Patricia Isabel G. Barlaan BS-ENTRE 4-1
Business Policy Professor Malanum
Strategic concept The concept of strategy has been borrowed from the military and adapted for use in business. A review of what noted writers about business strategy have to say suggests that adopting the concept was easy because the adaptation required has been modest. In business, as in the military, strategy strategy bridges the gap between policy and tactics. Together, Together, strategy and tactics bridge the gap between ends and means (Figure 1. This paper reviews various definitions of strategy for the purpose of clarifying the concept and placing it in conte!t. The author"s aim is to ma#e the concepts of policy, strategy, strategy, tactics, tactics, ends, and means more useful to those who concern themselves with these matters.
Strategic management process
$trategic management analy%es the ma&or initiatives, involving resources and performance in e!ternal environments, that a company"s top management ta#es on behalf of owners. It entails specifying the organi%ation"s mission, vision, and ob&ectives, as well as developing policies and plans which allocate resources to drive growth gro wth and profitability. $trategy, $trategy, in short, is the overarching methodology behind the business operations.
Five Steps of Strategic Management As strategic management is a large, comple!, and ever'evolving endeavor, endeavor, it is useful to to divide it into a series of concrete steps to illustrate the process of strategic management. hile many management models pertaining to strategy derivation are in use, most general framewor#s include five steps embedded in two t wo general stages)
Formulation Analysis * $trategic analysis is a time'consuming process, involving comprehensive mar#et research on the e!ternal and competitive environments as well as e!tensive internal assessments. The process involves conducting +orter"s Five Forces, $T, +-$T-, and value chain analyses and gathering e!perts in each industry relating to the strategy.
$trategy Formation * Following the analysis phase, the organi%ation selects a generic strategy (for e!ample, low'cost, differentiation, etc. based upon the value'chain implications for core competence and potential competitive advantage. /is# assessments and contingency plans are also developed based upon e!ternal forecasting. 0rand positioning and image should be solidified. oal $etting * ith the defined strategy in mind, management identifies and communicates goals and ob&ectives that correlate to the predicted outcomes, strengths, and opportunities. These ob&ectives include quantitative ways to measure the success or failure of the goals, along with corresponding organi%ational policy. oal setting is the final phase before implementation begins.
Implementation $tructure * The implementation phase begins with the strategy in place, and the business solidifies its organi%ational structure and leadership (ma#ing changes if necessary. eaders allocate resources to specific pro&ects and enact an y necessary strategic partnerships. Feedbac# * 2uring the final stage of strategy, all budgetary figures are submitted for evaluation. Financial ratios should be calculated and performance reviews delivered to relevant personnel and departments. This information will be used to restart the planning process, or reinforce the success of the previous strategy.
SWOT Analysis $T Analysis is a useful technique for understanding your $trengths and ea#nesses, and for identifying both the pportunities open to you and the threats you face. 3sed in a business conte!t, it helps you carve a sustainable niche in your mar#et. 3sed in a personal conte!t Add to 4y +ersonal earning +lan, it helps you develop your career in a way that ta#es best advantage of your talents, abilities and opportunities.
Business SWOT Analysis hat ma#es $T particularly powerful is that, with a little thought, it can help you uncover opportunities that you are well'placed to e!ploit. And by understanding the wea#nesses of your business, you can manage and eliminate threats that would otherwise catch you unawares. 4ore than this, by loo#ing at yourself and your competitors using the $T framewor#, you can start to craft a strategy that helps you distinguish yourself from your competitors, so that you can compete successfully in your mar#et.
5ow to 3se the Tool6
riginated by Albert $ 5umphrey in the 1789s, the tool is as useful now as it was then. :ou can use it in two ways * as a simple icebrea#er helping people get together to ;#ic# off; strategy formulation, or in a more sophisticated way as a serious strategy tool. $trengths and wea#nesses are often internal to your organi%ation, while opportunities and threats generally relate to e!ternal factors. For this reason, $T is sometimes called Internal' -!ternal Analysis and the $T 4atri! is sometimes called an I- 4atri!. To help you to carry out your analysis, download and print off our free wor#sheet, and write down answers to the following questions.
Strengths hat advantages does your organi%ation have6 hat do you do better than anyone else6 hat unique or lowest'cost resources can you draw upon that others can"t6 hat do people in your mar#et see as your strengths6 hat factors mean that you ;get the sale;6
Weaknesses hat could you improve6 hat should you avoid6 hat are people in your mar#et li#ely to see as wea#nesses6 hat factors lose you sales6 Again, consider this from an internal and e!ternal basis) 2o other people seem to perceive wea#nesses that you don"t see6 Are your competitors doing any better than you6
Opportunities hat good opportunities can you spot6 hat interesting trends are you aware of6 3seful opportunities can come from such things as)
hat obstacles do you face6 hat are your competitors doing6 Are quality standards or specifications for your &ob, products or services changing6 Is changing technology threatening your position6 2o you have bad debt or cash'flow problems6
ton in sourcing raw material !;, rather than ;ood value for money;. /uthlessly prune long lists of factors, and prioriti%e Add to 4y +ersonal earning +lan them, so that you spend your time thin#ing about the most significant factors. 4a#e sure that options generated are carried through to later stages in the strategy formation process. Apply it at the right level * for e!ample, you might need to apply the tool at a product or product' line level, rather than at the much vaguer whole company level. ?ote) :ou could also consider using the T$ 4atri! Add to 4y +ersonal earning +lan. This is quite similar to $T in that it also focuses on the same four elements of $trengths, ea#nesses, pportunities and Threats. 0ut T$ can be a helpful alternative because it emphasi%es the e!ternal environment, while $T focuses on the internal environment.
Key Points $T Analysis is a simple but useful framewor# for analy%ing your organi%ation"s strengths and wea#nesses, and the opportunities and threats that you face. It helps you focus on your strengths, minimi%e threats, and ta#e the greatest possible advantage of opportunities available to you. It can be used to ;#ic# off; strategy formulation, or in a more sophisticated way as a serious strategy tool. :ou can also use it to get an understanding of your competitors, which can give you the insights you need to craft a coherent and successful competitive position. hen carrying out your analysis, be realistic and rigorous. Apply it at the right level, and supplement it with other option'generation tools where appropriate.
eneric Strategies Who is Michael porter!
4ichael +orter is an economist, researcher, author, advisor, spea#er and teacher. Throughout his career at 5arvard 0usiness $chool, he has brought economic theory and strategy concepts to bear on many of the most challenging problems facing corporations, economies and societies, including mar#et competition and company strategy, economic development, the environment, and health care. 5is e!tensive research is widely recogni%ed in governments, corporations, ?s, and academic circles around the globe. 5is research has received numerous awards, and he is the most cited scholar today in economics and business. hile 2r. +orter is, at the core, a scholar, his wor# has also achieved remar#able acceptance by practitioners across multiple fields. 2r. +orter@s initial training was in aerospace engineering at +rinceton 3niversity. 5e then earned an 4.0.A. from 5arvard 0usiness $chool and a +h.2. in 0usiness -conomics from 5arvard@s 2epartment of -conomics. 5is research approachapplying economic theory to comple! systemic problemsreflects these multidisciplinary foundations. In B999, 5arvard 0usiness $chool and 5arvard 3niversity &ointly established the Institute for $trategy C
Porter"s eneric Strategies #iagram
The terms ;
+orter"s generic strategies are ways of gaining competitive advantage * in other words, developing the ;edge; that gets you the sale and ta#es it away from your competitors. There are two main ways of achieving this within a
The #i'erentiation Strategy 2ifferentiation involves ma#ing your products or services different from and more attractive than those of your competitors. 5ow you do this depends on the e!act nature of your industry and of the products and services themselves, but will typically involve features, functionality, durability, support, and also brand image that your customers value. To ma#e a success of a 2ifferentiation strategy, organi%ations need) ood research, development and innovation. The ability to deliver high'quality products or services. -ffective sales and mar#eting, so that the mar#et understands the benefits offered by the differentiated offerings. arge organi%ations pursuing a differentiation strategy need to stay agile with their new product development processes. therwise, they ris# attac# on several fronts by competitors pursuing Focus 2ifferentiation strategies in different mar#et segments.
The Focus Strategy
rgani%ations that achieve
Mision an& (ision Infinitea is a company focused on providing the best mil# tea C tea based drin#s on the mar#et. The company aims to bring the mil# tea e!perience closer to each home and to provide customers with a one of a #ind tea e!perience by ensuring that we use only the best C freshest ingredients in the ma#ing of our drin#s.
oals an& O)*ectives The company@s goal is to bring mil# tea e!perience closer to home, while its ob&ective is to convert coffee drin#ers to mil# tea drin#ers.
Personal oals an& O)*ectives 1. To achieve the quota sales per day B. To offer a consistent taste of the infinitea drin#s to every customer G. To offer a fast service quality to the customers H. To engage its customers so as to gain understanding on customers point of view and to gather feedbac#
SWOT A+A%,SIS
Strengths 1. $trong management can help Infinitea reach its potential by utili%ing strengths and eliminating wea#nesses. ;$trong 4anagement (Infinitea; has a significant impact, so an analyst should put more weight into it. B. An innovative culture helps Infinitea to produce unique products and services that meet their customer@s needs G.
Weaknesses 1. An inefficient wor# environment means that Infinitea@s goods and services are not being utili%ed properly. B. ea# management increases business ris#s and reduces profits for Infinitea, because they are responsible for the health of the business.
Opportunities 1. The online mar#et offers Infinitea the ability to greatly e!pand their business. Infinitea can mar#et to a much wider audience for relatively little e!pense. B. ?ew products can help Infinitea to e!pand their business and diversity their customer base. G. reater innovation can help Infinitea to produce unique products and services that meet customer@s needs. H. ?ew mar#ets allow Infinitea to e!pand their business and diversify their portfolio of products and services. E. International mar#ets offer Infinitea new opportunities to e!pand the business and increase sales.
Threats 1. 4ature mar#ets are competitive. In order for Infinitea to grow in a mature mar#et, it has to increase mar#et share, which is difficult and e!pensive. B.
E. olatile costs mean Infinitea has to plan for scenarios where costs s#yroc#et.
-etail Marketing Strategy Product & Price
4il# tea (H9'J9php 5ot drin#s (E9php Frappuccino ( 8E'DEphp Fruit tea ( HE'EEphp Add ons (19php Promotions
2istributes Flyers that are available in the store and social media Target Market
Flyers oyalty
The store owners monitors its inventory and buys merchandise depending on the number of stoc#s available in their stoc# room Advertising and Promotion
2ownside Foods li#e rice meals and desserts are included in its menu but are unavailable all the time. There are times that flyers are not available in the store. •
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+eople or $taff E employees •
Facilities
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Advertising and +romotion The owner adds his regular customers, tal# to them, and promote the store@s upcoming promotions. 2iscounts are given to regular customers when he is at the store •
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