sales aids and product
training nights. As Leader only sales to resellers and not to the public, a great deal of the products
sold provides a high margin to their customers to ensure they can make the repeat business more
viable. Leader is perceived as a direct competitor to many international companies in the local
market and embraces diversity in customer type to broaden the base of customers they reach. The
diversity of customer type ensures that business can be stable and not reliant on just a retail sales or
small business market at one time. Leader is an active member of the local community and
participates in a variety of local sponsorships. "Event sponsorship may offer benefits to the
community, to employees, and to the organization. Today, as communities increasingly depend upon
business organizations' assistance, mutually beneficial partnerships may enhance the quality of the
communities as well as the firms involved" (Walker Mack, R 1999). 5. SWOT Analysis Leader is an
IT distributor and manufacturing company in South Australia. The company is based in

Strategic Management and Planning is a course of decisions and actions which ultimately lead to
the development of a strategy to help a company achieve their objectives. Strategic planning focuses
on the company's long term range and how to accomplish what is laid out. Effective planning will
help to prevent problems, provide a response if problems occur, and make available information and
support needed to maintain public awareness, safety, and confidence.
How do the two UCB's strategic IT plans stack up against the Baldrige criteria for assessing strategic
planning? The Baldrige criteria are a series of questions that are not routinely asked on how an
organization or company can function more efficiently. The purpose of these...show more content...
2. Seamless, integrated, immediate, and continuous self–service access to information and services.
3. Robust technology tools to support collaboration.
4. Access to tools and data/information that enable community members to develop their own
integrated solutions.
The UC–Bolder defined their strategic objectives as the following:
1. Universally available wireless network including all campus buildings and strategic open
common spaces as well as access to a campus VPN.
2. Faculty purchase and renewal program allowing all faculty a significant subsidy for a new
computer every several years.
3. Free antivirus and encryption to protect data as well as access to a variety of major software
licenses.
4. Integrated email, calendaring, and scheduling (Exchange).
5. Accessible and multi–layered IT support including both centralized and dedicated IT personnel.
6. Classroom and online IT training.
The Baldrige concepts also ask the universities to ensure that they have proper resource allocations
for their strategic visions. In other words, how do the universities convert their strategic objectives
into action plans through resource allocations? CU–Boulder's Information Technology Services has
approximately 270 employees. CU has clearly defined how they will allocate their IT resources to
ensure they meet their strategic goals. CU–Boulder's IT allocation is as follow:
1. Campus

Essay about Strategic Management
Strategic management is the art, science and craft of formulating, implementing and evaluating
cross–functional decisions that will enable an organization to achieve its long–term objectives. It is
the process of specifying the organization's mission, vision and objectives, developing policies and
plans, often in terms of projects and programs, which are designed to achieve these objectives and
then allocating resources to implement the policies, and plans, projects and programs. Strategic
management seeks to coordinate and integrate the activities of the various functional areas of a
business in order to achieve long–term organizational objectives. A balanced scorecard is often used
to evaluate the overall performance of the business...show more content...
Within this phase, a chain of command should be put in place, pairing individuals with the right
skills, knowledge, and experience with the business's needs and objectives. From there,
responsibilities for processes and tasks should be distributed across the full chain of command,
delegating work to teams and individuals so that they company's goals can be attained through the
combined efforts of all employees. This includes communicating responsibilities and deliverables
(what needs to be done, and how the results of those tasks will be measured). Finally, strategic
management entails allocating the right amount of resources to the different parts of your business
so that those assigned to particular goals have what they need to meet their objectives. This ranges
from providing your workers with the right supplies to enacting systems by which employees
receive the necessary training, all work processes are tested, and all information and data generated
is documented. To effectively manage your business strategically, every inch of your company must
have its needs met in these ways, so all parts can work together as a seamless, highly functioning
whole. A critical but often overlooked aspect of strategic

CHAPTER 1
The Nature of Strategic Management
True/False
Introduction
1. The underpinnings of strategic management hinge on managers gaining an understanding of
competitors, markets, prices, suppliers, distributors, governments, creditors, shareholders and
customers worldwide.
Ans: TPage: 4
2. Although the Internet has increased in popularity, it has actually led to increases in company
expenses.
Ans: FPage 4
3. Consumer e–commerce is five times greater than business–to–business e–commerce.
Ans: FPage 4
What Is Strategic Management?
4. Optimizing for tomorrow the trends of today is the purpose of strategic management.
Ans: FPage: 5
5. Even though useful,...show more content...
Ans: FPage: 10
27. A clear mission statement describes the values and priorities of an organization.
Ans: TPage: 10
28. As of 2004, Wal–Mart was the largest corporation in the world.
Ans: TPage 11

29. Strengths and weaknesses are determined relative to competitors.
Ans: T Page: 12
30. In a multidivisional firm, objectives should be established for the overall company and not for
each division.
Ans: FPage: 13
31. Objectives should be measurable, quantitative, challenging, realistic, consistent and prioritized.
Ans: TPage: 13
32. Annual objectives are long–term milestones that organizations must achieve to reach short–term
objectives.
Ans: FPage: 13
33. Annual objectives are especially important in strategy formulation.
Ans: FPage: 13
34. According to research, a healthier workforce can more effectively and efficiently implement
strategies.
Ans: TPage: 13
The Strategic–Management Model
35. Identifying an organization's existing vision, mission, objectives and strategies is the final step
for the strategic management process.
Ans: FPage: 15
36. Once an effective strategy is designed, modifications are rarely required.
Ans: FPage: 15
37. Application of the strategic–management process is typically more formal in larger and
well–established organizations.
Ans: TPage: 15
Benefits of Strategic Management
38. Followed by commitment, understanding is the most important

Introduction
To deal effectively with the wide array of factors affecting the ability of a business to grow and
prosper, managers need advanced processes they feel will facilitate the optimal positioning of the
business in its competitive environment. Such positioning is possible with strategic management
because this process improves preparedness for unexpected internal or competitive demands.
Therefore, strategic management is an all–encompassing approach for formulating, implementing
and evaluating managerial decisions in a way that permits the business to reach its objectives.
For a strategic management plan to be successful, however, every manager should:
Clearly see the need for change
Be...show more content...
John, 44–59).
Understandably, organizations with diverse operations due to multiple products, markets or
technologies also tend to use more complex strategic management systems. Despite differences in
detail and degree of formalization, the basic components of the models used to analyze strategic
management operations are very similar.
The strategic management process is based on the belief that businesses should continually monitor
internal and external events so timely changes can be made. To survive, firms must be able to
identify and adapt to change. This involves timely planning, directing, organizing and controlling of
the strategy–related decisions and actions of the firm (Camerer, 195–219).
The strategic management process is sometimes improperly perceived as a unidirectional flow of
objectives, strategies and decision parameters from management to the employees. In fact, the
process should be highly interactive since it is designed to stimulate input from creative, skilled and
knowledgeable people working at every level of the business.
Tools Used in Strategy Development
This section very briefly describes several key tools that can be used during the course of strategy
development and strategic planning. The list is not intended to be comprehensive but to illustrate
the types of tools

Chapter 1
63) The goal of strategic management is to
A) achieve competitive advantage.
B) maintain competitive advantage.
C) achieve and maintain competitive advantage.
D) eliminate competitive advantage
E) eliminate and abolish competitive advantage.
64) Strategic management focuses on integrating management, ________, and information systems
to achieve organizational success.
A) marketing
B) finance/accounting
C) production/operations
D) research and development
E) all of the above
65) What can be defined as the art and science of formulating, implementing and evaluating
cross–functional decisions that enable an organization to achieve its objectives?
A) Strategy formulation
B) Strategy evaluation
C) Strategy...show more content...
79) ________ allows firms to sell products, advertise, purchase supplies, bypass intermediaries, track
inventory, and eliminate paperwork.
A) Social networking
B) E–commerce
C) Blogging
D) Video sites
E) None of the above
80) The Internet has transferred power from ________ to ________.
A) businesses, individuals
B) governments, businesses
C) individuals, businesses
D) businesses, governments
E) individuals, governments
81) The trends in newspaper circulation in the United States provide support for which statement?
A) Sustainable competitive advantage is easy to maintain.
B) Several firms can have similar competitive advantages.
C) Some products are relatively immune to changes in the external environment.

D) Most competitive advantages are hard to sustain.
E) Competition is generally good for companies and consumers.
82) The one factor that has most significantly impacted the nature and core of buying and selling in
nearly all industries has been
A) the Internet.
B) political borders.
C) corporate greed.
D) customer and employee focus.
E) the government.
83) Which individuals are most responsible for the success and failure of an organization?
A) Strategists
B) Financial planners
C) Personnel directors
D) Stakeholders
E) Human resource managers
84) The first step in strategic planning is generally
A) developing a vision statement.
B) establishing goals and objectives.
C) making a profit.
D)

Content:
1. Background of Qantas
2. Analysis of Qantas
External analysis
a. What industry is it?
b. General environment analysis
c. The industry environment
d. Competitive environment
e. You now have material about opportunities
Internal analysis
f. The firm's resources, tangible and intangible
g. Capabilities identification
h. Core competency analysis
i. Value chain analysis
j. Weakness
k. Pulling it together
l. Current strategies
3. Recommendation & Strategies
4. Conclusion
5. Reference
6. Appendix
Background of Qantas Qantas is a flag carrier airline in Australia which established in Winton,
Queensland since November 1920 and the second oldest airlines in the...show more content...
It obstructs the development of Qantas Airways said by Mr Abbott. The rule also limit their
international marketing expertise to improve Qantas which make Qantas cannot move on in aviation
industry. Also, bilateral restrictions block it flying. As the result, Qantas difficultly fight with other
competitors such as Virgin Australia andSingapore Airlines.
Sociocultural
In 20th century, women are commonly in the workforce, some of them flight for business purpose.
The airline can provide some specific products and services for women during their onboard.
Nowadays, customers have the expectations of customer service are higher than before. Customers
demand of quality services, innovative products and special experience during onboard.
Technological
Nowadays, science and technologies change rapidly. The demands of passengers will be change;
they would expect a higher level of products and services of airline than before. Qantas must apply
more and more new technologies by upgrading their products and facilities. Moreover, Qantas has to
deliver innovative products and facilities so as to attract more and more loyalty customers.

Global
Political events, diseases and terrorization will cause influences of the demand of flights;
commonly, people will afraid of their safety on the aircraft and the affecting areas, and also their
health of bodies. For example, 11/9 terror, SARS disease and shut down

Strategic management consists of the analysis, decisions, and actions an organization undertakes in
order to create and sustain competitive advantages. It gives the organization a sense of its objectives
and a sense of how it will achieve these objectives. For Michael Porter, one of the leading strategy
gurus, strategy is about achieving competitive advantage through being different. This means
offering buyers a unique value, to increase their number and keep them as customers. For example,
Southwest Airlines, and Ikea have developed unique, internally consistent, and difficult to imitate
systems that have provided them with sustained competitive advantage.. Analysis When the firm has
specified its objectives, it starts to analyse...show more content...
Retrenchment, which means, for example, the reduction of labour or the withdrawal of products,
can result from a decline in demand or changes in competition. It is usually used to save the company
from insolvency and to secure its position in the market through concentrating on its core
competencies. Stability, often chosen after rapid growth periods or also in terms of bad market
conditions, is used to strengthen an organizationпїЅs position and its products in the market. The
growth strategy is chosen to extent its position in the market, or to expand in new markets. Growth
in terms of products and services can be achieved through fostering market penetration, product
/market development or diversification. To explain diversification, the company Honda serves as a
good example. The firm diversified forward when they started with producing motorbikes besides
their Otto engines, in 1947. In 1963, when Honda started to produce cars additionally, it diversified
horizontally. If the firm now started to produce tyres for their vehicles, it would be a backward
diversification. In case they started to produce sweets, it would be an unrelated diversification. When
the kind and direction of a strategy are clear, this information and its scope have to be clarified.
Internally it is done through SMART objectives: Externally it is clarified through the mission
statement, which doesnпїЅt intend to make objectives measurable, but is more

What are the most significant differences between the planning/design/positioning schools of
strategic management and the resource based view?
Define the planning of strategic management:
Strategic planning can be defined as a process of organization that defining its strategy, direction, and
making decision about resource to pursue its strategy. For the defining organization's direction, its
must be understand the current position and find out the way to making it successful. Generally,
strategic planning must be including one of three key questions:
1."What do we do?"
2."For whom do we do it?"
3."How do we excel?"
Define the design of strategic management:
Strategic design can be defined as a using of future–oriented design...show more content...
Strategic positioning of Lenovo
Strategic positioning of Lenovo focus on three main factors such as: high–end, middle and high–end
combination of market positioning methods. Middle and high–end cannot only guarantee the
Lenovo position in the market but also continue bring the image and status in consumer's mind.
Hence, nowadays all of computer manufacture face to the decrease of profit lead to Lenovo decides
to choose for high–end positioning, It's will allow Lenovo company gain competitive advantage
from the international market (Gan, 2002).
Low energy is one of essential part for consumer demand of IT industries and it is also an image of
the representatives of high–tech enterprise. By using low energy and market leading–edge
technology positioning allowed to enhance Lenovo brand. CustomersвЂџ focus has changed from
product quality and price gradually to control energy consumption, frequency and quiet technology
(Jack, Telaote, Lise, 2006).
Strategic planning of Lenovo
Create strong brand awareness; focus on

Global Strategic Management Essay
Global Strategic Management
Executive Summary
In the international competitive environment, the ability of an organization to develop a
transnational organizational capability is the key factor that can help the firm adapt to the changes
in the dynamic environment. As the fast rate of globalization renders the traditional ways of doing
business irrelevant, it is vital for managers to have a global mindset to be effective. Globalization of
business has led to the emergence of global strategic management. A combination of strategic
management and international business will result in strategies for global cooperation.
Background
Strategic management is a relatively young subject. It has its roots in the economic and social...show
more content...
The characteristics of strategic management decisions depend on the level of decision–making
hierarchy. Corporate–level decisions are value oriented, conceptual, have greater risk, cost and profit
potential. The functional–level decisions are usually quantifiable, operational, and periodic and lead
directly to implementation of the overall strategy at the corporate and business levels. The
business–level decisions are strategic decisions that fall between those of corporate–level and
functional–level decision making.
There are many forces that influence the design of strategic management systems. They can be
classified into six major categories: 1. Organization – small or large firms. 2. Management styles –
democratic, authoritarian, policy maker, intuitive thinker, experienced in planning. 3. Complexity of
environment – stable, severe competition, many markets and customers. 4. Complexity of production
processes – capital intensive, labor–intensive, high technology, long production lead time. 5. Nature
of problems – new, complex tough problems. 6. Purpose of planning system – coordinate division
activities, and train managers. (Pearce and Robinson, 1985).
Being strategic, ontologically speaking, is not a personal characteristic, but a management model: it
necessarily requires interaction with different areas, from the company's internal areas to the
market's, the development of

Strategic Management Essays

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