Showing papers on "Strategic planning published in 2014"

Rule and Order Dutch Planning Doctrine in the Twentieth Century

Abstract: Preface. Part 1: Background. 1. The Concept of Planning Doctrine. 2. Context and Roots of Strategic Planning. Part 2: The Unfolding of Planning. 3. 'Planning is like Pregnancy, You can't Have just a Little'. 4. The Morning After: May 10th, 1940 and the Consequences. Part 3: Reconstruction. 5. Thinking on One's Feet. 6. A New Rationale. Part 4: The Heyday. 7. Planners find their Feet. 8. Doctrine at the Zenith. 9. Provincial Planning the Linchpin? 10. The Taste of Success. Part 5: Crisis and Response. 11. The Seeds of Doubt. 12. Forward Defense. 13. A Return to the Roots? Part 6: Conclusions. 14. Sharing the Blame (but not the Glory?) 15. Lessons. Note on English Literature on Dutch Planning. Bibliography of Works in English. Footnotes. Index.

Tourism planning: an integrated and sustainable development approach

Abstract: Article history: Received June 10, 2014 Accepted 10 November 2014 Available online November 14 2014 Qom is one of the most important religious centers in the Shiite world and it is the second largest pilgrimage center in Iran with tourism capabilities. Tourists and visitors of the city can contribute for the development of city and it can help city's economy and create new job opportunities. However, achieving these benefits and suitability becomes possible as long as necessary civil and social infrastructures are provided. The purpose of this study is to provide strategic assessment and optimization strategies for development of tourism industry to reach sustainable tourism development in city of Qom metropolis. The study uses three techniques namely; Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM), integrated environmental assessment (IEA) and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) to determine necessary guidelines for development of tourism in city of Qom, Iran. The study first uses SWOT to categorize different factors, IEA is applied to determine internal as well as external factors and finally QSPM is applied to prioritize various factors. The results indicate that the city has faced stronger weakness than strengths for development of tourism industry. However, in terms of external opportunities, there are several choices for city development. Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved. 4 © 201 City development SWOT QSPM IEA Qom Tourism industry Shrine of Fatema Mae'sume

Strategic Agility: A State of the Art Introduction to the Special Section on Strategic Agility:

Abstract: In a chaotic environment in which markets emerge, collide, split, evolve, and die, one of the primary determinants of a firm's success is strategic agility, the ability to remain flexible in facing new developments, to continuously adjust the company's strategic direction, and to develop innovative ways to create value. The competitive landscape has been shifting in recent years more than ever. Globalization, rapid technological change, codification of knowledge, the internet, talent and employee mobility, increased rates of knowledge transfer, imitation, changes in customer tastes, and the obsolescence of products and business models have all caused a turbulent environment and accelerated changes and disruptions. These trends are expected to continue, producing ever more rapid and unpredictable changes. Current concepts such as sustained competitive advantage, resource-based view, and strategic planning have been deemed vague, tautological, and inadequate for companies to cope with the rate and complexity of environmental and market changes.1 There are tensions between formal processes of strategic planning and opportunistic strategic agility. Strategic planning has been criticized for preparing plans for tomorrow based on yesterday's actions, concepts, and tools. Although strategic planning can help in specific situations, it usually creates an inertia that prevents fast adaptation when circumstances change or market discontinuities occur. There is an agreement on the importance of strategic agility in light of complex managerial challenges such as dynamic environment, globalization, accelerating rate of innovation, and mergers and acquisitions (as mentioned by Jack Welch).2 Strategic agility requires inventing new business models and new categories rather than rearranging old products and categories. To cope with growing strategic discontinuities and disruptions, scholars have suggested the creation of strategically agile companies, including new ways for managing business transformation and renewal, developing dynamic capabilities, creating imitation abilities, maintaining a high level of organizational flexibility and ambidexterity, developing learning and …

From autonomous strategic behavior to emergent strategy

Abstract: This study develops a model of emergent strategy formation at a large telecommunications firm. It integrates prominent traditions in strategy process research�strategy as patterned action, as iterated resource allocation and as practice�to show how emergent strategy originates as a project through autonomous strategic behavior, then subsequently becomes realized as a consequence of mobilizing wider support to provide impetus, manipulating strategic context to legitimate the project by constructing it as consonant with the prevailing concept of strategy, and altering structural context to embed it within organizational units, routines, and objectives. The study theorizes the role of �practices of strategy articulation� in emergent strategy formation, and explains why some autonomous strategic behavior becomes �ephemeral� and disappears rather than enduring to become emergent strategy

World Stroke Organization Global Stroke Services Guidelines and Action Plan

Abstract: Every two seconds, someone across the globe suffers a symptomatic stroke. 'Silent' cerebrovascular disease insidiously contributes to worldwide disability by causing cognitive impairment in the elderly. The risk of cerebrovascular disease is disproportionately higher in low to middle income countries where there may be barriers to stroke care. The last two decades have seen a major transformation in the stroke field with the emergence of evidence-based approaches to stroke prevention, acute stroke management, and stroke recovery. The current challenge lies in implementing these interventions, particularly in regions with high incidences of stroke and limited healthcare resources. The Global Stroke Services Action Plan was conceived as a tool to identifying key elements in stroke care across a continuum of health models. At the minimal level of resource availability, stroke care delivery is based at a local clinic staffed predominantly by non-physicians. In this environment, laboratory tests and diagnostic studies are scarce, and much of the emphasis is placed on bedside clinical skills, teaching, and prevention. The essential services level offers access to a CT scan, physicians, and the potential for acute thrombolytic therapy, however stroke expertise may still be difficult to access. At the advanced stroke services level, multidisciplinary stroke expertise, multimodal imaging, and comprehensive therapies are available. A national plan for stroke care should incorporate local and regional strengths and build upon them. This clinical practice guideline is a synopsis of the core recommendations and quality indicators adapted from ten high quality multinational stroke guidelines. It can be used to establish the current level of stroke services, target goals for expanding stroke resources, and ensuring that all stages of stroke care are being adequately addressed, even at the advanced stroke services level. This document is a start, but there is more to be done, particularly in the realm of primary prevention. Despite differences in resource availability, the message we wish to convey is that stroke awareness, education, prevention, and treatment should always be feasible. Communities and institutions should set goals to continuously expand their stroke service capabilities. This document is intended to augment stroke advocacy efforts throughout the world, providing a strategic plan for optimizing stroke outcomes.

Information systems use as strategy practice

Abstract: Conceptualize three key challenges within strategic IS implementation.Develop a multi-dimensional view of IS strategy to analyze the IS strategy process.Identify three factors that contribute to strategy blindness during IS strategy implementation.Extend the cognitive framing literature by adopting a cognitive entrenchment lens.Highlight the role of change-recipients as construers of change in implementation. Information systems (IS) are strategic in so far as they are used to realize strategic intent. Yet, while much has been said about aligning IS functionality with the strategic intent and how to organizationally implement strategically aligned systems, less is known of how to successfully implement strategic change associated with system use - a truly critical challenge within strategic IS implementation. Drawing on a strategy-as-practice perspective we address this gap by developing a multi-dimensional view of IS strategy, conceptualizing three key challenges in the IS strategy process, to explain how and why a paper mill, despite successfully implementing a strategic production management system, failed to produce intended strategic change. We call this outcome strategy blindness: organizational incapability to realize the strategic intent of implemented, available system capabilities. Using a longitudinal case study we investigate how cognitive rigidity of key actors and fixed, interrelated practices shaped the implementation of the new production system. We also identify core components and dynamics that constitute a richer multi-dimensional view of the IS strategy implementation (alignment) process. In particular, we identify three salient factors that contribute to strategy blindness - mistranslation of intent, flexibility of the IT artifact and cognitive entrenchment - and discuss how they affect strategic implementation processes. We conclude by discussing implications of our findings for IS strategy theory and practice, especially the contribution of strategy-as-practice to this stream of research.

Challenges to scenario-guided adaptive action on food security under climate change

Abstract: This paper examines the development and use of scenarios as an approach to guide action in multi-level, multi-actor adaptation contexts such as food security under climate change. Three challenges are highlighted: (1) ensuring the appropriate scope for action; (2) moving beyond intervention-based decision guidance; and (3) developing long-term shared capacity for strategic planning. To overcome these challenges we have applied explorative scenarios and normative back-casting with stakeholders from different sectors at the regional level in East Africa. We then applied lessons about appropriate scope, enabling adaptation pathways, and developing strategic planning capacity to scenarios processes in multiple global regions. Scenarios were created to have a broad enough scope to be relevant to diverse actors, and then adapted by different actor groups to ensure their salience in specific decision contexts. The initial strategy for using the scenarios by bringing a range of actors together to explore new collaborative proposals had limitations as well as strengths versus the application of scenarios for specific actor groups and existing decision pathways. Scenarios development and use transitioned from an intervention-based process to an embedded process characterized by continuous engagement. Feasibility and long-term sustainability could be ensured by having decision makers own the process and focusing on developing strategic planning capacity within their home organizations.

The Impact of Strategic Relevance and Assurance of Sustainability Indicators on Investors’ Decisions

Abstract: In this study, we report two 2 x 2 between-subjects experiments which investigate the effect of strategic relevance of reported sustainability information and its assurance on nonprofessional investors’ investment decisions. The first experiment manipulates strategic relevance of reported environmental, social and governance (ESG) indicators between “high” and “low” by varying the company strategy (sustainability-based differentiation strategy versus cost leadership strategy unrelated to sustainability). The second experiment manipulates the strategic alignment of the ESG indicators (holding strategy constant). We also manipulate the presence (absence) of assurance in both experiments. Results from both experiments document that investors perceive ESG indicators to be more important, and are more willing to invest in the company, if ESG indicators have higher strategic relevance. Experiment one also provides evidence that assurance increases investors’ willingness to invest to a greater extent when ESG indicators have high relevance to the company strategy. Our findings suggest that the assurance of ESG indicators has a beneficial signaling role in communicating the importance of this reported information to investors.

Strategic Management Accounting

Abstract: The main objective of this paper is to introduce strategic management accounting and strategic management in the world at what stage is the process of moving it How and in what direction it is moving. The reason for this has been done to study the literature and theoretical foundations. Then The following research model for developed countries and Iran and Japan have been used.Content strategy can be Broadly defined as the way an organization. Despite the nearly 30-year history of strategic management accounting, its still not been able to Introduced as an essential element of management accounting. Modern management requires new management accounting aims to help managers Strategic analysis will help to ensure the usefulness of management accounting in the management of the organization, it is necessary accounting Management objectives and strategy in the near term. Traditionally, strategies, future looking, long-term decisions While accounting requires retrospective overview of the company, and to achieve short-term goals planned Is. Strategic management accounting can be defined as "the process of identifying, collecting, selecting and analyzing accounting data for Assist the management team in strategic decision making and organizational effectiveness assessment must be defined. This paper describes the definition and management Strategic Management and its variants and their use for the strategic goals of the organization and management are discussed. Accounting for Management Consolidation of activities in the strategy of the organization should provide information on the three strategic principles of quality, cost and time to help A. Thinking, planning and strategic management of the organization's long-term role in dealing with environmental changes play. Keywords : Accounting management, strategic management, strategic management accounting, strategic principles, developed countries

Enterprise architecture management and its role in corporate strategic management

Abstract: A considerable number of organizations continually face difficulties bringing strategy to execution, and suffer from a lack of structure and transparency in corporate strategic management. Yet, enterprise architecture as a fundamental exercise to achieve a structured description of the enterprise and its relationships appears far from being adopted in the strategic management arena. To move the adoption process along, this paper develops a comprehensive business architecture framework that assimilates and extends prior research and applies the framework to selected scenarios in corporate strategic management. This paper also presents the approach in practice, based on a qualitative appraisal of interviews with strategic directors across different industries. With its integrated conceptual guideline for using enterprise architecture to facilitate corporate strategic management and the insights gained from the interviews, this paper not only delves more deeply into the research but also offers advice for both researchers and practitioners.

Clear and Present Danger: Planning and New Venture Survival Amid Political and Civil Violence

Abstract: Many entrepreneurs in developing economies face unstable environments due to violence and civil unrest. Yet, we know very little about how environments characterized by high levels of political and civil violence affect new venture processes and survival. Moreover, it is unclear whether standard theories about organizational strategy, such as planning, hold true in such environments. We explore these issues using a sample of 730 new ventures in Colombia from 1997 to 2001. We find that political and civil violence decreases firm survival, increases the benefits of incremental (operational) planning, and decreases the benefits of comprehensive (strategic) planning

Using expert knowledge in combining green infrastructure and ecosystem services in land use planning: an insight into a new place-based methodology

Abstract: Green infrastructure (GI) is a strategic planning instrument to achieve sustainable development. The main functions of GI are to protect biodiversity and safeguard and enhance the provision of ecosystem services (ES). In this paper we present the development of a semi-quantitative place-based method, aiming at assessing GI based on the provision potential of all main ES. Our method combines a wide spectrum of GIS data with expert assessments. Here we focus especially on how interaction with experts and local and regional actors impacted the method development. Our results showed that involving experts in dataset selection is very useful in compiling the most relevant data for the assessment of ES. Expert knowledge is also valuable in evaluating the actual coverage and quality of datasets. By involving both experts and local and regional actors in assessing ES provision potential we can add local knowledge to the general scientific understanding. Qualitative assessments can be complemented with quantitative data in our method. The resulting maps support land use planning, as they assist in identifying the multifunctional key areas of GI and in examining the provision potential of various ES. The group discussions involved in our method provided an additional benefit, as the experts and local and regional actors felt that this discussion platform enhanced their understanding of both GI and ES.

The Double Edge of Ambiguity in Strategic Planning

Abstract: While the communications and strategy literatures have suggested that ambiguity embedded in texts such as strategic plans many enable the accommodation of divergent perspectives and contribute to building consensus and commitment, little is known about the consequences of such ambiguity for the consumption of strategy discourse or for the enactment of planned strategy. In a case study of strategic planning in a cultural organization, we identify three forms of ambiguity embedded in the strategy text, and show how these features generate different forms of consumption among organization members. We find that strategic ambiguity initially plays an enabling role as participants engage in enacting their respective interpretations of strategy. However, over time, the mobilizing effects of strategic ambiguity lead to internal contradiction and overextension. The study contributes by exploring empirically the double-edged nature of strategic ambiguity, and by identifying the underlying mechanisms by which its paradoxical consequences emerge. We show that while ambiguous strategy discourse enables strategic development and change, it may contain the seeds of its own dissolution contributing to cyclical patterns of strategy development and reorientation.

Strategic planning, design, and development of the shale gas supply chain network

Abstract: Fil: Cafaro, Diego Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnologico para la Industria Quimica (i); Argentina

Embracing Big Data in Complex Educational Systems: The Learning Analytics Imperative and the Policy Challenge.

Abstract: In the new era of big educational data, learning analytics (LA) offer the possibility of implementing real–time assessment and feedback systems and processes at scale that are focused on improvement of learning, development of self–regulated learning skills, and student success. However, to realize this promise, the necessary shifts in the culture, technological infrastructure, and teaching practices of higher education, from assessment–for–accountability to assessment–for–learning, cannot be achieved through piecemeal implementation of new tools. We propose here that the challenge of successful institutional change for learning analytics implementation is a wicked problem that calls for new adaptive forms of leadership, collaboration, policy development and strategic planning. Higher education institutions are best viewed as complex systems underpinned by policy, and we introduce two policy and planning frameworks developed for complex systems that may offer institutional teams practical guidance in their project of optimizing their educational systems with learning analytics.

Strategic foresight: how planning for the unpredictable can improve environmental decision-making.

Abstract: Advanced warning of potential new opportunities and threats related to biodiversity allows decision-makers to act strategically to maximize benefits or minimize costs. Strategic foresight explores possible futures, their consequences for decisions, and the actions that promote more desirable futures. Foresight tools, such as horizon scanning and scenario planning, are increasingly used by governments and business for long-term strategic planning and capacity building. These tools are now being applied in ecology, although generally not as part of a comprehensive foresight strategy. We highlight several ways foresight could play a more significant role in environmental decisions by: monitoring existing problems, highlighting emerging threats, identifying promising new opportunities, testing the resilience of policies, and defining a research agenda.

Total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) of strategic performance management for Indian telecom service providers

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a total interpretive structural modelling (TSIM) of strategic factors related to performance management in the context of Indian Telecom Service Providers taking dual perspectives in account, i.e. enterprise perspective and subscribers’ perspective. Design/methodology/approach – An evolving performance management framework, i.e. flexible strategy game-card has been taken as the basis to develop the strategic performance management model, where strategic factors have been identified through thematic content analysis and the hierarchical structure of factors has been developed using TISM. Findings – Two total interpretive structural models have been developed, one for enterprise-related strategic factors, and another for subscriber-related strategic factors. These hierarchical structures portray the leading and lagging factors of performance, and showcase that financial performance indicators are the lagging indicators. Research limitations/implications – Th...

Strategic reference points in family firms

Abstract: Family firms are classically seen as risk averse organizations, and this is evident in their generally lower R&D investments compared to non-family firms. Recent research, however, challenges this predominant view and suggests that family firms can embrace higher strategic risk when faced with threats to their family-centered goals. Still, the internal and external conditions that drive variations in the strategic risk taking behaviors of family firms are little known and understood. This article adds to this literature by developing and testing a conceptual model of strategic risk taking that incorporates behavioral theory, family business literature, and the logic of the strategic reference point theory. With recognition that the interplay between family and economic goals determines heterogeneity in strategic actions of family firms, this model suggests that family managers respond differentially to the feedback information regarding internal and external reference points, and consequently identifies key drivers of variation in the R&D investment behavior of family firms. By examining the pattern in R&D investments of 437 Spanish private manufacturing firms from 2000 to 2006, this study shows how strategic inputs, strategic outputs, and external benchmarks produce variations in strategic decisions about R&D investments in family and non-family firms. The findings offer insights into how internal and external reference points are considered in family firms’ decision making, thereby contributing a deeper understanding into the circumstances under which family goals cope or collide with the economic goals of the firm, and how this influences strategic risk decisions in family firms.

TQM: A facilitator to enhance knowledge management? A structural analysis

Abstract: This study aims to examine the multi-dimensional relationship of total quality management (TQM) and knowledge management (KM) in both service and manufacturing firms in Malaysia. Six key practices of TQM originated from the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) were chosen; whereas the KM elements were made up of knowledge acquisition, distribution and application. Data were gathered from small, medium and large firms from both manufacturing and service sectors. Structural analysis was carried out for the hypotheses and the theoretical model testing. Findings show that strategic planning and human resource management have a positive and significant relationship with the dimensions of KM; whereas process management has significant effects on knowledge acquisition and knowledge distribution. Practically, the findings provide a useful direction for the management team in the manufacturing and service sectors by adopting the relevant TQM practices to further improve the firms’ knowledge management processes. Through a deeper comprehension on the association between TQM practices and the KM dimensions, the management team of these firms can focus their attention, efforts and resources on the specific TQM practices that can ensure successful KM process.