Strategic Options Research Articles

Implementation of Strategic Planning to Enhance Education Governance Quality

Strategic planning has been applied to social organizations, including in education. This study aimed to find and examine the process of preparing and implementing strategic plans and their impact on governance quality at Madrasah Aliyah Amanatullah, Banyuwangi Regency. This research is field research with a qualitative approach—information obtained through observation, interviews with primary data sources, and documentation. Data were analyzed by data reduction, presentation, and inference using domain analysis. The validity of the data uses intensive observation and triangulation criteria. The results of the study show that: (1) The process of preparing a strategic plan at MA Amanatullah Banyuwangi is: first formulating the vision, mission, and goals of the school by involving all stakeholders, followed by forming a strategic planning team; to the analysis process in the formulation of strategic planning and analysis of strategic options. (2) The implementation process is carried out through work assignments and cooperation in implementing strategic planning and evaluating the implementation of strategic planning. (3) The impact on improving school governance, namely; schools have guidelines in improving the quality of educators and education staff, schools can improve service governance to students, practical cooperation is established with all Madrasah Aliyah Amanatullah stakeholders.

Response to college students' mental health needs: a rapid review.

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE To present strategic options to support the adoption of mental health strengthening policies for university students in the field of health, to be implemented by university institutions.METHODS Rapid review, without period delimitation, with searches carried out from May to June 2020, in 21 sources of bibliographic data, including gray literature. The following keywords were used: mental health, students and university. The selection process prioritized systematic reviews of mental health interventions for university students in health care courses, and also considered other types of review and relevant primary studies.RESULTS Forty-five studies were included: 34 systematic reviews, an evidence synthesis, an overview, a scope review, three narrative reviews, three experience reports and two opinion articles. The evidence from these studies supported the development of four options: 1) to establish and support policies to strengthen the mental health of students in health care courses; 2) to integrate mental health care programs, expand their offer and facilitate access by students; 3) to promote educational programs and communication strategies related to contemporary psychic suffering and its confrontation, so that students can get to know the services and resources and identify strengthening practices; 4) to continuously monitor and assess the mental health needs of students in health care courses.CONCLUSIONS The options are challenging and require universities to establish institutional commissions to implement a policy to strengthen the mental health of university students in the health area, with the ability to recognize the different health needs, including manifestations of psychic suffering ; to integrate the university’s internal actions with each other and with the services of the Unified Health System; to implement and monitor the actions that make up the mental health policy.

How does fiscal policy uncertainty affect corporate innovation investment? Evidence from China's new energy industry

This study investigates Chinese A-share listed companies in the new energy industry for the period 2007–2019. We shed new light on the nexus between fiscal policy uncertainty and corporate innovation investment. The main empirical findings are threefold. First, fiscal policy uncertainty significantly reduces new energy enterprises' innovation investment, and the adverse effect is mainly due to the decline in the incentive effect of government support on innovation investment. Second, product market competition reduces the adverse effect of fiscal policy uncertainty on innovation investment, which indicates that the strategic growth option theory holds to a certain extent. Third, bank credit constraint is the mechanism by which fiscal policy uncertainty restrains innovation investment. Overall, although there may be differences in the influence mechanism of fiscal policy uncertainty on innovation, the empirical evidence generally does not support the viewpoint of ownership differences. The conclusions continue to hold after controlling for endogeneity and conducting a series of robustness tests.

Collaboration among Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises as Part of Internationalization: A Systematic Review

This article performs a systematic review of the research literature on the forms of collaboration among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) so that they reach the foreign market, since there is a lack of research focusing on the collaborative relationship between national companies as a strategic option for accessing the foreign market. In addition, we analyzed the articles to conceptually synthesized the elements that make up the business models of these collaborative forms of operating in the foreign market. Likewise, we analyzed real cases of collaborative processes among SMEs for the foreign market and highlight the contributions of governments in promoting actions to support these collaborations. We also show some directions for future research that were pointed out by the articles.

Accelerating safe small modular reactor development in Southeast Asia

The emerging economies in Southeast Asia are facing challenges in achieving decarbonisation and energy resilience. Small modular reactors (SMRs) could represent a strategic option but are yet to be properly understood and communicated at the policy level, especially in terms of the favourable implications for energy security and economic and technical benefits, as well as inherent risks and mitigation strategies. With the flourishing designs and start-up companies driving potentially new business models for future nuclear power projects, we present a series of actionable recommendations for utilities and policymakers in Southeast Asia, together with an analysis on the importance of including SMRs as an option in the future energy mix.

Impact of Porter’s Generic Strategy on Firm Performance with reference to Nepalese Retail Banking Sector

Porter’s generic strategies are the proven and pervasive strategic options in achieving competitiveness and better firm performance. This paper aims in examining the effect of Porter’s generic strategies (low-cost, differentiation, and focus) on firm performance in the context of Nepalese retail banks, a more competitive service industry. This study applies casual comparative research design and the data have been collected through administering questionnaire survey from 75 senior bank managers of 18 Nepalese commercial banks who being engaged in strategic affairs. The econometric model has been constructed to measure the expected effect of the strategies on firm performance. The descriptive analysis, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and multivariate regression analysis were conducted. The empirical results of correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis produced consistent results indicating positive associations between generic strategies and firm performance. The empirical results from regression analysis declared higher positive and significant impact of low-cost on firm performance. Similarly, positive effect of differentiation strategy and focus strategy on firm performance was reported. The findings suggested that pursuing low cost strategy provides more financial returns with comparison to differentiation and focus strategies. The finding also suggested for combination of low-cost and differentiation (and focus) strategies could provide better competitiveness and firm performance. Keywords: Generic Strategy, Low-cost strategy, Differentiation strategy, Focus strategy, Firm performance

Millennials’ Strategic Decision Making Through the Lens of Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Management

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the touchstone for millennials when looking at the means for making their world a better place. Higher education’s focus on CSR has allowed millennials to focus their decision-making using a CSR/stakeholder approach to financial management decisions. Millennials’ support for a CSR/stakeholder approach has grown as they have been completing college. The CSR/stakeholder approach has increased partly due to social awareness created by curricula that highlights areas of social and environmental inequality. This CSR/stakeholder approach has recently emerged as a bona fide strategic management option globally. This paper extends CSR research by evaluating millennial financial decisions and the resulting competitive company performance in a widely used business simulation. Proactive university equality initiatives, resulting in curriculum changes, reinforce millennials’ ethos of social and environmental sustainability. As millennials will soon take the reins of industry, the results of their ethos will significantly influence society.

Cepsa carves out petrochemical unit

The Spanish energy group Cepsa has carved out its chemical division, and in January the unit will begin operating as an independent business. Cepsa says it will review “all strategic options” for the chemical business. Last year the business had sales of about $2.9 billion of petrochemicals including phenol, linear alkylbenzene, and paraffins, from plants in Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Indonesia, and Spain.

Opciones estratégicas de Rusia desde la óptica del neorrealismo ofensivo

Neorealism gives us clues to how States -the main actor in international relations- interact with each other, and being their main mission their own survival, develops specific strategies to ensure it, the reasons for choosing between them, and the actions that they ensure the end goal. It will be within this theoretical framework that an attempt will be made to revisit the special relationship between Russia and China. Once ideological partners, other adversaries as heads of the two largest power structures under the umbrella of socialism, and today, it seems that powers are increasingly close in their common aversion to American power. And yet ... This work tries to identify Russia's strategic options, framed in the paradigm of the realist school.

Strategic marketing initiatives for small co-operative enterprises generated from SWOT-TOWS analysis and evaluated with PROMETHEE-GAIA

• It offers a methodology in defining, developing, and prioritizing strategic marketing initiatives for co-operative enterprises. • The crafting of strategic marketing initiatives is carried out through a SWOT-TOWS analysis. • The PROMETHEE-GAIA approach is used to determine priority strategic marketing initiatives. • Partnerships with secondary and tertiary co-operatives on R&D activities is the most preferred initiative. • The inclusion of competitive employee compensation and benefits yields the least preferred initiative. Due to the long-term agenda strategic marketing initiatives pose to co-operative enterprises, the development and the priority identification of these initiatives under multiple criteria must be rigorous and systematic for greater tractability of the decision-making processes. Thus, this work offers an integrated methodological framework in determining the viable strategic marketing options of the case co-operative based on a SWOT-TOWS analysis, adopting relevant strategic marketing criteria for small co-operatives, and evaluating the degree of importance of identified strategic marketing initiatives via a Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) - Geometrical Analysis for Interactive Decision Aid (GAIA) approach, popularly known as PROMETHEE-GAIA. The proposed framework elucidates inclusive strategy development and systematic decision analysis under a group decision-making environment. A case study of a small co-operative enterprise in the Philippines is used to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed integrated approach. The case findings suggest that partnerships with secondary and tertiary co-operatives on R&D activities as the most preferred initiative, followed by the implementation of business process improvement activities for customer relationship management. Meanwhile, the inclusion of competitive employee compensation and benefits yields as the least preferred initiative. The results of the PROMETHEE are further analyzed with GAIA in order to gain detailed insights into the case decision-making problem. The sensitivity analysis yields stability intervals for criteria weights. Also, it is found that the PROMETHEE results are robust to changes in the choice of criterion types and minor changes in parameter values of the criteria. This work advances the domain literature by offering small co-operative enterprises an integrated approach to systematically develop and evaluate strategic marketing initiatives – crucial activities for planning, resource allocation, and policymaking.

Modelling of thermal conductivity and melting behaviour of minor actinide-MOX fuels and assessment against experimental and molecular dynamics data

• Modelling of thermal conductivity and melting temperature of minor actinide-MOX fuels. • Review of state-of-the-art data and correlations available in literature or in codes. • Inclusion of the effect of the homogeneous minor actinides Am and Np. • Separate-effect assessment against literature data, experimental and MD-calculated. • Integral application to the performance of a fast reactor, MA-MOX fuel pin. Recycling and burning minor actinides (MA, e.g., americium, neptunium) in mixed-oxide (MOX) nuclear fuel is a strategic option for fast reactor concepts of Generation IV, especially considering the current interest in the ultimate radioactive waste management and sustainability improvement by better use of natural resources. Among the fuel properties, thermal conductivity and melting temperature are pivotal since they determine, respectively, the fuel temperature profile and the fundamental safety limit on the margin to fuel melting, hence impacting on the overall fuel performance under irradiation and allowing the safe irradiation of the fuel pin. Nevertheless, the available literature about Am- or Np-containing MOX is currently scarce, both regarding experimental data and models. Moreover, state-of-the-art fuel performance codes (FPCs, e.g., TRANSURANUS) do not account for the effects of minor actinides on MOX fuel properties. This work presents original correlations for thermal conductivity and melting temperature of minor actinide-MOX fuels, i.e., (U, Pu, Am, Np)O 2-x , derived based on the available literature and accessible data, which are herein extensively reviewed. The assessment of the novel correlations is first performed in a statistical way, evaluating the regressor p-values which indicate their significance with respect to the available experimental dataset used for the fitting procedure. Additionally, the novel correlations for MA-MOX are assessed against both measured and calculated data (from Molecular Dynamics simulations), yielding an accuracy in line with the already existing correlations and with the state-of-the-art experimental uncertainties. Finally, the potential integral impact of a homogeneous minor actinide content in the fuel is illustrated on the basis of a fuel pin fast-ramped up to fuel melting during the HEDL P-19 irradiation experiment.

Strategic options: selection and evaluation

Strategic options: selection and evaluation

Strategic Planning and Crisis Management in Textile Sector in Turkey

Textile industries in Turkey are confronting changing difficulties at various times in this new millennium. Consequently, the world is becoming smaller in operational extent due to progress in information and communications technologies and other modern advances. The fractious cultural movements that induce successive crisis are confronted by organizations that risk their property, and therefore their on-going prospects. These have lately presented themselves in a variety of failures that range from financial failure, epidemics, and other natural calamities; violent actions among staffs and from terrorist factions as well. The private sector is confronting change as varied organizations experienced transitions, as a result of strong competition and compelling technological advances that arise during periods of socio-economic and political progress. Firms do not manage these factors by themselves but will respond to changes if they are required to strategically devise schemes. Planning for crises and responding appropriately to them, will make the firm improves its abilities to survive and thrive. Crisis management focuses on coping with threats, while strategic planning focuses on revealing opportunities. The use of strategic planning in the time of crisis will significantly benefit the firm by having advantages to operate and compete and also to have resilience in dealing with uncertainties. Therefore, to be resilient, firms will need to use intensively strategic planning in turbulent and changing situations in order to survive and thrive. It is the responsibility of managers and leaders in firms to consider all these types as possibilities for crises and have strategic and tactical plans, as a result crises could be rapidly resolved or prevented from happening. Strategic planning is critical to make sure that the textile sector is prepared to meet future difficulties. Modern strategy-oriented planning comprises a lengthy system for realizing a vision or managing future environmental conditions. The processes are neither fully prescriptive nor fully clear. Given this assumption, we typically characterize strategy-oriented planning processes in terms of structured activities that continually cover objectives and mission, survey the competitive environment, analyses strategic options, and coordinate implementing activities throughout an entire organization. Keywords: Strategic Planning, Crisis Management, Textile Sector, Turkey

SMEs Must Go Online—E-Commerce as an Escape Hatch for Resilience and Survivability

The recent emergence of e-commerce has brought a shifting paradigm into global markets. This revolutionary framework relying upon technological progress has conveyed a new era of commerce. More than ever, businesses are using digital marketplaces to stay relevant and competitive. Suddenly, buying online has become part of their daily routines. Accessibility, flexibility, and convenience make the internet the ideal platform for modern age consumers. Small and medium enterprises predominate in almost every industry generating employment, income, and sustainability. Nonetheless, e-commerce adoption among these organizations is yet to be widely undertaken. This article has a twofold objective: first, it gathers data regarding the emergence of e-commerce adoption by SMEs through a systematic literature review encompassing 32 indexed articles (published between 2003 and 2021). Secondly, it provides a quantitative and qualitative analysis identifying strategic options and guidelines for a smooth digital transition among these players. Lastly, some recommendations to policy makers were clipped to work as facilitators, given SMEs specificities. The future is digital and the struggle for e-commerce adoption and exploitation among these organizations is at the top of the agenda. It is central in maintaining the vibrancy of the business ecosystem, and is therefore a turnkey for economic recovery.

Role of endolysosome function in iron metabolism and brain carcinogenesis.

Iron, the most abundant metal in human brain, is an essential microelement that regulates numerous cellular mechanisms. Some key physiological roles of iron include oxidative phosphorylation and ATP production, embryonic neuronal development, formation of iron-sulfur clusters, and the regulation of enzymes involved in DNA synthesis and repair. Because of its physiological and pathological importance, iron homeostasis must be tightly regulated by balancing its uptake, transport, and storage. Endosomes and lysosomes (endolysosomes) are acidic organelles known to contain readily releasable stores of various cations including iron and other metals. Increased levels of ferrous (Fe2+) iron can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) via Fenton chemistry reactions and these increases can damage mitochondria and genomic DNA as well as promote carcinogenesis. Accumulation of iron in the brain has been linked with aging, diet, disease, and cerebral hemorrhage. Further, deregulation of brain iron metabolism has been implicated in carcinogenesis and may be a contributing factor to the increased incidence of brain tumors around the world. Here, we provide insight into mechanisms by which iron accumulation in endolysosomes is altered by pH and lysosome membrane permeabilization. Such events generate excess ROS resulting in mitochondrial DNA damage, fission, and dysfunction, as well as DNA oxidative damage in the nucleus; all of which promote carcinogenesis. A better understanding of the roles that endolysosome iron plays in carcinogenesis may help better inform the development of strategic therapeutic options for cancer treatment and prevention.

CUSTOMERS PERCEPTION OF SERVICE QUALITY OF NNPC RETAIL OUTLETS IN ENUGU URBAN, NIGERIA

Service quality is becoming more crucial for oil and gas firms to maintain their market shares. This study identified the perception of customers of petroleum services firm (NNPC) through the relationship of five factors along with the demographic characteristics of customers. A total of 304 retail customers who patronize petroleum filling stations have been taken for the study and convenience sampling method was adopted for collecting a sample. Factor analysis revealed five factors and results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that while age, gender, occupation have no significant effect on customer perception of service quality income and qualification on the contrary differs significantly. The paper therefore recommends among other things that, the concepts and principles of total quality management (TQM) are recommended for holistic study, in addition to contemporary marketing management issues such as relationship marketing, value analysis and permission marketing, among others. Efforts should also be made by petroleum marketers to understand the relevant factors that affect both clients’ behaviours so as to understand the strategic options to be adopted to cope with such behaviours.
 
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Public procurement as a tool of government regulation: a new stage of transformation

The article deals with the issues of the evolution in approaches to the public procurement institutionalization in the context of the evolution in the theory and practice of public governance. There are highlighted the key problems of the public procurement development in Russia, their nature and origins. There are also discussed the issues of the procurement digitization as well as the possibilities of applying procurement tools in order to spur digitization of public governance and national economy. The author highlights the key strategic options for the Russian public procurement development, offers its target (desirable) future image, and discusses the ways to reach it.

Advanced technologies for electricity production in the sugarcane value chain are a strategic option in a carbon reward policy context

Sustainable bioenergy production is required to meet the growing demand and environmental concerns. This study addresses current and advanced options for biomass-based electricity generation integrated to a sugarcane ethanol distillery in Brazil and polices that would foster its deployment. The typical combustion and steam cycle system and the integrated gasification combined cycle are the options considered for lignocellulosic biomass conversion into heat and power, associated with carbon capture and storage technologies. Besides conventional sugarcane, eucalyptus and energy-cane are also examined as promising feedstocks to extend operational days and/or increase biomass yields. The considered biomass-based electricity options are able to mitigate climate change impacts and depletion fossil resources. However, decreasing costs is a challenge to overcome for its broader implementation. The assessed strategies may help to guide policymakers on how to feasibly deploy advanced technologies for electricity production from biomass, meeting the future demands for sustainable electricity. The choice of larger processing scales shows an important effect on reducing costs, as well as choosing energy-cane as feedstock, which is also favorable for reducing climate change and land use impacts. Likewise, government policies that reward climate mitigation, as RenovaBio in Brazil, have a prominent role to foster advanced biomass-based electricity production technologies.

America Is Back? Opportunities and Obstacles to Restoring U.S. Credibility in Southeast Asia

America Is Back?Opportunities and Obstacles to Restoring U.S. Credibility in Southeast Asia Ann Marie Murphy (bio) U.S. president Joe Biden has announced that "America is back," and in contrast to his predecessor's unilateral and transactional "America first" policy, he has sought to assure world leaders of the U.S. commitment to multilateralism and renewed engagement with allies and partners. The Biden administration, however, has taken office at a time when Southeast Asian perceptions of U.S. power have declined dramatically. According to the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute's "State of Southeast Asia: 2021 Survey Report," 49% of Southeast Asian elites view China as the region's most influential political and strategic power compared to only 30% for the United States, a marked shift from a decade ago.1 Rising Southeast Asian concerns about China's growing economic and strategic influence, combined with a desire for assistance in overcoming the Covid-19 health and economic crises, create opportunities for the Biden administration to enhance ties in the region. At the same time, long-standing concerns about U.S. commitment to the region and a fear that the intensifying U.S.-China rivalry will pressure Southeast Asian states to choose sides are key obstacles to strengthening ties. China is the largest trading partner of most Southeast Asian states and a leading source of investment across the region. Leaders seeking to maintain their strategic autonomy in an increasingly complex external environment may welcome the Biden administration's pledge of renewed attention and support for allies and partners, but no state wants to be forced into a binary choice between Washington and Beijing. This essay analyzes the opportunities and obstacles facing the Biden administration as it seeks to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian states as part of its broader Indo-Pacific strategy. The essay begins by briefly outlining the trajectory of U.S. policy toward Southeast Asia over the past decade, tracing the shift from the Obama administration's "rebalance" [End Page 66] policy to the Trump administration's "free and open Indo-Pacific" strategy to illustrate which aspects of each policy were welcome in Southeast Asia and why. It then outlines the Biden administration's Indo-Pacific policy, Southeast Asia's place within it, and U.S. diplomatic efforts toward the region to date. The Biden administration got off to a slow start engaging Southeast Asia, and there is a distinct perception that the Quad rather than the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the preferred vehicle for engagement. At a time when promoting health security and economic recovery are Southeast Asia's key interests, vaccine diplomacy provides an opportunity for the United States, while the lack of a trade strategy is an obstacle. Southeast Asian countries are mostly keen to enhance ties with the United States but also do not wish to be seen as joining a U.S.-sponsored anti-China containment policy. U.S. Policy Shifts Generate Southeast Asian Concerns about U.S. Commitment Southeast Asian states have long perceived their relationship with the United States as one of ambivalent engagement because U.S. policy toward the region has undergone dramatic shifts over time, raising concerns regarding Washington's commitment. The Obama administration's rebalance policy was designed to address these fears by refocusing foreign policy away from the Middle East and toward Asia. The rebalance policy was multifaceted: it had a security component that called for increasing the U.S. naval presence in the region; an economic component, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP); and a multilateral component that embraced regional ASEAN-led architecture. Southeast Asian countries largely welcomed the rebalance because it appeared to illustrate Washington's commitment to play its traditional offshore balancing role, increase economic cooperation, and enhance ASEAN centrality, all of which help maintain an overall power balance in Asia and give smaller states more economic and strategic options. In the end, many contend that the rebalance failed to deliver because of the Obama administration's reluctance to respond to China's assertive actions, such as its 2012 seizure of Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines and construction and militarization of artificial islands in the South China Sea. The Trump administration's...

A Multimethodology for Supporting the Boundary Selection of System Dynamics Models

System dynamics models can produce knowledge for decision-makers and, consequently, provide better choices. To be effective in its purpose, a model must reproduce an observed problem situation effectively. Hence, the compatibility between the observed problem situation and the created model is essential and represents a considerable challenge. In this context, this paper aims to describe an adaptation of the problem structuring method ‘Strategic Options Development and Analysis’ (SODA), used in the Problem Articulation (Boundary Selection) step of the system dynamics modelling process. In summary, this adaptation consists of: (1) Selecting of stakeholders; (2) Capturing, aggregating and interpreting the insights using cognitive and causal maps, and (3) Using the interpretation of the causal maps for building a system dynamics model. The method proved to be satisfactory since it was able to direct the construction of a System Dynamics model based on a problem situation perceived by stakeholders acting in the native forests of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil.