Exam 4: Planning and Strategic Management

Scenario D. Mario has been hired as a consultant by the board of Conscious Commitment, a self-help education service company, to align the corporate strategy with its tactical and operational plans. Somehow things have gone awry. The board and senior management developed a thorough strategic plan centered on commitment to the customer and quality delivery of its services. To their dismay, recent customer evaluations indicate customers are treated poorly by the front-line educators. The educators complain that they are asked to serve the customer well yet do not have adequate resources to do it. Additionally, when the educators need advice, upper-level managers never seem to be available and a recent survey of the educators found that most of them were not aware of the strategic plan at all! -Which of the following suggestions should Mario make to the board to correct the problem of inadequate resources?

Marco started in business 30 years ago as the owner of a small bakery.Then,he baked bread for the local supermarkets in town.Today he owns his own chain of retail stores and bakes not only bread for them but many other types of products such as pastries,cakes,and cookies.Marco has successfully used the concentric diversification strategy.

The Boston Consulting Group Matrix helps managers of individual businesses develop strategies to evaluate their strategy alternatives.

Scenario B. Barefoot Grass, Inc., a lawn and landscape firm has completed a SWOT analysis as part of its ongoing strategic planning process. Management has uncovered the following information through extensive research. 1. New regulations have been passed limiting its ability to spray certain types of fertilizer. 2. Barefoot is an environmentally friendly company; its competitors are not. 3. More and more homeowners are concerned about the environment; it is expected that this trend will continue for decades. 4. As compared to its competitors, its management team is by far the best in the industry. 5. It has fallen behind in turf research and development over the last few years. 6. The company has adequate financial resources to invest in its operations. 7. New homebuilding has fallen off due to a difficult recession. -Which of the above scenario facts would be a strength for Barefoot Grass?

A thorough environmental analysis includes a human resources analysis.

Scenario A. The board of Integrated Circuitry Company (ICC) has contacted you to assist them in assessing the senior management of ICC. The board seems to believe that the senior management of ICC is spending their planning time unwisely. When asked about the kinds of decisions senior management works on, the board provides you with the following list: 1. How many new employees to hire for the cafeteria this month. 2. Whether or not to expand their company into a new region in the next 10 years. 3. How to increase visibility of their marketing campaign. 4. How to deliver the products to their customers. 5. What should ICC's strategic goals be? -Which of the scenario issues are related to tactical planning?

An organization's strategic and tactical plans must be based upon the original operational plans.

An environmental analysis should include buyers,suppliers,government and regulatory agencies and trade associations.

Scenario A. The board of Integrated Circuitry Company (ICC) has contacted you to assist them in assessing the senior management of ICC. The board seems to believe that the senior management of ICC is spending their planning time unwisely. When asked about the kinds of decisions senior management works on, the board provides you with the following list: 1. How many new employees to hire for the cafeteria this month. 2. Whether or not to expand their company into a new region in the next 10 years. 3. How to increase visibility of their marketing campaign. 4. How to deliver the products to their customers. 5. What should ICC's strategic goals be? -Which of the scenario issues are related to operational planning?

The process of identifying the specific procedures and processes required at lower levels of the organization is called

A _________ strategy focuses on a single business competing in a single industry.

Scenario A. The board of Integrated Circuitry Company (ICC) has contacted you to assist them in assessing the senior management of ICC. The board seems to believe that the senior management of ICC is spending their planning time unwisely. When asked about the kinds of decisions senior management works on, the board provides you with the following list: 1. How many new employees to hire for the cafeteria this month. 2. Whether or not to expand their company into a new region in the next 10 years. 3. How to increase visibility of their marketing campaign. 4. How to deliver the products to their customers. 5. What should ICC's strategic goals be? -Which of the scenario issues are related to strategic planning?

Scenario C. A global cosmetics company called Organic Naturals is considering its corporate strategy. Several members of its board of directors believe they have the "perfect" strategy for the company. Joe believes that the best option is for Organic Naturals to stay on their current track of offering only organic cosmetics to customers who like organic cosmetics. Marsha wants the company to expand by purchasing the manufacturing plants that produce the Organic Naturals products. Another director, Carson, wants to build the company by adding related products like skin care and perfume to be sold alongside its current products. Finally, the original owner of the company, Doris, wants to grow the company by doing something completely new like building restaurants or perhaps starting an entertainment park. -Joe is advocating which corporate strategy?

A core competence is something a company does poorly in,compared to its competitors.

Scenario C. A global cosmetics company called Organic Naturals is considering its corporate strategy. Several members of its board of directors believe they have the "perfect" strategy for the company. Joe believes that the best option is for Organic Naturals to stay on their current track of offering only organic cosmetics to customers who like organic cosmetics. Marsha wants the company to expand by purchasing the manufacturing plants that produce the Organic Naturals products. Another director, Carson, wants to build the company by adding related products like skin care and perfume to be sold alongside its current products. Finally, the original owner of the company, Doris, wants to grow the company by doing something completely new like building restaurants or perhaps starting an entertainment park. -Doris is advocating which corporate strategy?

Conglomerate diversification involves moving into new businesses that are not related to the company's original core business.

When resources are valuable,rare,difficult to imitate,and organized,they can be viewed as a company's core competencies.

The targets or ends the manager wants to reach are called

_____________ plans might be referred to as "what-if" plans.

Strategic goals are