10.4.1
Problems with Strategy
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Problems with Strategy Implementation
It is critical that managers maintain a strong sense of strategic direction.
Types of strategy implementation
- Planned strategies are strategies which are planned by managers and leaders and are purposefully implemented.
- Emergent strategies are strategies which develop overtime but were not planned or implemented purposefully.
Strategic drift
- Strategic drift occurs when a business fails to respond to changes in the external environment, including customer demands, and therefore no longer offers the products and services demanded by customers.
Overcoming strategic drift
- In some cases, managers and leaders may not respond to changes in the market as they believe that changes will eventually reverse, but often this is not the case and many businesses have battled survival because of strategic drift. Businesses will need to make a transformational change or their failure to respond to market changes may otherwise become fatal.
Divorce Between Ownership and Control and Contingency Plans
Strategic problems occur when ownership and management is separated.
When the owner is the manager
- When businesses operate with sole trader status, the owner and manager is often the same individual. In limited companies, the owners and managers can be separate groups of individuals as owners, or shareholders, appoint a board of directors to manage the company on their behalf, especially in Public Limited Companies (PLC) like Morrisons and Tesco.
Disadvantages of divorce of ownership and control
- Owners, or shareholders, may be focussed on shareholder return and the maximisation of dividends whereas managers and directors may wish to invest profit in the long-term growth of the business; this creates conflict.
Corporate governance
- Corporate governance is the process of monitoring the decisions made by managers to ensure shareholder interests are considered.
- For example, Tesco has non-executive directors who advise executive directors on issues related to corporate governance to challenge decisions and audit processes used by business managers.
Contingency planning
- Contingency planning refers to the process of managers and leaders planning for events which, if happened, would have a potentially serious impact on the business’ success.
- For example, many businesses with head-quarters in the United Kingdom have created contingency plans because they are unsure of the impact Brexit will have on their business and may need to relocate offices, employees or headquarters in the event of an unfavourable Brexit outcome.
Advantages and disadvantages of contingency planning
- Contingency plans can prepare a business for unlikely but potentially serious events.
- Contingency plans can waste resources as plans may never be needed but have still been produced.
1What is Business?
1.1Understanding the Nature of Business
1.2Understanding Different Business Forms
1.3External Environments
2Managers, Leadership & Decision Making
2.1Understanding Management
2.2Understanding Management Decision Making
2.3Understanding Stakeholders
3Decision Making to Improve Marketing Performance
3.1Decision Making to Improve Marketing Performance
3.2Understanding Markets & Customers
3.3Market Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning
3.4Marketing Mix
3.4.1Marketing Mix3.4.2Product Decisions3.4.3Pricing Decisions & Price Skimming3.4.4Pricing Decisions & Price Penetration3.4.5A-A* (AO3/4) - Pricing & Competition3.4.6Promotional Decisions3.4.7Promotional Decisions 23.4.8Promotional Decisions 33.4.9Distribution Decisions3.4.10Distribution Decisions 23.4.11Digital Marketing3.4.12Evaluating Digital Marketing3.4.13A-A* (AO3/4) - The Marketing Mix & Promotion
4Decision Making to Improve Operational Performance
4.1Setting Operational Objectives
4.2Analysing Operational Performance
4.3Increasing Efficiency & Productivity
4.4Improving Quality
4.5Managing Inventory & Supply Chains
5Decision Making to Improve Financial Performance
5.1Financial Objectives
5.2Analysing Financial Performance
5.3Sources of Finance
5.4Improving Cash Flow & Profit
6Improving Human Resource Performance
6.1Human Resource Objectives
6.2Analysing Human Resource Performance
6.3Improving Organisational Design
6.4Improving Motivation & Engagement
6.5Improving Employer-Employee Relations
7Analysing the Strategic Position of a Business
7.1Mission, Corporate Objectives, Strategy
7.2Financial Ratio Analysis
7.3Overall Performance
7.4Political & Legal Change
7.5Economic Change
7.6Social & Technological Environment
7.7Competitive Environment
7.8Investment Appraisal
8Choosing Strategic Direction
8.1Choosing Areas of Competition
8.2Choosing How to Compete
9How to Pursue Strategies
9.1Change in Scale
9.2Assessing Innovation
9.3Assessing Internationalisation
9.4Digital Technology
10Managing Strategic Change
10.1Managing Change
10.2Managing Organisational Culture
10.3Managing Strategic Implementation
10.4Problems with Strategy
Jump to other topics
1What is Business?
1.1Understanding the Nature of Business
1.2Understanding Different Business Forms
1.3External Environments
2Managers, Leadership & Decision Making
2.1Understanding Management
2.2Understanding Management Decision Making
2.3Understanding Stakeholders
3Decision Making to Improve Marketing Performance
3.1Decision Making to Improve Marketing Performance
3.2Understanding Markets & Customers
3.3Market Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning
3.4Marketing Mix
3.4.1Marketing Mix3.4.2Product Decisions3.4.3Pricing Decisions & Price Skimming3.4.4Pricing Decisions & Price Penetration3.4.5A-A* (AO3/4) - Pricing & Competition3.4.6Promotional Decisions3.4.7Promotional Decisions 23.4.8Promotional Decisions 33.4.9Distribution Decisions3.4.10Distribution Decisions 23.4.11Digital Marketing3.4.12Evaluating Digital Marketing3.4.13A-A* (AO3/4) - The Marketing Mix & Promotion
4Decision Making to Improve Operational Performance
4.1Setting Operational Objectives
4.2Analysing Operational Performance
4.3Increasing Efficiency & Productivity
4.4Improving Quality
4.5Managing Inventory & Supply Chains
5Decision Making to Improve Financial Performance
5.1Financial Objectives
5.2Analysing Financial Performance
5.3Sources of Finance
5.4Improving Cash Flow & Profit
6Improving Human Resource Performance
6.1Human Resource Objectives
6.2Analysing Human Resource Performance
6.3Improving Organisational Design
6.4Improving Motivation & Engagement
6.5Improving Employer-Employee Relations
7Analysing the Strategic Position of a Business
7.1Mission, Corporate Objectives, Strategy
7.2Financial Ratio Analysis
7.3Overall Performance
7.4Political & Legal Change
7.5Economic Change
7.6Social & Technological Environment
7.7Competitive Environment
7.8Investment Appraisal
8Choosing Strategic Direction
8.1Choosing Areas of Competition
8.2Choosing How to Compete
9How to Pursue Strategies
9.1Change in Scale
9.2Assessing Innovation
9.3Assessing Internationalisation
9.4Digital Technology
10Managing Strategic Change
10.1Managing Change
10.2Managing Organisational Culture
10.3Managing Strategic Implementation
10.4Problems with Strategy
Practice questions on Problems with Strategy
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