Mintzberg - the Fall and Rise of Strategic Planning Essay Example for Free

Mintzberg the Fall and Rise of Strategic Planning Essay The Fall and Rise of Strategic Planning by Henry Mintzberg When strategic planning arrived on the scene in the mid- ­? 1960s, corporate leaders embraced it as â€Å"the one best way† to devise and implement strategies that would enhance the competitiveness of each business unit. True to the scientific management pioneered by Frederick Taylor, this one best way involved separating thinking from doing and creating a new function staffed by specialists: strategic planners. Planning systems were expected to produce the best strategies as well as step- ­? by- ­? step instructions for arrying out those strategies so that the doers, the managers of businesses, could not get them wrong. As we now know, planning has not exactly worked out that way. While certainly not dead, strategic planning has long since fallen from its pedestal. But even now, few people fully understand the reason: strategic planning is not strategic thinking. Indeed, strategic planning often spoils strategic thinking, causing managers to confuse real vision with the manipulation of numbers. And this confusion lies at the heart of the issue: the most successful strategies are visions, not plans. Strategic planning, as it has een practiced, has really been strategic programming, the articulation and elaboration of strategies, or visions, that already exist. When companies understand the difference between planning and strategic thinking, they can get back to what the strategy- ­? making process should be: capturing what the manager learns from all sources (both the soft insights from his or her personal experiences and the experiences of others throughout the organization and the hard data from market research and the like) and then synthesizing that learning into a vision of the direction that the business should pursue. Organizations isenchanted with strategic planning should not get rid of their planners or conclude that there is no need for programming. Rather, organizations should transform the conventional planning job. Planners should make their contribution around the strategy- ­? making process rather than inside it. They should supply the formal analyses or hard data that strategic thinking requires, as long as they do it to broaden the consideration of issues rather than to discover the one right answer. They should act as catalysts who support strategy making by aiding and encouraging managers to think strategically. And, finally, they an be programmers of a strategy, helping to specify the series of concrete steps needed to carry out the vision. By redefining the planner’s job, companies will acknowledge the difference between planning and strategic thinking. Planning has always been about analysis—about breaking down a goal or set of intentions into steps, formalizing tho se steps so that they can be implemented almost automatically, and articulating the anticipated consequences or results of each step. â€Å"I favour a set of analytical techniques for developing strategy,† Michael 1 Porter, probably the most widely read writer on strategy, wrote in he Economist. The label â€Å"strategic planning† has been applied to all kinds of activities, such as going off to an informal retreat in the mountains to talk about strategy. But call that activity â€Å"planning,† let conventional planners organize it, and watch how quickly the event becomes formalized (mission statements in the morning, assessment of corporate strengths and weaknesses in the afternoon, strategies carefully articulated by 5 p. m. ). Strategic thinking, in contrast, is about synthesis.

Lipsets American Creed :: essays research papers

Lipset's American Creed Liberty. Egalitarianism. Individualism. Populism. Laissez-faire. These five concepts embody the "American creed" as described by author Seymour Martin Lipset. Lipset feels that this "American creed" is representative of an ideology that all Americans share. Lipset's argument is on shaky ground, however, when scrutinized under the microscope of race. Racial relations in this country do much to undermine the validity of Lipset's argument, especially the concepts of egalitarianism and populism. Take, for example, The Deforming Mirror of Truth, the introduction to a book by Nathan Huggins entitled Black Odyssey: The African-American Ordeal in Slavery. This introduction focuses on how slavery fit into the national consciousness. Without a doubt, there is a powerful abnormality in the founding of America. The documents establishing a country where all men are created equal neglect to address, or even mention by name, those people whose lives were "merely the extension of the master's will" (Huggins xiv). Indeed, this suggests that the Founding Fathers had an "out of sight, out of mind" mentality towards the issue of slavery. While Huggins understands why the Founding Fathers may have elected to ignore the issue, he hardly thinks that it was a good idea. "It encouraged the belief that American history-its institutions, its values, its people- was one thing and racial slavery and oppression were a different story" (Huggins xii). He reinforces this idea by looking at the historical perspective that was prevalent in America until only recently. "American historians, guarding the ideological integrity of the center, have wanted to treat race and slavery as matters apart from the real, central story of American history" (Huggins xvi). Race and slavery. Two concepts that most people would agree are forever linked in America. To assume that blacks and white became equals after the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War is ludicrous. The South immediately began establishing what came to be known as Jim Crow laws. Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, wrote in a court document that "black" Americans (which is to say any American of African decent) had "no rights a white man need respect". This statement included those blacks who were not slaves. Furthermore, it was only in the latter half of this century that the nation became integrated, and there are still Affirmative Action laws in place to ensure fair consideration of all individuals on the job market. Is this a country of equality? Is egalitarianism a value embraced by all Americans? It is obvious what Nathan Huggins thinks of the matter. The concept of populism also falls under fire when considered from a racial standpoint.

Euroland Foods Essay

Executive Summary: Euroland foods is a stable name in the market, it has grown well in the market over the years, but now it is planning to allocate the budget for the newly planned activities which are costing it more than 300 Million Euros but the company has to invest only 120 Million Euros. Various people from the upper management have come up with their suggestions for investment, few of them are very good and are acceptable in just a blink of the eye but many of them require greater search and evaluation for their validity. It is suggestible to first evaluate the alternatives and then rank them so that best of the activities could take place within the allocated budget. Strengths & Weaknesses: In replacement and expansion of the truck fleet, the company can increase the number of goods hauled on the truck and this could reduce the transportation costs in the long run, further it could possibly have a greater market coverage but it is very costly to go for this option as Klink is not doing any experiment and going directly for 100 new trucks. The acquisition of new plant is although a good option but yet it is not very useful option as the investment in the entire plant can be risky and can put a lot of burden on the entire company’s budget, it is suggested that the company should buy a warehouse to support the growing needs of the customers for ice cream and yogurt. Another problem would be related to the labor hiring which would result in more costs. The expansion of the plant is a good idea as the market needs are completely growing and cannot be supported by any other plant, the plant capacity would increase by 20% but the drawback is that it is supporting those products that are not having the highest share i-e mineral water and fruit juices. Morin has come up with a good suggestion as the processing of dried fruit and its launch would enhance the company’s portfolio and also it would be a brand extension, it has got a fair possibility of growth as Europe is a cold region, the IRR is also expected to be higher than the required but then again it is requiring company to spend much more then it should spend. Also it can take the company out of budget as the company’s current concern should be about the stability of its current activities. Leyden has come up with a good idea of plant automation and conveyer system, this could reduce the need of the labor and the threats of lawsuit due to any injury that may take place because of the old plant. The company cannot only reduce the labor requirements but also may increase the market penetration as the units would be produced more efficiently now. The drawback is again related to the high costs and further the company may disappoint the labor which could be unethical and can bring agitation in labor against the company. The effluent water treatment at four of the plants is again good action since it is categorizing the Euroland foods as environmental friendly. This would add itself as strength to the company as now company would be working ethically in many ways. The drawback is related to the issue of investing in a non-functioning area, which would not bring any profits. Ponti has although suggested to expand the market to southwards and eastwards, but it is dependent on many conditions such as if proposal of earlier plant extension would not accepted then it is possible for the company to incur greater costs for reaching those newly recognized areas, further it is not suggested to go for them because the company has already got itself in other hassles and it should look at those points which could further strengthen it position in the current positions. Morin has come under the pressure of competitors and is thinking about the company’s well being, but yet there lies the problem with such a heavy investment, the company should always test market the product. Although it would be the product development to some good extent but at the same time it can cause the company to loose big money in something which it is not sure about. Klink has come up with a wonderful suggestion of networking, these days the markets are based on programs such as SAP which can control every activity of the company, if the efficiency would be there then the company may take more initiatives as it would think ahead. The weakness is again related to the increased responsibility which can cause disturbance and further it can result in unemployment as many of the activities would be performed with the help of networking. Humbolt has given a solution which suits his nature and he has again provided the company with something that could increase the liability of the company and further create more complexed problems for it. However, it seems to be very lucrative but it is all about the management capability of the company which is not appropriate in relation to such extension. Ranking the Proposals: According to my analysis, proposal 3 (plant extension) should be ranked first as it has a fair possibility of increasing the market share for those products that are stable from a period and are not growing (mineral water, fruit juices). Proposal 4 (snack foods) should be ranked second as it has got a fair possibility of market acceptance due to weather condition in Europe. Proposal 5 (Plan automation) should be ranked third as it can reduce the number of employees and other threats and can bring more profits in. Proposal 10 (Networking) should be ranked fourth as it can increase efficiency and so can reduce the number of positions in the company. Proposal 6 (Effluent water treatment) should be ranked fifth as it is environmental friendly and â€Å"good ethics is good business†. Proposal 1 (Truck fleet) should be ranked sixth as it is requiring a direct investment for 100 trucks where as the company should look for such changes in a slow manner. Proposal 9 (Sweetened yogurt) should be ranked seventh as it is very risky as it would take a lot of research and can distract the firm from its other stability objectives. Proposal 2 (new plant) should be ranked eighth as it would associate exceeding costs with it such as new labor, transportation and many other costs. Proposal 7 & 8 (market extension southward and eastward) should be ranked ninth and tenth as it is again distracting the company from its current objectives and its too risky as the entering market characteristics are opposite and against the company’s favor. Proposal 11 (Schnapps) should be ranked eleventh as it is completing out of the scope of the company’s feasibility. Effluent Water Treatment: Since the effluent water is just something the company is willing to acquire as a mean to have good public relations and to be able to contribute to the environment. It is just something which cannot bring company the profits, it would cost 6 million Euros if the facility equipment would be purchased now but later on it can be costly and government at times does affect the company’s investing powers. So it is better to buy this equipment before the government makes it a mandatory for the company to buy it. Conclusion: The ranking shown above is itself suggesting what should be done. According to the analysis, proposal 1, 3, 4, 5, & 6 should be given utmost importance as it is feasible for the company to get them done within the allocated budget, so Mr. Verdin should give them more importance and recommend them to the board. They can also make the current position of the company stable and perhaps make it more efficient. Other projects have their own importance but they are not triggering the initial need of the company which is stability. The mentioned proposals would make the base of the company’s structure sounder and so it can look forward for other proposals in the future time period with more ease.

Babies Behind Bars - 1831 Words

The rate of women being incarcerated in prisons has dramatically risen over the last decade. While these women are being locked up for crimes ranging from drug possession to murder, they often come into the prison system with children or pregnant. Nationwide, nearly 2 million children have parents in prison. The number of those with incarcerated mothers is growing rapidly. A recent report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that the number of minors with mothers in prison increased by more than 100 percent in the last 15 years [ (Schwartzapfel, 2008) ]. While some women must give up their children before or after they enter prison, a handful of women get to keep their children. These women serve their sentences at one of nine†¦show more content†¦She also should not have any serious mental health concerns. A screening committee reviews each case before women are placed in the nursery. The mother must be able to complete her sentence by the time the child is 18 month s old to be eligible (Mothers, Infants and Imprisonment: A National Look at Prison Nurseries and Community-Based Alternative, 2009). Four years later, Pierre, South Dakota opened its prison nursery in the South Dakota Women’s Prison. The Mother-Infant Program is the only prison nursery that doesn’t have a limit to how many infants can stay. However, it has the shortest length of stay being thirty days. Women who give birth while in custody are allowed to participate in the program as long as the mothers crime was non-violent in nature. All expenses related to the babys care are the responsibility of the mother, including health care expenses. Mothers keep their infants in their cells. Other women at the facility are able to take classes to become babysitters and the mothers are able to choose who they would like to act as their babysitter. The Washington Correctional Center for Women in Gig Harbor, Washington, opened its doors to a prison nursery in 1999. To qualify f or the Residential Parenting Program, the mother’s sentence must be completed within three years of giving birth. The women must also be classified as minimum custody and beShow MoreRelatedBirth And Death By Frederic Skinner Essay1020 Words   |  5 PagesBirth and Death Burrhus Frederic Skinner is one of the most influential psychologists to study and practice, the ideology of Behaviorism. The concept behind behaviorism is to understand the thought that emphasizes the importance of experience in governing behavior while, the key role of behaviorism was to the determine the laws that govern learning (Claypoole, 2016). Skinner was born on March 20, 1904 and died on August 18, 1990 due to Leukemia. 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