GLOBAL DIMENSIONS IN SERVICE LEARNING: A COLLABORATIVE GRANT-WRITING PROJECT Alicia Skinner Cook Department of Human Development and Family Studies Colorado State University Much has been written regarding the need to prepare American college and university students for global citizenship. In 1995, the American Coun- cil on Education's International Commission on International Education emphasized the need for colleges and universities to become institutions without boundaries in order to successfully prepare students for the new global environment of the 21'' century (American Council on Education, 1995). Higher education faces many challenges in making this transfor- mation. Green and Olson (2003) stated that the internationalization of college and university campuses requires new pedagogies that encourage interdisciplinary and integrative learning and that allow students to inter- act with the subject matter and apply it to things that matter. Service learning has been used extensively over the past decade to support student involvement in their local communities. Service learning is a form of experiential education aimed at enriching student learning of course material. The term service learning was first coined in 1969 by members of Southern Regional Education Board who described it as "the accomplishment of tasks that meet genuine human needs in combina- tion with conscious educational growth" (Stanton, Giles, & Cruz, 1999). Service learning has developed in part in response to a reform movement that questioned the passive, didactic process of postsecondary teaching and learning and the need to promote awareness of community issues and social responsibility (Stanton, 1990). A distinguishing feature of service learning is its reciprocal and balanced emphasis on both student learning and community service. Objectives are co-determined with community partners and are linked to meaningful and needed outcomes for both stu- dents and communities. Class lectures and discussion, assigned readings, independent research, and reflection activities inform the student projects and also provide advanced learning opportunities. As a consequence, the application of academic content to real-life situations is enhanced and stu- dent comprehension of social issues is deepened. INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION Global Dimensions in Service Learning: A Collaborative Grant-Writing Project Strong potential exists for students to engage in intemationai service learning opportunities while remaining on their own campuses. Philson (1998) pointed to the natural union of international education and infor- mation technologies, given the ability of the latter to transcend both space and time. He argued that the new and readily accessible information tech- nologies of today provide educators with new opportunities for collabora- tion with intemationai colleagues and access to resources as never before. Advances in digital communication bring the capacity to enlarge th ...

1. GLOBAL DIMENSIONS IN SERVICE LEARNING:
A COLLABORATIVE GRANT-WRITING PROJECT
Alicia Skinner Cook
Department of Human Development and Family Studies
Colorado State University
Much has been written regarding the need to prepare American
college
and university students for global citizenship. In 1995, the
American Coun-
cil on Education's International Commission on International
Education
emphasized the need for colleges and universities to become
institutions
without boundaries in order to successfully prepare students for
the new
global environment of the 21'' century (American Council on
Education,
1995). Higher education faces many challenges in making this
transfor-
mation. Green and Olson (2003) stated that the
internationalization of
college and university campuses requires new pedagogies that
encourage
interdisciplinary and integrative learning and that allow
students to inter-
act with the subject matter and apply it to things that matter.
Service learning has been used extensively over the past decade
to

2. support student involvement in their local communities. Service
learning
is a form of experiential education aimed at enriching student
learning
of course material. The term service learning was first coined in
1969 by
members of Southern Regional Education Board who described
it as "the
accomplishment of tasks that meet genuine human needs in
combina-
tion with conscious educational growth" (Stanton, Giles, &
Cruz, 1999).
Service learning has developed in part in response to a reform
movement
that questioned the passive, didactic process of postsecondary
teaching
and learning and the need to promote awareness of community
issues and
social responsibility (Stanton, 1990). A distinguishing feature
of service
learning is its reciprocal and balanced emphasis on both student
learning
and community service. Objectives are co-determined with
community
partners and are linked to meaningful and needed outcomes for
both stu-
dents and communities. Class lectures and discussion, assigned
readings,
independent research, and reflection activities inform the
student projects
and also provide advanced learning opportunities. As a
consequence, the
application of academic content to real-life situations is
enhanced and stu-
dent comprehension of social issues is deepened.

3. INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Global Dimensions in Service Learning: A Collaborative Grant-
Writing Project
Strong potential exists for students to engage in intemationai
service
learning opportunities while remaining on their own campuses.
Philson
(1998) pointed to the natural union of international education
and infor-
mation technologies, given the ability of the latter to transcend
both space
and time. He argued that the new and readily accessible
information tech-
nologies of today provide educators with new opportunities for
collabora-
tion with intemationai colleagues and access to resources as
never before.
Advances in digital communication bring the capacity to enlarge
the scope
of service leaming opportunities for students from local
communities to
the global arena. Linkages with intemationai community
partners allow
students to see the possibilities for contribution beyond their
local com-
munities and connect them with their roles as global citizens.
DESCRIPTION OF AN INNOVATIVE SERVICE
LEARNING COLLABORATION
A service leaming model with a global focus was implemented
at Col-

4. orado State University to assist a South African non-profit
organization
in enhancing their music education program in the township of
Soweto,
while at the same time advancing the international perspectives
of Ameri-
can students in a sénior capstone course on program
development and
grant writing. In partnership with The Orchestra Company,
located in
Johannesburg, South Africa, American undergraduate seminar
students
prepared a grant proposal addressing music education needs of
Soweto
youth.
Service learning has been utilized for over a decade in the
senior cap-
stone course required of all Human Development and Family
Studies ma-
jors at Colorado State University. A key focus of the course is
on devel-
oping grant-v^iting skills. Small groups (typically composed of
three to
five students) are linked with local community agencies to
prepare grant
proposals that can be used to advance the priorities of the
organization.
The option of a global aspect to this capstone course was a
natural exten-
sion of previous efforts by the instructor to make the course
more relevant
and meaningful and to further develop a sense of global
engagement and
service commitment among students. The addition of a global
option (in

5. this instance a non-profit organization in South Africa) gave
students
the opportunity to expand their view of "community" and to
experience a
connection with the wider world. Since each group orally
presented their
projects at the end of the term, all 22 students in the class were
exposed to
this global perspective.
SPRING 2008
COOK
The focus of the grant proposal was on the enhancement and
expan-
sion of the EYETHU Soweto Music Project sponsored by The
Orchestra
Company. The Orchestra Company was formed in January 1998
after
provincial subsidies were withdrawn from music programs in
Gauteng
province. This organization has developed a variety of projects
encom-
passing all aspects of youth music. Started in 1999, EYETHU
(meaning
"ours") currently provides instrumental and music literacy
instmction to
approximately 100 children from 14 Soweto primary and high
schools. The
aim is to give access to formal music education, previously
unavailable to
children in Soweto. The project promotes and develops
programs for both

6. students and educators, offering the opporturùty for meaningful
musical
experiences and expression. EYETHU was developed as a direct
response
to requests by schools for instrumental instmction, music
theory, and
teacher training. Through its teacher-training component,
EYETHU can
potentially reach hundreds of Soweto children (a more detailed
descrip-
tion of this program is available at
www.orchestracompany.co.za).
During the years of apartheid in South Africa, education funds
were
given to educate White students at the expense of Black schools
and town-
ships. Furthermore, the educational system was designed to
isolate Black
Africans from the higher quality education White students were
receiving.
Decades of the so-called "gutter" education for Black South
Africans lefr
an apartheid legacy that the government is now attempting to
address
(Cross, Mungadi, & Rouhani, 2002; Gilmour, Soudien, &
Donald, 2000;
Van Zyl, 1997). The EYETHU Soweto Music project aims to
redress past
inequities whereby township children were denied the benefits
of music
education. The township of Soweto played a pivotal role in the
stmggle
against apartheid. A number of Soweto school children were
killed in 1976
during a rally held in protest against their inferior education and

7. the lan-
guage of instmction. Ttie images of this much-publicized event
resulted in
outrage from the world community and brought international
condemna-
tion of the apartheid government.
PROGRAM BENEFITS FOR SOUTH AFRICAN YOUTH
Within South Africa the argument has been made that education
in
the arts, and the opportunity to leam and excel, must become
increasingly
available to all communities on an equitable basis (Ministry of
Education,
2001). The National Curriculum Statement has in fact now
mandated arts
and culture as a leaming area within the general education and
training
curriculum.This leaming area covers classical/traditional arts
and also gives
equal emphasis to innovative, emergent arts to develop original
and con-
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Global Dimensions in Seroice Learning: A Collaborative Grant-
Writing Project
temporary artistic expression. In addition to giving youth the
means to ex-
press themselves creatively, the arts provide an avenue for
communication
that transcends language, which is particularly important in a

8. country like
South Africa where multiple languages are spoken. The arts can
also lead
to the skills associated with working effectively with others, an
important
learning outcome as delineated in the South African
Qualifications Au-
thority. Extra-curricular arts opportunities can reinforce this
aspect of the
school curriculum and be an important source of self-esteem for
develop-
ing youth and a source of pride for the local community. The
importance
of music in the lives of South African youth is underscored in
the following
quote by Nelson Mandela: "It is through music that we express
our deepest
emotions, the joys and sorrows of our people - and our deepest
beliefs."
LEARNING PROCESS AND OUTCOMES FOR
AMERICAN STUDENTS
The educational objectives of the service learning project for
partici-
pating students were as follows:
• To acquire program development skills in an international
context through
a collaborative grant-writing project.
• To acquire proposal writing skills and familiarity with
potential funders for
youth projects in South Africa.
• To gain skill in locating and integrating professional sources

9. of information
related to music education in South Africa, recent trends in
national educa-
tion programs and policies, diversity of cultural traditions and
customs, and
the role of non-profit organizations in promoting youth
programs.
• To acquire an understanding of political, social, and economic
factors of rel-
evance to the focus of the collaborative grant-writing project
and its target
population in South Africa.
• To gain perspective on ways in which the unique history of a
particular com-
munity can affect the need and acceptance of music education
programs.
• To gain experience in designing an appropriate and culturally-
relevant eval-
uation plan for assessing project outcomes.
• To gain skills for working coUaboratively through a service
learrung partner-
ship with a South African non-governmental organization.
Students in the targeted course typically select a topic (and
corre-
sponding non-profit organization) for the required grant
proposal from a
range of available options, and then they are organized into
small grant-
writing groups. Thus students choosing the international service
learning

10. SPRING 2008
COOK
opportunity clearly desired a global dimension to their seminar
experience
even though most had very limited international experience.
A premise of service learning is that learning occurs within a
commu-
nity, through interactions with other students and community
partners.
The social context of learning is increasingly recognized as
important, par-
ticularly when student actions and outcomes are needed and
valued by
others (Miller & Scott, 2002). Members of each student grant-
writing team
depended on each other for successful completion of the service
learning
assignment, and the participating non-profit organization
depended on
the student group for a high quality grant proposal with
potential for ac-
tual submission to a funding agency. The designated
orgarùzational con-
tact at The Orchestra Company played a key role in the success
of the
project by providing current information to the instructor and
students on
the partner organization (structure and personnel), recent
activities, and
accomplishments as well as specifying priorities/objectives for
new and

11. expanded programs. Students had periodic opportunities to ask
for clarifi-
cation or elaboration from this individual via e-mail. The course
instructor
was responsible for directing students to academic resources
relevant to
the service-learning activity. By the end of the course, the
students com-
pleted a five-page funding proposal that was transmitted both
electroni-
cally and in hard copy to The Orchestra Company.
Prior agreement was obtained from the participating students
for The
Orchestra Company to use all or parts of their completed
proposal for sub-
mission to an actual funder, but the organization had no
obligation to do so.
While undergraduate students are not professional grant writers,
as a result
of this project they were able to prepare a professional
document infused
with fresh ideas and incorporating recent research to enhance
empirically-
based practice with attention to cultural issues.
SERVICE LEARNING AS PEDAGOGY:
ENHANCING THE EXPERIENCE
Structured Reflection
Opportunity for reflection is a critical aspect of effective
service learn-
ing and distinguishes it from other forms of̂ experiential
education (Zlot-
kowski, 1999). To establish a reflective classroom environment

12. in which
relevant issues are further pondered and explored, structured
reflection
was promoted through analytic papers and discussion. This
reflection was
prompted by questions intended to stimulate deeper thinking
about the
project, how it fit into the larger scheme of emerging needs of
youth with-
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Global Dimensions in Service Learning: A Collaborative Grant-
Writing Project
in a new democracy, its contribution to current community and
national
education initiatives, and the strengths and challenges inherent
in a col-
laborative, cross-cultural grant-writing project. Students were
encouraged
to examine their own beliefs, values, and stereotypes and to
think about
how these might interfere with their own learning as well as
their ability to
contribute to this collaborative grant-writing project. They were
also asked
to consider their limitations for contributing to the project and
aspects
of their background and experience that would influence their
approach,
perceptions, and interpretations. The students were challenged
to design a
project that would take into account the relevant stakeholders,

13. the factors
that would influence acceptance and support for this project in
the local
community, and the processes and elements that would ensure
continued
community involvement and support.
Content Knowledge Acquisition
For successful implementation of a service-learning project,
consider-
able background reading is necessary to understand the broader
context
in which the project is embedded. Jane Kendall (1990) stated
that effec-
tive service-learning programs are explicitly structured to
promote learning
about larger issues. This learning includes a deeper
understanding of the
historical, sociological, cultural, economic, and political
contexts of the hu-
man needs or issues being addressed through the service-
learning activity.
In preparation for engaging in the collaborative grant-writing
project,
each seminar student wrote a research paper on a speciñc topic
related to
the proposed program. Students in each group coordinated with
each other
(with the instructor's guidance) to avoid duplication and to
ensure coverage
of essential topics. Students were expected to conduct extensive
literature
reviews on their chosen topics, and the instructor directed them
to key ref-

14. erence documents and library materials. Specific topics
addressed included
challenges for South African youth in a new democracy,
historical perspec-
tives on education in South Africa (with an emphasis on Bantu
education),
current educational policies and practices, the role of music in
South African
cultures, and the function of the arts in intervention programs.
Particular
emphasis was placed on the role of music education in the
current South
African school system, particularly with regard to the recent
focus on out-
comes-based education. Having spent a month in South Africa
during the
previous year on a Fulbright Group Seminar Abroad program,
the instructor
collected and provided students with access to recent
government reports
and other materials published in South Africa as well as current
websites
related to educational issues in the country.
SPRING 2008
COOK
Skill Development
Though this service-learning activity, students gained
experience in
writing a project proposal in collaboration with an intemational
non-profit

15. organization. Elements of successful grant writing were
presented through
class lectures, and examples of successful grant proposals were
provided as
models. The completed proposal submitted by students included
the fol-
lowing elements: agency information, target population,
statement of need
for the proposed program, goals and objectives, and a detailed
description
of program activities, timeline, and evaluation plan. Due to the
complexity
of budget issues in an intemational context, students were not
required
to develop a detailed budget as would typically be the case. The
contact
for the partner organization provided a target range for the total
program
budget so that a grant proposal could be developed that was
appropriate
in size and scope.
SUCCESSFUL IMPLICATION: CRITICAL ASPECTS
Several factors contributed to the successful implementation
and effec-
tiveness of this cross-cultural project. The instructor had taught
the capstone
seminar many times, had extensive experience in intemational
education,
and had recently visited South Africa and The Orchestra
Company program
in Soweto. All of these factors contributed significantly to her
ability to ef-
fectively mentor students in the class. Also, the instructor had
identified a

16. key contact in the partner organization, and this individual was
eager to be
a resource for the collaborative grant-writing project. There was
joint agree-
ment on the focus of the proposal and the purpose of the
service-leaming
activity. Further, respective roles and responsibilities were
clarified during
the planning stage prior to the start of the course. This advance
planning
and preparation made the intemational service-leaming activity
a viable
option for students in the course and more comparable to the
work done
locally by other students in the class.
Hey (2000) emphasized the importance of "humanizing" the
problem
for students to encourage engagement and active leaming, and
personal
photographs and stories can be a very effective way of helping
students
connect with a situation and culture that is foreign to them.
Early in the
course, the instructor shared digitized photos as well as
concrete examples
of Soweto children and youth from her first-hand observations
and experi-
ences. One student in the class wrote: "I think that it is hard to
have any sort
of understanding or real empathy towards other people unless
you see and really
feel what they are going through or need. Being part of a team
and really study-
ing the program and the history of the Soweto people helped;
however, I think it

17. 12 INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Global Dimensions in Seroice Leaming: A Collaborative Grant-
Writing Project
was the pictures and stories of children that flipped a switch in
my mind, allow-
ing me to open my heart and let the needs ofthe individuals in,
leaving behind
the concept ofthe nameless group."
The enthusiasm and commitment to the project among group
mem-
bers were also critical factors. All shared a strong passion for
education,
music, and working with children. Several of the students
planned to be-
come teachers and almost all were skilled in some area of the
arts (i.e.,
playing a musical instrument, performing in musical
productions). The
itnique skills, knowledge, and personal experiences each student
brought
to the class contributed to a successful process and outcome for
the group
as a whole.
INSTRUCTIONAL CHALLENGES
The course was successful in that students felt like they learned
a tre-
mendous amount about another culture, developed grant-writing
skills, and

18. gained new insights while producing a grant proposal that could
be used
by a non-profit organization in South Africa. Nonetheless, the
instructor
identified several shortcomings in her assessment of this
curriculum proj-
ect. First of all, it was definitely a challenge to accomplish all
the aims of a
capstone course combined with the integration of a strong cross-
cultural
component. The course was very fast paced and task oriented.
To maximize
the effectiveness of this service-leaming experience, students
needed more
time to consider issues (appropriateness, who really benefits,
questions of
sustainability) associated with the model of individuals from a
Western
society applying technical skills to address local issues in a
South African
community. Ideally, the students would be able to enroll in a
two-course
sequence that would allow a second semester for additional
refecfion on
questions such as: To what extent can education and/or
intervention mod-
els from the United States be effectively implemented in a
South African
context? Students would clearly have benefited from taking a
step back
and reviewing their own proposals after some time had elapsed
to deter-
mine biases and assumptions inherent in the document they had
created.
From the instructor's vantage point, it was clear that students

19. under-
standably used their own "western education" frame of
reference when
designing a music education program for Soweto youth. Instead
of using
a general approach that would have allowed the non-profit
organization
to customize the proposal to meet their individual needs, the
students
erred on the side of detail and specificity rather than fiexibility.
While they
gained an appreciation of cultural differences and needs, the
demands of
the course did not allow sufficient fime to perceive and
experience the nu-
SPRING 2008 13
COOK
anees that are part of effective cross-cultural work.
Fung (1998) made the point that there are both universals and
non-
universals of music and that the universality should not be
overstated.
The role of music in the history of Soweto is unique and cannot
be fully
grasped or appreciated by undergraduate students in such a
limited time
frame. Deeper exploration of questions such as the following
would have
moved the students beyond a superficial level of understanding:
What role

20. has music played historically in terms of expression of political
oppression,
social issues, and group identity in Soweto? What transitions, if
any, have
occurred in the music created and played in this new
democracy? Based
on available research, what potential does music have as an
educational
and therapeutic tool to help address emerging issues such as
HIV/AIDS
among South African youth?
Thinking more about the broader context would also have
enhanced
the experience (for example, learning more about the role that
non-gov-
ernmental organizations play in South Africa and how these
organizations
are typically funded as well as the ways these programs
interface with
schools, governmental agencies, and other entities).
Perspective-taking
from the vantage point of the non-profit entity would have
allowed stu-
dents to enter the mind-set of the staff member they were
working with
(Hey, 2000), but this sharpened "lens" is usually only developed
through
repeated interactions over time. Thus collaboration at a distance
and with-
in the context of one particular course does have distinct
limitations.
More opportunities were also needed for students to refiect on
their
own growth process and what they learned about themselves;

21. for ex-
ample, the assumptions they made when starting this service-
learning
project and the ways they were challenged to thirik differently.
Judging
from informal comments made by students, it is possible that
several addi-
fional outcomes will result from their parficipation in this
service-learning
project such as shifts in career direction or greater involvement
in inter-
national work. Emphasis is usually given to short-tenn
objectives when
formally assessing the outcomes of international education
projects with
inadequate attention given to longer-term consequences.
Unfortunately,
all students in the course were seniors and graduating; thus,
only limited
opportunity for systematic follow-up was possible.
CONCLUSION
In the service-learning project described in this article, students
in a
senior grant- writing course in the human services had the
opportunity
to work on real-life issues affecting youth in a foreign country.
The experi-
14 . INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Global Dimensions in Seroice Learning: A Collaborative Grant-
Writing Project

22. ence of engaging in service leaning having global dimensions
made their
academic learning relevant while simultaneously enhancing
their grant-
writing skills, expanding their knowledge of contemporary
issues affecting
South African youth, gaining experience with culturally-
relevant program
planning and evaluation, and examining the linkages between
education-
al and community intervention in a South African context.
Participating
students unanimously reported a variety of positive outcomes in
terms of
academic learning, skill development, and increased awareness
of interna-
tional issues. The course was also appropriate as a senior
capstone experi-
ence in terms of rigor and the expectation of synthesis,
integration, and
application of the academic content learned in their major. The
following
statement by a student illustrates the integrative nature of the
learning
outcomes: "The most meaningful learning experience for me
was realizing
that all my hard work paid off. I was able to use skills
developed over the past
four years to positively benefit strangers half-way around the
world. What
could be more rewarding than that?"
As a result of this structured service-learning experience,
student per-
ceptions changed as well. One student shared that she initially

23. thought
her group might be at a disadvantage by selecting an
international project
due to the inherent challenges but concluded at the end of the
class that
she valued the expanded learning involved and the opportunity
to "close
the geographical barrier." Another student commented,
"Distance really is
no divider when a basic understanding is reached and a passion
is shared to
fulfill a need."
The instructor plans to maintain contact with South African
colleagues
to assess longer-term outcomes of the collaboration and to
determine spe-
cific ways that the partnership can be expanded for increased
benefit to all
stakeholders. It is anticipated that a future stage might involve
South Afri-
can college/university students so that grant-writing skills can
be developed
among those local youth aspiring to work with non-profit
organizations
such as The Orchestra Company.
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Acknowledgement is given to Susan Harrop-Allin, staff member
at The
Orchestra Company in Johannesburg, South Africa, who served
as a key con-
tact and collaborator for the service learning project described
in this article.
Her enthusiastic support, cooperation, and commitment were
critical to the
success of this partnership.
The curriculum project described in this manuscript was
developed dur-
ing participation on a Fulbright Group Seminar Abroad in South
Africa. The
author extends appreciation for support provided by the U.S.
Department of
Education and the Fulbright Commission in South Africa.
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Chapter 5
1. What are planning, strategy, and strategic management, and

27. why are they important to me as a manager?
2. What are mission and vision statements, and what are three
types of planning?
3. What are the three types of goals, and what are different
kinds of plans?
4. What are SMART goals and MBO and how can they be
implemented?
5. How does the planning/control cycle help keep a manager’s
plans headed in the right direction?
Chapter 6
1. What is strategic positioning, and what are the three
principles that underlie it?
2. What’s the five-step recipe for the strategic-management
process?
3. What are the characteristics of good mission and vision
statements?
4. What tools can help me describe where the organization
stands from a competitive point of view?
5. How can three techniques—Porter’s four competitive
strategies, diversification and synergy, and the BCG matrix—
help me formulate strategy?
6. How does effective execution help managers during the
strategic-management process?

28. Major Questions You Should Be Able to Answer
5.1
Planning & Strategy
Major Question: What are planning, strategy, and strategic
management, and why are they important to me as a manager?
5.2
Fundamentals of Planning
Major Question: What are mission and vision statements, and
what are three types of planning?
5.3
Goals & Plans
Major Question: What are the three types of goals, and what are
different kinds of plans?
5.4
Promoting Goal Setting: SMART Goals & Management by
Objectives
Major Question: What are SMART goals and MBO and how can
they be implemented?
5.5
The Planning/Control Cycle
Major Question: How does the planning/control cycle help keep
a manager’s plans headed in the right direction?
Page 135
the manager’s toolbox
Setting Big Goals: Is This the Road to Success?
What’s a big goal? A four-year college degree.
Worth it? Not getting a degree has been estimated at about half
a million dollars in lost income over your lifetime!1 People
with such degrees averaged 98% more an hour than those
without them.2 College graduates ages 25–32 are more apt than
non–college graduates (86% versus 57%) to say their job is a

29. path to a career.3
Big Goals, Hard Goals
Getting a college degree is not only a big goal, it’s a hard
goal—difficult, stressful, expensive, time consuming. Still, do
you perform better when you set difficult goals? If goals are
made harder, people may achieve them less often, but they
nevertheless perform at a higher level.4
If you have outsize ambitions, you might set yourself a really
hard goal (“Increase study time 50%)—what’s known as
a stretch goal, “stretching yourself beyond what your mind
might think is safe,” in one definition.5 Richard Branson,
founder of Virgin Atlantic airlines, Virgin records, and many
other enterprises, has done a lot of incredible things, in part
because of setting stretch goals: “My interest in life,” he says,
“comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable
challenges and trying to rise above them.”6 However, in
organizations, stretch goals may spur extraordinary efforts but
may also lead to excessive risk taking, cheating, and
interpersonal strife.7
Writing Out Your Goals
Research suggests that writing about two paragraphs outlining
your goals will help you feel more confident and energetic when
entering a new group.8 Some advice for writing out—
and achieving—your biggest goals are as follows:9
• Make a concrete plan—which embeds your intentions firmly
in your memory.
• Break your goals into manageable bites—and set out clear
steps that you can use to record and track your progress.
• Put something of value on the line—such as money that will
be forfeited if you’re unsuccessful. (You can deposit the money
at stickK.com.)
• Bundle your temptations or rewards to your efforts—such as
tying your reading of pleasurable trashy novels to when you do
gym workouts.
• Seek social support—pursue your goal with the help of a
mentor or fellow strivers.

30. If you fail, don’t give up entirely. Realize that you may have
other opportunities to make a fresh start.
For Discussion One writer advises setting one somewhat
“crazy” personal goal from time to time. This is a stretch goal,
he suggests, “that if accomplished would create a new,
different, and exciting future state, the kind of goal that if you
can only get halfway there, you will still feel good about the
progress you have made and will be better for the
effort.”10 What would that goal be for you?
We describe planning and its link to strategy. We define
planning, strategy, and strategic management and state why they
are important. We deal with the fundamentals of planning,
including the mission and vision statements and the three types
of planning—strategic, tactical, and operational. We consider
goals, action plans, and operating plans; SMART goals and
management by objectives; and finally the planning/control
cycle.
Page 136Planning & Strategy
What are planning, strategy, and strategic management, and why
are they important to me as a manager?
THE BIG PICTURE
The first of four functions in the management process is
planning, which involves setting goals and deciding how to
achieve them and which is linked to strategy. We define
planning, strategy, and strategic management. We then describe
three reasons why strategic management and strategic planning
are important and how they may work for both large and small
firms.
The management process, as you’ll recall (from Chapter 1),
involves the four management functions of planning,
organizing, leading, and controlling, which form four of the part
divisions of this book. In this and the next two chapters we
discuss planning and strategy.
Planning, Strategy, & Strategic Management

31. Planning, which we discuss in this chapter, is used in
conjunction with strategy and strategic management, as we
describe in Chapter 6. Let’s consider some definitions.
Planning: Coping with Uncertainty As we’ve said (Chapter
1), planning is defined as setting goals and deciding how to
achieve them. Another definition: planning is coping with
uncertainty by formulating future courses of action to achieve
specified results.11 When you make a plan, you make a
blueprint for action that describes what you need to do to
realize your goals.
Example: One important type of plan is a business plan, a
document that outlines a proposed firm’s goals, the strategy for
achieving them, and the standards for measuring success. Here
you would describe the basic idea behind your business—
the business model, which outlines the need the firm will fill,
the operations of the business, its components and functions, as
well as the expected revenues and expenses. It also describes
the industry you’re entering, how your product will be different,
how you’ll market to customers, how you’re qualified to run the
business, and how you will finance your business.
EXAMPLE
Is Planning Necessary? Launching a Vending-Machine Business
on $425
Brian Allman of Reno, Nevada, was 17 years old when he
bought a simple vending machine at Sam’s Club for $425 and
used it to start Bear Snax Vending, stocking the machine and
four others he added later with Skittles, M&Ms, and Snickers to
serve several small to midsize businesses, such as banks.
Allman did this without apparently drawing up a business
plan.12
Why Plan? Almost everyone starting a new business is advised
to write a business plan. The reasons: Creating such a plan
helps you get financing. (“If you want us to invest our money,
show us your plan.”) It helps you think through important
details. (“Don’t rush things; it’s best to get the strategy right.”)

32. Finally, it better guarantees your firm will succeed. (A study of
396 entrepreneurs in Sweden found that a greater number of
firms that failed never had a formal business plan.13)
“Going with What You’ve Got.” Even so, sometimes major
decisions, including starting up companies, are made without
much planning. Indeed, one study found that 41%
of Inc. magazine’s 1989 list of fastest-growing private firms
didn’t have a business plan and 26% had only rudimentary
plans, percentages essentially unchanged in 2002.14 Planning of
any sort, of course, requires time, and sometimes you need to
make a quick decision and “go with what you’ve got”—with or
without a plan.15
YOUR CALL
Nine years after founding Bear Snax Vending without a formal
business plan, Brian Allman was still running it. (Allman was
also working as a financial advisor for financial services firm
Edward Jones.) If you had a few hundred dollars with which to
launch a small business, do you think writing a business plan
would help you or just be a waste of time?
Page 137Strategy: Large-Scale Action PlanA strategy is a large-
scale action plan that sets the direction for an organization. It
represents an “educated guess” about what must be done in the
long term for the survival or the prosperity of the organization
or its principal parts. We hear the word expressed in terms like
“Budweiser’s ultimate strategy . . .” or “Visa’s overseas
strategy . . .” or financial strategy, marketing
strategy, and human resource strategy.
An example of a strategy is “Find out what customers want,
then provide it to them as cheaply and quickly as possible” (the
strategy of Walmart). However, strategy is not something that
can be decided on just once. It needs to be revisited from time
to time due to ever changing business conditions.
Strategic Management: Involving All Managers in Strategy In
the late 1940s, most large U.S. companies were organized
around a single idea or product line. By the 1970s, Fortune 500
companies were operating in more than one industry and had

33. expanded overseas. It became apparent that to stay focused and
efficient, companies had to begin taking a strategic-management
approach.
Strategic management is a process that involves managers from
all parts of the organization in the formulation and the
implementation of strategies and strategic goals. This definition
doesn’t mean that managers at the top dictate ideas to be
followed by people lower down. Indeed, precisely because
middle managers in particular are the ones who will be asked to
understand and implement the strategies, they should also help
to formulate them.
As we will see, strategic management is a process that involves
managers from all parts of the organization—top managers,
middle managers, and first-line managers—in the formulation,
implementation, and execution of strategies and strategic goals
to advance the purposes of the organization. Thus, planning
covers not only strategic planning (done by top managers) but
also tactical planning (done by middle managers) and
operational planning (done by first-line managers).
Planning and strategic management derive from an
organization’s mission and vision about itself, as we describe in
the next section. (See Figure 5.1.)
FIGURE 5.1Planning and strategic management
The details of planning and strategic management are explained
in Chapters 5 and 6.
Why Planning & Strategic Management Are Important
An organization should adopt planning and strategic
management for three reasons: They can (1) provide direction
and momentum, (2) encourage new ideas, and above all
(3) develop a sustainable competitive advantage.16 Let’s
consider these three matters.
1. Providing Direction & Momentum Some executives are
unable even to articulate what their strategy is.17 Others are so
preoccupied with day-to-day pressures that their organizations
can lose momentum. But planning and strategic management can

34. help people focus on the most critical problems, choices, and
opportunities.
If a broad group of employees is involved in the process, that
can foster teamwork, promote learning, and build commitment
across the organization. Indeed, as we describe Page
138in Chapter 8, strategy can determine the very structure of
the organization—for example, a top-down hierarchy with lots
of management levels, as might be appropriate for an
electricity-and-gas power utility, versus a flat-organization with
few management levels and flexible roles, as might suit a fast-
moving social media start-up.
Unless a plan is in place, managers may well focus on just
whatever is in front of them, putting out fires—until they get an
unpleasant jolt when a competitor moves out in front because it
has been able to take a long-range view of things and act more
quickly. In recent times, this surprise has been happening over
and over as companies have been confronted by some digital or
Internet trend that emerged as a threat—as Amazon.com was to
Borders; as digital cameras were to Kodak’s film business; as
Google News, blogs, and citizen media were to newspapers.18
But there are many other instances in which a big company
didn’t take competitors seriously (as Sears didn’t Walmart, IBM
didn’t Microsoft, and GM didn’t Toyota). “We were five years
late in recognizing that [microbreweries] were going to take as
much market as they did,” says August Busch III, CEO of
massive brewer Anheuser-Busch, “and five years late in
recognizing we should have joined them.”19
Of course, a poor plan can send an organization in the wrong
direction. Bad planning usually results from faulty assumptions
about the future, poor assessment of an organization’s
capabilities, ineffective group dynamics, and information
overload.20 And it needs to be said that while a detailed plan
may be comforting, it’s not necessarily a strategy.21
2. Encouraging New Ideas Some people object that planning can
foster rigidity, that it creates blinders that block out peripheral
vision and reduces creative thinking and action. “Setting oneself

35. on a predetermined course in unknown waters,” says one critic,
“is the perfect way to sail straight into an iceberg.”22
Actually, far from being a straitjacket for new ideas, strategic
planning can help encourage them by stressing the importance
of innovation in achieving long-range success. Management
scholar Gary Hamel says that companies such as Apple have
been successful because they have been able to unleash the
spirit of “strategy innovation.” Strategy innovation, he says, is
the ability to reinvent the basis of competition within existing
industries—“bold new business models that put incumbents on
the defensive.”23
100 Montaditos. Characterized as a “Spanish Starbucks for
sandwiches” or “the dollar store of fast-food franchises,” 100
Montaditos is a hugely successful Spanish restaurant chain that
has set its sights on the United States. Named for bargain-rate
traditional 5-inch sandwiches (such as those stuffed with
Serrano ham or duck mousse with crispy onions for only $1),
the chain’s strategy emphasizes atmosphere combined with low
prices. Starting with this Miami restaurant in 2011, it aimed to
open 4,000 outlets from Canada to Argentina during the next
five years—a growth rate that would exceed even that of
Starbucks, which took three decades to achieve the same
number of U.S. stores. Some business analysts say the Spanish
company’s plans are too ambitious. Is there anything wrong
with a strategy built on bold dreams?
Page 139Some successful innovators are companies creating
new wealth in the food and restaurant industries, where
Starbucks Coffee, Trader Joe’s, ConAgra, and Walmart, for
example, developed entirely new grocery product categories and
retailing concepts. Chili’s, the casual-dining chain, has installed
table-top computer screens that take menu orders, accept
payments by credit card, and let diners play videogames,
changing how diners and wait staff interact.24GrubHub
Seamless, an online takeout and delivery company, serves
customers armed with cell phones and delivery apps, delivering

36. pizzas and other foods anywhere they want—at the gym, in the
park, on the playground.25 Vending machines are now serving
everything from salads to smoothies to caviar, and supermarkets
are experimenting with personalized pricing, using complex
shopping data to ascertain the unique needs of individual
customers.26
3. Developing a Sustainable Competitive Advantage Strategic
management provides a sustainable competitive
advantage, which, you’ll recall (from Chapter 1), is the ability
of an organization to produce goods or services more effectively
than its competitors do, thereby outperforming them.
Sustainable competitive advantage occurs when an organization
is able to get and stay ahead in four areas: (1) in being
responsive to customers, (2) in innovating, (3) in quality, and
(4) in effectiveness. Today technology has made achieving a
sustainable competitive advantage nearly impossible in many
industries, so the advantage may well be fleeting.27
EXAMPLE
Developing Competitive Advantage: What’s the Best Strategy in
an E-Commerce Age?
E-commerce has completely changed retail shopping, as more
Americans skip going into stores and order via their tablets and
smartphones instead.28 The result has severely impacted such
chains as Staples, RadioShack, and Sears, which have reduced
the number of stores, and forced other big retailers, such as
Walmart, to ramp up their online buying and delivery
operations.29
Adjusting to Online Competition. Other stores have shifted their
focus and their services:30 J. Crew has gone to a new format (J.
Crew Mercantile) to appeal to discount shoppers. Abercombie &
Fitch is reaching out to teens with less nudity on its clothing
dummies, more black apparel, and larger sizes. Sears, Saks, and
Macy’s are instructing their clerks to encourage virtual
customers by picking and packing items from the stores
themselves (rather than the warehouses) and ordering a same-

37. day UPS or FedEx pickup, to avoid losing shoppers to Amazon.
IKEA’S Advantage. However, 71-year-old Sweden-based IKEA,
the world’s largest furniture retailer, with 345 stores in 42
countries (50 in North America), has a different strategy—
add more physical stores, as well as competing online and with
catalogs. “We see that Internet and e-commerce is growing,”
says IKEA CEO Peter Agnefjäll, “but at the same time, when
buying a new bed a lot of people want to try it first, and if you
buy a sofa you may want to touch the fabric.”31
YOUR CALL
For what kinds of products is a visit to a physical store a more
attractive shopping experience for consumers than buying
online? How realistic is the prospect of the use of holograms
(which could enable consumers to try clothes on at home) and
3-D printers (which could print out three-dimensional products
remotely) in the shopping experience within the next 15 years?
Page 140Fundamentals of Planning
What are mission and vision statements, and what are three
types of planning?
THE BIG PICTURE
Planning consists of translating an organization’s mission and
vision into objectives. The organization’s purpose is expressed
as a mission statement, and what it becomes is expressed as a
vision statement. From these are derived strategic planning,
then tactical planning, then operational planning.
“Everyone wants a clear reason to get up in the morning,”
writes journalist Dick Leider. “As humans we hunger for
meaning and purpose in our lives.”32
And what is that purpose? “Life never lacks purpose,” says
Leider. “Purpose is innate—but it is up to each of us
individually to discover or rediscover it.”
An organization has a purpose, too—a mission. And managers
must have an idea of where they want the organization to go—a
vision. The approach to planning can be summarized in the
diagram below, which shows how an organization’s mission

38. becomes translated into goals and action plans. (See Figure
5.2.)
FIGURE 5.2Making plans
An organization’s reason for being is expressed in a mission
statement. What the organization wishes to become is expressed
in a vision statement. From these are derived strategic
planning, then tactical planning, and finally operational
planning. The purpose of each kind of planning is to
specify goals and action plans that ultimately pave the way
toward achieving an organization’s vision.
Mission & Vision Statements
The planning process begins with two attributes: a mission
statement (which answers the question “What is our reason for
being?”) and a vision statement (which answers the question
“What do we want to become?”).
The Mission Statement—“What Is Our Reason for Being?”An
organization’s mission is its purpose or reason for
being. Determining the mission is the responsibility of top
management and the board of directors. It is up to them to
formulate a mission statement, which expresses the purpose of
the organization.
“Only a clear definition of the mission and purpose of the
organization makes possible clear and realistic . . . objectives,”
said Peter Drucker.33 Whether the organization Page 141is for-
profit or nonprofit, the mission statement identifies the goods or
services the organization provides and will provide. Sometimes
it also gives the reasons for providing them (to make a profit or
to achieve humanitarian goals, for example).
EXAMPLE
Mission Statements for Three Different Companies: Hilton,
Amazon, & Patagonia
Mission statements answer the question, “What is our reason for
being?” or “Why are we here?”
Here are the mission statements for three companies, drawn

39. from their websites. The mission statement for Hilton Hotels, a
large company, reads: “To fill the earth with the light and
warmth of hospitality.”
Amazon’s mission statement is “Use the Internet to offer
products that educate, inform, and inspire. We decided to build
an online store that would be customer friendly and easy to
navigate and would offer the broadest possible selection. . . .
We believe that a fundamental measure of our success will be
the shareholder value we create over the long term.”
Clothing maker Patagonia’s mission statement is to “Build the
best product, cause no unnecessary harm, [and] use business to
inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”
YOUR CALL
Do you think any of these mission statements could be adapted
to different companies offering different products or services?
Give an example.
The Vision Statement—“What Do We Want to
Become?”A vision is a long-term goal describing “what” an
organization wants to become. It is a clear sense of the future
and the actions needed to get there. “[A] vision should describe
what’s happening to the world you compete in and what you
want to do about it,” says one Fortune article. “It should guide
decisions.”34
After formulating a mission statement, top managers need to
develop a vision statement, which expresses what the
organization should become, where it wants to go
strategically.35
EXAMPLE
Vision Statements for Three Different Companies: Hilton,
Amazon, & Patagonia
Vision statements answer the question, “What do we want to
become?” or “Where do we want to go?”
Here is Hilton Hotels’ statement: “To be the first choice of the
world’s travelers, building on the rich heritage and strength of
our brands by consistently delighting our customers, investing

40. in our team members, delivering innovative products and
services, expanding our family of brands, and continuously
improving performance.”
Amazon’s vision statement: “Our vision is to be earth’s most
customer-centric company; to build a place where people can
come to find and discover anything they might want to buy
online.”
Patagonia’s statement: “We prefer the human scale to the
corporate, vagabonding to tourism, and the quirky to the toned-
down and flattened out.”
YOUR CALL
Do these vision statements work? Do they meet Fortune’s
criterion of describing “what’s happening in the world you
compete in and what you want to do about it. It should guide
decisions”?
The concept of a vision statement also is important for
individuals. Harvard professor Clayton Christensen believes
that creating a personal life vision statement is akin to
developing a strategy for your life. He finds that people are
happier and lead more meaningful lives when they are directed
by personal vision statements.36 Do you have a vision for your
future career? Is it vague or specific? The following self-
assessment was created to help you evaluate the quality of your
career vision and plan.Page 142
SELF-ASSESSMENT 5.1
Assessing Your Career Vision & Plan
This self-assessment is designed to measure the quality of your
personal vision statement and associated plan. Go
to connect.mheducation.com and take the self-assessment. When
you’re done, answer the following questions:
1. What is the qualitative status of your vision statement and
plan? Are you surprised by the results?
2. Based on the three lowest rated survey items, what can you
do in the near term to enhance your vision and plan?
Three Types of Planning for Three Levels of Management:
Strategic, Tactical, & Operational

41. Inspiring, clearly stated mission statements and vision
statements provide the focal point of the entire planning
process. Then three things happen:
Strategic planning by top management. Using their mission and
vision statements, top managers do strategic planning—they
determine what the organization’s long-term goals should be for
the next 1–5 years with the resources they expect to have
available. “Strategic planning requires visionary and directional
thinking,” says one authority.37 It should communicate not only
general goals about growth and profits but also ways to achieve
them. Today, because of the frequency with which world
competition and information technology alter marketplace
conditions, a company’s strategic planning may have to be done
closer to every 1 or 2 years than every 5. Still, at a big company
like Boeing or Ford or Amazon (see Example box below), top
executives cannot lose sight of long-range, multiyear planning.
EXAMPLE
Strategic Planning by Top Management: Amazon Manages for
the Future, to the Frustration of Short-Term Investors
One thing Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is famous for is
unconventional thinking (or, in that hackneyed expression,
“thinking outside the box”). For instance, his early decision to
allow customers to post their own book reviews, both negative
as well as positive, on the Amazon website puzzled competing
booksellers, who thought negative reviews would diminish
sales. Bezos’s point of view—“We will sell more if we help
people make purchasing decisions”—proved correct.38(Some of
his latest ideas involve same-day delivery and delivery via
drones.)39
Talking Long Term. Similarly, Bezos has an unconventional
opinion about profitability. With most publicly owned
companies, which Amazon is (Bezos holds 18% of the stock,
worth $25.4 billion; most of the rest is owned by institutional
investors such as Capital World or mutual funds such as
American Funds), shareholders constantly pressure management

42. to produce profits that will boost the stock every quarter (3
months) or so.40 But back in 1997, Bezos warned stockholders
that “it’s all about the long term. We may make decisions and
weigh trade-offs differently than some companies.”41
Most top managers do strategic planning on a one- to three-year
time line. Says Bezos, “If everything you do needs to work on a
three-year time horizon, then you’re competing against a lot of
people. But if you’re willing to invest on a seven-year horizon,
you’re now competing against a fraction of those people,
because very few people are willing to do that.” Actually, Bezos
is very long term, operating on a 10- to 20-year time line.
Ambitions for the Future. The large time window and freedom
from having to deliver immediate profits allow Amazon to
pursue the powerful long-range strategy it has planned.42 It is
spending money to open new airplane hangar–size storage and
shipping facilities, bringing them to an expected 94 Page 143by
the end of 2013.43 It continues to cut prices on its merchandise,
which will undercut its retail competitors (Borders is gone;
Barnes & Noble and Best Buy are struggling).44 It is realizing
Walmart-like economies of scale, achieving enormous savings
from buying supplies in huge quantities. It has been slashing
prices on its Kindle e-book reader and its Fire tablet to get more
units into more buyers’ hands, developing a future customer
base for its e-books, apps, media, and other digital products.45
Profits? “Profits will come down the road,” says business writer
James Stewart, “when Kindle [and Fire] users buy content
through Amazon.”46 Says Bezos, “We’re willing to plant seeds,
let them grow—and we’re very stubborn.”
YOUR CALL
If Amazon’s strategy hurts short-run profits, should your
parents or grandparents invest in Amazon? Should you? What if
Amazon’s strategic plan is wrong?
Tactical planning by middle management. The strategic
priorities and policies are then passed down to middle
managers, who must do tactical planning—that is, they
determine what contributions their departments or similar work

43. units can make with their given resources during the next 6–24
months.
Operational planning by first-line management. Middle
managers then pass these plans along to first-line managers to
do operational planning—that is, they determine how to
accomplish specific tasks with available resources within the
next 1–52 weeks.
The three kinds of managers are described further in the figure
below. (See Figure 5.3.)
FIGURE 5.3Three levels of management, three types of
planning
Each type of planning has different time horizons, although the
times overlap because the plans are somewhat elastic.
Page 144Goals & Plans
What are the three types of goals, and what are different kinds
of plans?
THE BIG PICTURE
The purpose of planning is to set a goal and then an action plan
and an operational plan. Types of plans include standing and
single-use plans.
Whatever its type—strategic, tactical, or operational—the
purpose of planning is to set a goal and then to formulate
an action plan.
Three Types of Goals: Strategic, Tactical, & Operational
A goal, also known as an objective, is a specific commitment to
achieve a measurable result within a stated period of time.
As with planning, goals are of the same three types—strategic,
tactical, and operational. Also, like planning, goals are arranged
in a hierarchy known as a means-end chain because in the chain
of management (operational, tactical, strategic) the
accomplishment of low-level goals is the means leading to the
accomplishment of high-level goals or ends.
Strategic goals are set by and for top management and focus on
objectives for the organization as a whole.

44. Tactical goals are set by and for middle managers and focus on
the actions needed to achieve strategic goals.
Operational goals are set by and for first-line managers and are
concerned with short-term matters associated with realizing
tactical goals.
As we will see later in Section 5.4, goals should be SMART—
specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and with
target dates.
The Action Plan & the Operating Plan
The goal should be followed by an action plan, which defines
the course of action needed to achieve the stated goal, such as a
marketing plan or sales plan.
The operating plan, which is typically designed for a one-year
period, defines how you will conduct your business based on the
action plan; it identifies clear targets such as revenues, cash
flow, and market share.
EXAMPLE
Strategic, Tactical, & Operational Goals: Southwest Airlines
Ranking No. 9 on Fortune’s 2014 Most Admired Companies list,
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines has inspired a host of low-fare
imitators—big ones like Alaska and JetBlue and small ones like
Allegiant, Frontier, Spirit, Sun Country, and Virgin America—
which have grown rapidly in recent years compared to mainline
carriers such as United, Delta, American, and US Airways. It
has continually achieved its strategic goals and as of 2014 had
been profitable for 41 consecutive years.47
Strategic Goals. The goal of Southwest’s top managers is to
ensure that the airline is highly profitable, following the general
strategy of (a) keeping costs and fares down, (b) offering a
superior on-time arrival record, and (c) keeping passengers Page
145happy. One of the most important strategic decisions
Southwest made was to fly just one type of airplane—Boeing
737s. (Several dozen Boeing 717s, inherited when the company
acquired AirTran, were leased to Delta. Southwest has about
680 jets overall.) Thus, it is able to hold down training,

45. maintenance, and operating expenses.48
Lookalikes. One key to the success of Southwest Airlines is that
all the planes in its fleet have been the same type, Boeing 737s,
which saves on maintenance and training costs.
Another strategic decision was to create a strong corporate
culture that, according to one former CEO, allows people to
“feel like they’re using their brains, they’re using their
creativity, they’re allowed to be themselves and have a sense of
humor, and they understand what the mission of the company
is.”49
Tactical Goals. Cutting costs and keeping fares low has
traditionally been a key tactical goal for Southwest’s middle
managers. For example, the organization cut costs in its
maintenance program by doing more work on a plane when it’s
in for a check instead of bringing it in three different times. In
addition, it has tried to get more use out of its planes every day
by limiting the turnaround time between flights to 20 minutes,
compared to up to an hour for other airlines.
Although now it flies longer flights between bigger cities,
which uses fuel more efficiently but is more subject to delays,
until recently Southwest flew short-haul flights to midsize cities
to save time and money by avoiding traffic. There is just one
class of seating, doing away with the distinction between coach
and first class. Originally, even the boarding passes were
reusable, being made of plastic (most passengers print out their
own passes now). Finally, the airline saves by not feeding
passengers: it serves mostly peanuts, no in-flight meals.
How do you make arrival times more reliable? To achieve this
second tactical goal, middle managers did away with guaranteed
seat reservations before ticketing, so that no-shows wouldn’t
complicate (and therefore delay) the boarding process. (It
changed that policy slightly in 2007 to ensure that passengers
paying extra for “business select” fares would be placed at the
front of the line.)
In addition, as mentioned, the airline has tried to turn planes

46. around in exactly 20 minutes, so that on-time departures are
more apt to produce on-time arrivals. Although the airline is
about 83% unionized, turnaround was helped by looser work
rules, so that workers could pitch in to do tasks outside their
normal jobs. “If you saw something that needed to be done,”
said one former employee, “and you thought you could do it,
you did.”50
Unfortunately, in 2013, in an attempt to offer more convenient
flight schedules, the airline instituted a new system to reduce
times it allowed for flights and compressed its turnaround times
even further—the result of which sent its on-time performance
reeling to last place among U.S. carriers. Its involuntarily
denied–boarding rate and mishandled-baggage rate also
increased slightly.51
Despite the delays, Southwest still retained its top ranking for
having the lowest customer complaints.52 The difference lies in
small things: the free peanuts (an emotional subject among
travelers), switching of flights without charge, and no charge
for checked-in luggage up to two pieces. (The airline does,
however, charge for checking a third bag.)
Operational Goals. Consider how Southwest’s first-line
managers can enhance productivity in the unloading, refueling,
and cleaning of arriving planes. “One example [of productivity]
customers mention all the time,” said former chairman Herb
Kelleher, “is if you look out the window when the airplane is
taxiing toward the jetway, you see our ground crews charging
before the airplane has even come to rest. Customers tell me
that with other airlines nobody moves until the airplane has
turned off its engines.”53
The New Southwest. In January 2014, Southwest began
venturing into the international market, marking a significant
shift.54 Its initial flights are to the Caribbean, but other
international routes may be attempted later. Some operations,
such as fast turnaround times, may be difficult to implement
because of departure restrictions.55 Southwest also faces costly
upgrades to its computer systems and an antiquated phone

47. system, its traditionally low fares are not so low anymore, and
it is negotiating with workers to try to achieve more
productivity and flexibility.56
YOUR CALL
Do you think recent changes will allow the company to continue
to achieve its strategic goals?
Page 146Types of Plans: Standing Plans & Single-Use Plans
Plans are of two types—standing plans and single-use plans.
(See Table 5.1.)
TABLE 5.1Standing Plans and Single-Use Plans
There are three types of standing plans and two types of single-
use plans.
Standing Plans: Policies, Procedures, & RulesStanding plans are
plans developed for activities that occur repeatedly over a
period of time. Standing plans consist of policies, procedures,
and rules.
A policy is a standing plan that outlines the general response to
a designated problem or situation. Example: “This workplace
does not condone swearing.” This policy is a broad statement
that gives managers a general idea about what is allowable for
employees who use bad language, but gives no specifics.
A procedure (or standard operating procedure) is a standing
plan that outlines the response to particular problems or
circumstances. Example: McDonald’s specifies exactly how a
hamburger should be dressed, including the order in which the
mustard, ketchup, and pickles are applied.
A rule is a standing plan that designates specific required
action. Example: “No smoking is allowed anywhere in the
building.” This allows no room for interpretation.
Single-Use Plans: Programs & ProjectsSingle-use plans are
plans developed for activities that are not likely to be repeated
in the future. Such plans can be programs or projects.
A program is a single-use plan encompassing a range of projects
or activities. Example: The U.S. government space program has
had several projects, including the Challenger project, the

48. Hubble Telescope project, and the space shuttle project.
A project is a single-use plan of less scope and complexity than
a program. Example: The space shuttle project, one of several
projects in the government’s space program, consisted of three
shuttles: Discovery, Endeavour, and Atlantis.
Page 147Promoting Goal Setting: SMART Goals & Management
by Objectives
What are SMART goals and MBO and how can they be
implemented?
THE BIG PICTURE
This section discusses SMART goals—goals that are Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, and have Target
dates. It also discusses a technique for setting goals,
management by objectives (MBO), a four-step process for
motivating employees.
Anyone can define goals. But as we mentioned earlier, the five
characteristics of a good goal are represented by the acronym
SMART.
SMART Goals
A SMART goal is one that
is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, and
has Target dates.
Specific Goals should be stated in specific rather than vague
terms. The goal “As many planes as possible should arrive on
time” is too general. The goal that “Ninety percent of planes
should arrive within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time”
is specific.
Measurable Whenever possible, goals should be measurable, or
quantifiable (as in “90% of planes should arrive within 15
minutes . . .”). That is, there should be some way to measure the
degree to which a goal has been reached.
Of course, some goals—such as those concerned with improving
quality—are not precisely quantifiable. In that case, something
on the order of “Improve the quality of customer relations by
instituting 10 follow-up telephone calls every week” will do.

49. You can certainly quantify how many follow-up phone calls
were made.
Attainable Goals should be challenging, of course, but above all
they should be realistic and attainable. It may be best to set
goals that are quite ambitious so as to challenge people to meet
high standards. Always, however, the goals should be
achievable within the scope of the time, equipment, and
financial support available. (See Figure 5.4.)
If too easy (as in “half the flights should arrive on time”), goals
won’t impel people to make much effort. If impossible (“all
flights must arrive on time, regardless of weather”), employees
won’t even bother trying. Or they will try and continually fail,
which will end up hurting morale. Or they will cheat. (An
example was the unrealistic goal of cutting wait times for
appointments by more than half at Veterans Affairs hospitals, as
revealed in 2014 scandals in which VA administrators were
found to have falsified figures.)57
FIGURE 5.4Relationship between goal difficulty and
performance
Source: Adapted from E. A. Locke and G. P. Latham, A Theory
of Goal Setting and Task Performance (Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice Hall, 1990).
Results-Oriented Only a few goals should be chosen—say, five
for any work unit. And they should be results-oriented—they
should support the organization’s vision.
In writing out the goals, start with the word “To” and follow it
with action-oriented verbs—“complete,” “acquire,” “increase”
(“to decrease by 10% the time to get passengers settled in their
seats before departure”).
Some verbs should not be used in your goal statement because
they imply activities—the tactics used to accomplish goals
(such as having baggage handlers waiting). For example, you
should not use “to develop,” “to conduct,” “to implement.”
Page 148Target Dates Goals should specify the target dates or
deadline dates when they are to be attained. For example, it’s

50. unrealistic to expect an airline to improve its on-time arrivals
by 10% overnight. However, you could set a target date—3 to 6
months away, say—by which this goal is to be achieved. That
allows enough time for lower-level managers and employees to
revamp their systems and work habits and gives them a clear
time frame in which they know what they are expected to do.
EXAMPLE
Setting Goals: Walmart Lays Out an Agenda for Environmental
Change
Tired of criticism of Walmart’s business practices, its CEO at
the time, H. Lee Scott Jr., in a 2008 speech laid out new
environmental goals.58 Besides continuing to promote energy-
saving products at low prices in its stores, such as fluorescent
light bulbs, Scott said the company would also work with
suppliers of high-energy-use products, such as air conditioners,
microwave ovens, and televisions, to make such products 25%
more energy efficient within three years. Later Walmart pledged
to eliminate 20 million tons of carbon emissions from its global
supply chain by 2015.59
More Milestones. At its 2013 Global Sustainability Milestone
Meeting, the company listed the two following goals, to be
achieved by the end of 2020: (1) a 600% increase (over 2010
levels) in power purchases of renewable energy globally every
year, and (2) a reduction by 20% globally (compared to 2010) in
kilowatts required to power Walmart buildings. The new
commitments would avoid 9 million metric tons of greenhouse
gas, taking the equivalent of 1.5 million cars off the road. Such
efficiencies would be achieved by adding solar power to
buildings and buying wind, hydro, and geothermal sources of
energy, as well as increasing LED lighting in and around
stores.60
Endgame. By 2014, the company had shot from 15th to 6th
place in the Environmental Protection Agency’s rankings of the
country’s top purchasers of green power—electricity produced
by wind, solar, and similar means.61 However, some

51. organizations, such as the Institute for Local Self-Reliance,
produced studies that reported that Walmart’s greenhouse gas
emissions had actually grown 14% because the company’s
calculations had failed to account for major sources of pollution
such as those of international shipping, new store construction,
and product manufacturing.62
YOUR CALL
Whether or not Walmart has included all the sources of
emissions in its calculation, as critics assert, how do the
objectives outlined above reflect the criteria for SMART goals?
Better environmental objectives. Walmart aims to reduce its
greenhouse gas emissions, using alternative sources of energy
such as wind and solar.
Management by Objectives: The Four-Step Process for
Motivating Employees
First suggested by Peter Drucker in 1954, management by
objectives has spread largely because of the appeal of its
emphasis on converting general objectives into specific ones for
all members of an organization.63
Management by objectives (MBO) is a four-step process in
which (1) managers and employees jointly set objectives for the
employee, (2) managers develop action plans, (3) managers and
employees periodically review the employee’s performance, and
(4) the manager makes a performance appraisal and rewards the
employee according to results. The purpose of MBO is
to motivate rather than to control subordinates.
Page 149Before we begin discussing these four steps, you may
want to consider the quality of the goal-setting process in a
current or former employer. The following self-assessment was
developed to provide insight into the quality of goal setting
within an organization.
SELF-ASSESSMENT 5.2
What Is the Quality of Goal Setting within a Current or Past
Employer?
This self-assessment is designed to assess the quality of goal

52. setting in a company. Go to connect.mheducation.com and take
the self-assessment. When you’re done, answer the following
questions:
1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of goal setting in the
company you selected?
2. Based on your results, what recommendations would you
provide to senior management about improving the goal-setting
process in this company? Explain.
3. What actions could you take to improve the goal-setting
process in this company? Be specific.
1. Jointly Set Objectives You sit down with your manager and
the two of you jointly set objectives for you to attain. Later you
do the same with each of your own subordinates. Joint
manager/subordinate participation is important to the program.
It’s probably best if the objectives aren’t simply imposed from
above (Don’t say, “Here are the objectives I want you to meet”).
Managers also should not simply approve the employee’s
objectives (“Whatever you aim for is okay with me”). It’s
necessary to have back-and-forth negotiation to make the
objectives practicable.64
One result of joint participation, research shows, is that it
impels people to set more difficult goals—to raise the level of
their aspirations—which may have a positive effect on their
performance.65 The objectives should be expressed in writing
and should be SMART. There are three types of objectives,
shown in the following table. (See Table 5.2.)
Jointly setting objectives. An important part of MBO is joint
manager/subordinate participation in setting objectives. Have
you ever held a job that featured this kind of process?
TABLE 5.2Three Types of Objectives Used in MBO
Page 1502. Develop Action Plan Once objectives are set,
managers at each level should prepare an action plan for
attaining them. Action plans may be prepared for both
individuals and for work units, such as departments.

53. 3. Periodically Review Performance You and your manager
should meet reasonably often—either informally as needed or
formally every three months—to review progress, as should you
and your subordinates. Indeed, frequent communication is
necessary so that everyone will know how well he or she is
doing in meeting the objectives.
During each meeting, managers should give employees
feedback, and objectives should be updated or revised as
necessary to reflect new realities. If you were managing a
painting or landscaping business, for example, changes in the
weather, loss of key employees, or a financial downturn
affecting customer spending could force you to reconsider your
objectives.
4. Give Performance Appraisal & Rewards, If Any At the end of
6 or 12 months, you and your subordinate should meet to
discuss results, comparing performance with initial
objectives. Deal with results, not personalities, emotional
issues, or excuses.
Because the purpose of MBO is to motivate employees,
performance that meets the objectives should be rewarded—with
compliments, raises, bonuses, promotions, or other suitable
benefits. Failure can be addressed by redefining the objectives
for the next 6- or 12-month period, or even by taking stronger
measures, such as demotion. Basically, however, MBO is
viewed as being a learning process. After step 4, the MBO cycle
begins anew.66
Cascading Objectives: MBO from the Top Down
For MBO to be successful, the following three things have to
happen.
1. Top Management Must Be Committed “When top-
management commitment [to MBO] was high,” said one review,
“the average gain in productivity was 56%. When commitment
was low, the average gain in productivity was only 6%.”67
2. It Must Be Applied Organizationwide The program has to be
put in place throughout the entire organization. That is, it
cannot be applied in just some divisions and departments; it has

54. to be done in all of them.
3. Objectives Must “Cascade” MBO works
by cascading objectives down through the organization; that is,
objectives are structured in a unified hierarchy, becoming more
specific at lower levels of the organization. Top managers set
general organizational objectives, which are translated
into divisional objectives, which are translated
into departmental objectives. The hierarchy ends
in individual objectives set by each employee.
The Importance of Deadlines
There’s no question that college is a pressure cooker for many
students. The reason, of course, is the seemingly never-ending
deadlines. But consider: Would you do all the course work
you’re doing—and realize the education you’re getting—if
you didn’t have deadlines?
As we saw under the “T” (for “has Target dates”) in SMART
goals, deadlines are as essential to goal setting in business as
they are to your college career. Because the whole purpose of
planning and goals is to deliver to a client specified results
within a specified period of time, deadlines become a great
motivator, both for you and for the people working for you.
Page 151It’s possible, of course, to let deadlines mislead you
into focusing too much on immediate results and thereby ignore
overall planning—just as students will focus too much on
preparing for a test in one course while neglecting others. In
general, however, deadlines can help you keep your eye on the
“big picture” while simultaneously paying attention to the
details that will help you realize the big picture. Deadlines can
help concentrate the mind, so that you make quick decisions
rather than put them off. Deadlines help you ignore extraneous
matters (such as cleaning up a messy desk) in favor of focusing
on what’s important—realizing the goals on time and on budget.
Deadlines provide a mechanism for giving ourselves feedback.
PRACTICAL ACTION
How to Achieve Your Important Goals: Don’t Keep Every

55. Option Open
We’ve all been told that “It’s important to keep your options
open.” But should we?
“You don’t even know how a camera’s burst-mode flash works,
but you persuade yourself to pay for the extra feature just in
case,” writes a journalist about this phenomenon. “You no
longer have anything in common with someone who keeps
calling you, but you hate to just zap the relationship. Your child
is exhausted from after-school soccer, ballet, and Chinese
lessons, but you won’t let her drop the piano lessons. They
could come in handy.”68
Where’s the Money? The natural reluctance to close any door is
pointed out by Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of Predictably
Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions.69 In
that book, he describes experiments involving hundreds of MIT
students who showed that they could not bear to let go of their
options—even though it was bad strategy. The experiments
involved playing a computer game in which students had 100
mouse clicks to look for money behind three doors on the screen
and were paid real cash each time they found it. To earn the
most money, a student would quickly find out that the best
strategy was to check out the three doors and settle on the one
with the highest rewards. But when students stayed out of a
room, the door would start shrinking and eventually disappear.
Researchers found that most students would waste clicks by
rushing back to reopen doors, even though they lost money by
doing so—and they continued to frantically keep all their doors
open even when they were fined for switching.
Fear of Loss? Were the students just trying to “keep their
options open”? Ariely doesn’t think so. The real motivation, he
suggests, is fear of loss. “Closing a door on an option is
experienced as a loss, and people are willing to pay a price to
avoid the emotion of loss,” he says.
YOUR CALL
Obviously, this lesson has some practical payoffs for all of us

56. who are overscheduled and overworked and need all the help we
can get to stay focused on our important goals. Are you
presently considering adding a class, switching majors, or
pursuing another career? Are you wondering whether to
continue a personal relationship that no longer benefits you?
What would be the advantages of—just saying no?
Page 152The Planning/Control Cycle
How does the planning/control cycle help keep a manager’s
plans headed in the right direction?
THE BIG PICTURE
The four-step planning/control cycle helps you keep in control,
to make sure you’re headed in the right direction.
Once you’ve made plans, how do you stay in control to make
sure you’re headed in the right direction? Actually, there is a
continuous feedback loop known as the planning/control cycle.
(The “organizing” and “leading” steps within the Planning-
Organizing-Leading-Controlling sequence are implied
here.) The planning/control cycle has two planning steps (1 and
2) and two control steps (3 and 4), as follows: (1) Make the
plan. (2) Carry out the plan. (3) Control the direction by
comparing results with the plan. (4) Control the direction by
taking corrective action in two ways—namely (a) by correcting
deviations in the plan being carried out or (b) by improving
future plans.(See Figure 5.5.)
FIGURE 5.5The planning/control cycle
This describes a constant feedback loop designed to ensure
plans stay headed in the right direction.
Source: From Robert Kreitner, Management, 8th edition,
copyright © 2001 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning,
Inc. Reproduced with
permission. www.cengage.com/permissions.
The planning/control cycle loop exists for each level of
planning—strategic, tactical, and operational. The corrective
action in step 4 of the cycle (a) can get a project back on track

57. before it’s too late or (b) if it’s too late, can provide data for
improving future plans.
Page 153
EXAMPLE
The Planning/Control Cycle: Apple Keeps Its Products Secret to
Generate Buzz70
Most electronics and computer makers talk about their products
well in advance of releasing them in order to give big customers
and users a chance to prepare for them. Not Apple Inc., maker
of the iPhone, iPod, and iPad and Fortune’s No. 1 Most
Admired Company seven years in a row, 2008–2014. In 2008, it
was also ranked No. 1 among Fortune 500 companies for total
return to shareholders over the preceding 10 years. Apple has
also passed Coca-Cola as the most valuable brand, according to
consulting company Interbrand.71
Secrecy is a big part of the company’s marketing strategy. And
the planning/control cycle figures closely in how well it is
accomplished.
Secret product. The newest version of the iPhone, the iPhone6,
was kept secret until its appearance in September 2014. Has
Apple’s strategy of great secrecy been successful at generating
buzz?
Step 1: The Plan. About 60% of all personal computers are
bought by corporate customers and other big technology
purchasers. Because of the hefty investment involved, these
customers favor suppliers that let them see major product plans
a year in advance. However, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs
determined that he favored selling technology directly to
consumers rather than to corporate buyers and chief technology
officers.
By keeping a new product secret, Apple stimulates a great deal
of public curiosity. “There’s a great deal of mystery and
speculation about what it will be,” says one seasoned marketing
executive. “That’s created a marketing aura for them.” Such was
the plan, for example, when Apple and Hewlett-Packard made a

58. deal to repackage Apple’s iPod digital music player and sell it
under the H-P label.
Step 2: Carrying Out the Plan. Following its plan to keep new
products secret to generate marketing buzz, Apple often didn’t
tell H-P about new iPod models until the day before they were
introduced to the public. It also insisted that H-P work on iPods
under tight security, even though Apple’s versions were already
displayed on store shelves.
The same has been true with other Apple products, with
employees being sworn to secrecy for years. When, for example,
the company decided to open its own chain of retail stores, an
exact replica of a 6,000-square-foot store was built entirely
inside a sealed-off warehouse away from Apple’s main
Cupertino, California, headquarters. When Apple decided to
switch to Intel microprocessors, engineers worked on the
project for five years under hush-hush conditions to adapt the
Macintosh operating system to Intel chips.
Step 3: Comparing Results. The use of mystery “helps Apple
attract crowds at its retail stores and generally garner much
more visibility than its relatively modest advertising budget
would suggest,” says a Wall Street Journal story. “While new
wares from Dell Inc. or H-P rarely get front-page treatment, Mr.
Jobs has repeatedly appeared on the covers of Time,
Newsweek, and Fortune showing off a new iPod or Macintosh
computer.”
Secrecy was a particular boon to the growth of Apple’s fast-
growing iPod line, with consumers showing their willingness to
abandon their old iPods in favor of newer ones that Apple
unveiled with great publicity and fanfare. However, the
company has followed the same strategy in announcing its other
products, including various versions of the iPhone, first
released in 2007, and the iPad, which debuted in 2010. In mid-
2014, the rumor mill was rife with speculation about Apple
revealing a smartwatch, a TV—even an iCar.72 It announced the
iPhone 6 and Apple Watch in September.
Step 4: Taking Corrective Action. Leaks have occurred, and

59. Apple has learned that secrecy requires strong measures. Thus,
Apple has fired and later sued employees who leaked news
about unannounced products. It has even sued websites that
have published gossip about Apple products. The company also
assigns different departments dissimilar code names for the
same product, so it can more easily track where leaks come
from. Employees are outfitted with special electronic badges
that grant them access only to specific areas within the
fortresslike Apple corporate headquarters.
YOUR CALL
Can you think of a more effective way to generate consumer
interest in a forthcoming product than just keeping it secret?
What kind of planning/control cycle issues would it raise?
Page 154Key Terms Used in This Chapter
action plan
business model
business plan
cascading
goal
management by objectives (MBOs)
means-end chain
mission
mission statement
objective
operating plan
operational goals
operational planning
planning
planning/control cycle
policy
procedure
program
project
rule
single-use plan
SMART goal

60. standing plan
strategic goals
strategic management
strategic planning
strategy
tactical goals
tactical planning
vision
vision statement
Key Points
5.1 Planning & Strategy
• Planning is defined as setting goals and deciding how to
achieve them. It is also defined as coping with uncertainty by
formulating future courses of action to achieve specified results.
• One important type of plan is a business plan, a document
that outlines a proposed firm’s goals, the strategy for achieving
them, and the standards for measuring success. The business
plan describes the business model, which outlines the need the
firm will fill, the operations of the business, its components and
functions, as well as the expected revenues and expenses.
• A strategy is a large-scale action plan that sets the direction
for an organization.
• Strategic management is a process that involves managers
from all parts of the organization in the formulation and
implementation of strategies and strategic goals.
• An organization should adopt planning and strategic
management for three reasons: They can (1) provide direction
and momentum, (2) encourage new ideas, and above all (3)
develop a sustainable competitive advantage.
5.2 Fundamentals of Planning
• An organization’s reason for being is expressed in a mission
statement.
• A vision is a long-term goal describing “what” an
organization wants to become. It is a clear sense of the future
and the actions needed to get there.
• From these are derived strategic planning, then tactical

61. planning, then operational planning. In strategic planning,
managers determine what the organization’s long-term goals
should be for the next 1–5 years. In tactical planning, managers
determine what contributions their work units can make during
the next 6–24 months. In operational planning, they determine
how to accomplish specific tasks within the next 1–52 weeks.
5.3 Goals & Plans
• Whatever its type, the purpose of planning is to set a goal,
also known as an objective, a specific commitment to achieve a
measurable result within a stated period of time.
• As with planning, goals are of the same three types—
strategic, tactical, and operational—arranged in a hierarchy
known as a means-end chain because in the chain of
management the accomplishment of low-level goals is the
means leading to the accomplishment of high-level goals or
ends.
• Strategic goals are set by and for top management and focus
on objectives for the organization as a whole. Tactical goals are
set by and for middle managers and focus on the actions needed
to achieve strategic goals. Operational goals are set by and for
first-line managers and are concerned with short-term matters
associated with realizing tactical goals.
• The goal should be followed by an action plan, which defines
the course of action needed to achieve the stated goal. The
operating plan, which is typically designed for a one-year
period, defines how you will conduct your business based on the
action plan; it identifies clear targets such as revenues, cash
flow, and market share.
• Plans may be either standing plans, developed for activities
that occur repeatedly Page 155over a period of time, or single-
use plans, developed for activities that are not likely to be
repeated in the future.
• There are three types of standing plans: (1) A policy is a
standing plan that outlines the general response to a designated
problem or situation. (2) A procedure outlines the response to
particular problems or circumstances. (3) A rule designates

62. specific required action.
• There are two types of single-use plans: (1) A program
encompasses a range of projects or activities. (2) A project is a
single-use plan of less scope and complexity.
5.4 Promoting Goal Setting: SMART Goals & Management by
Objectives
• The five characteristics of a good goal are represented by the
acronym SMART. A SMART goal is one that is Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Results oriented, and has Target dates.
• Management by objectives (MBO) is a four-step process in
which (1) managers and employees jointly set objectives for the
employee, (2) managers develop action plans, (3) managers and
employees periodically review the employee’s performance, and
(4) the manager makes a performance appraisal and rewards the
employee according to results. The purpose of MBO is to
motivate rather than to control subordinates.
• For MBO to be successful three things have to happen. (1)
The commitment of top management is essential. (2) The
program must be applied organizationwide. (3) Objectives must
cascade—becoming more specific at lower levels of the
organization.
• Deadlines are essential to planning because they become
great motivators both for the manager and for subordinates.
5.5 The Planning/Control Cycle
• Once plans are made, managers must stay in control using
the planning/control cycle, which has two planning steps (1 and
2) and two control steps (3 and 4), as follows: (1) Make the
plan. (2) Carry out the plan. (3) Control the direction by
comparing results with the plan. (4) Control the direction by
taking corrective action in two ways—namely, (a) by correcting
deviations in the plan being carried out or (b) by improving
future plans.
Understanding the Chapter: What Do I Know?
1. What are planning, strategy, and strategic management?
2. Why are they important?
3. What is the difference between a mission and a vision, a

63. mission statement and a vision statement?
4. What are three types of planning?
5. What are three types of goals?
6. What are different kinds of plans?
7. What are SMART goals?
8. What is Management by Objectives?
9. What three things have to happen for MBO to be successful?
10. Explain the planning/control cycle.
Management in Action
GE’s Poor Planning Results in Delays & Increased Costs
General Electric Co. ran into a problem with how it had planned
to move drilling equipment from the U.S. to Alberta, Canada.
The equipment, called an evaporator, is used to extract crude oil
from the ground, and it spans almost double the length of a
Space Shuttle Orbiter.
The Wall Street Journal reported that “GE lost an attempt to
overrule a federal injunction preventing it from using a stretch
of scenic Idaho highway to haul the giant piece of equipment.”
As you would expect, the company appealed the injunction. For
now, however, the equipment is “stuck near the Port of Wilma
in Clarkson, Washington, without a way to get to its destination
hundreds of miles away.”
“Moving it takes tow trucks—one pulling and another pushing—
with 20 axles along multiple trailers stretching the load out to
250 feet. Interstate highways aren’t an option, because the load
can’t get under the overpasses,” according to the newspaper
report.
GE is very concerned about moving the equipment because
failure to do so could cost the company about Page 156$75
million in sales, according to The Wall Street Journal. One
option is to follow the lead of Imperial Oil. Two years ago the
company encountered a similar problem, leading it to
disassemble the equipment and then transport it along various
interstate highways.
Transportation of the equipment is being challenged by the Nez
Perce Tribe and conservation group Idaho Rivers United. These