Challenges Of Strategic Planning Research Articles

The Use of Strategic Planning Tools for Diversification of Highly-Technological Enterprises in Russian Industry

In times of globalization, national economy reforming and intensification of integration processes the level of competitiveness of industrial enterprises is estimated by many factors, the key of them is innovation activity. Due to innovation the business entity has got an opportunity to strengthen its market positions, improve figures of economic efficiency and create big added value. At the same time results of innovation activity shall target at production and economic work of industrial enterprises and foster supply of new highly-technological goods and services to market, which can be provided by strategic planning. The efficiency of its implementation promotes successful introduction of innovation on market and obtaining sustainable competitive advantages. The author analyzed and studied challenges of strategic planning of innovation development and put forward methods of elaborating the system of strategic planning for diversification of highly-technological enterprises of Russian economy.

СТРАТЕГІЧНЕ ПЛАНУВАННЯ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ ДЕРЖАВНОЇ ФОРМИ ВЛАСНОСТІ: ДОСВІД РЕСПУБЛІКИ КАЗАХСТАН

The article explores contrasting perspectives on the effectiveness of state ownership. It provides a comparative analysis of state-owned and private enterprises. It argues that one of the most important instruments for ensuring the efficiency, control, and transparency of state-owned enterprises is strategic planning. The essential characteristics of the core principles on which the strategic planning of state companies should be based are presented. The article identifies specific features and challenges of strategic planning in the Republic of Kazakhstan concerning the activities of state enterprises and formulates recommendations for its improvement

On the Quest for Economic Prosperity: A Higher Education Strategic Perspective for the Mena Region

In a fast-changing technology-driven era, drafting an implementable strategic roadmap to achieve economic prosperity becomes a real challenge. Although the national and international strategic development plans may vary, they usually target the improvement of the quality of living standards through boosting the national GDP per capita and the creation of decent jobs. There is no doubt that human capacity building, through higher education, is vital to the availability of highly qualified workforce supporting the implementation of the aforementioned strategies. In other words, fulfillment of most strategic development plan goals becomes dependent on the drafting and implementation of successful higher education strategies. For MENA region countries, this is particularly crucial due to many specific challenges, some of which are different from those facing developed nations. More details on the MENA region higher education strategic planning challenges as well as the proposed higher education strategic requirements to support national economic prosperity and fulfill the 2030 UN SDGs are given in the paper.

ANALYSIS OF INDICATORS OF REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLANNING OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

In the paper proved is the necessity of using system-based approach to increase the efficiency of management decision-making. The purpose of this study was to identify the existing problems of strategic planning, to separate them into groups, as well as to suggest ways to solve them.The paper deals with the main groups of strategic planning problems. Analyzed are the performance indicators of regional economy efficiency in terms of the given problems. Identified are modern organizational, economic and legal challenges of strategic planning. Made is the comparative analysis of social and economic indicators characterizing the interests of major strategic regional actors. Proposed are the options for further research to improve the strategic processes, their concretization, as well as bringing them in line with the requirements of modern society, as well as the conditions of globalization of the economy.

Strategic Planning in the Construction Companies in Oman

Purpose of the study: The purpose of the study was to critically evaluate the components of the strategic planning process of construction companies in Oman; to investigate the factors that led to the success of strategic planning in construction companies in Oman; to identify the challenges in the implementation of strategic planning among different construction companies’ categories in Oman and to make recommendations in enhancing the strategic planning process for construction companies in Oman as well as in minimizing challenges. Design/Methodology/Approach: This research adopted a mixed approach, quantitative and qualitative approach where it used the quantitative technique to investigate the companies and identify the problem while the qualitative approach was used to explain the challenges and uncover the best practices followed by the companies. The research used the cross-section time horizon data. Out of 940 companies registered as local companies in the category of construction and maintenance, the study tested90 companies using the survey questionnaire and interviews with senior employees/the owners of the companies. Findings: The study has shown that most of the companies have a clear understanding of the strategic planning components. Companies have realistic strategic plans but improvements need to be done to ensure success during implementation. It was also revealed that the motivation is not at the best level and the lack of creating a sense of urgency to implement the strategic plans which need to be enhanced. Research Implications: Some recommendations are given also to enhance the work environment and the manager’s skills and motivation system in the companies to achieve efficient strategic planning. Some recommendations are regulatory. This is a proposal to the government to do special legislation to regulate and protect private companies from unfair competition. Social Implications: The success of the strategic plans of the construction companies will lead to the socio-economic growth of the country. The recommendation will enhance the work environment and the strict implementation of strategic planning processes in construction companies in Oman. It was suggested that the Government need to amend the legislation curbing the unfair competition created by illegal contractors and small companies. Originality/value: There were no earlier studies discussed more in detail about strategic planning in construction companies in Oman. This study will help the companies’ owners and the decision-makers to adopt more successful strategic plans which will lead to greater success of the construction companies to have huge economic growth. Keywords: Strategic Planning, Strategic Planning Process, Components of strategic planning, Challenges of strategic planning, Construction companies in Oman

Strategic Planning in the Construction Companies in Oman

This research aims to evaluate the role of strategic planning in construction companies in Oman and to know to which level the strategic planning is used in this sector as well as the efficiency of that use in the different sizes of companies. There will be an evaluation of the components of strategic planning as well as the success factors in strategic planning with a brief focus on the challenges of strategic planning. One very important factor for each organization to stay strong is to have a successful strategic planning. The successful strategic planning needs some key factors to achieve true success. These factors will be investigated in this research.

How many and which physicians? A comparative study of the evolution of the supply of physicians and specialist training in Brazil and Spain

BackgroundIn the face of the medical workforce shortage, several countries have promoted the opening of medical schools and the expansion of undergraduate and specialization education in medicine. Few studies have compared the characteristics and effects of expanding the supply of general practitioners and specialist physicians between countries. Brazil and Spain, two countries with distinct historical processes and socioeconomic scenarios, yet both with universal public health systems and common aspects in training and medical work, have registered a significant increase in the number of physicians and can be used to understand the challenges of strategic planning for the medical workforce.MethodsThis study provides a descriptive approach using longitudinal data from official databases in Brazil and Spain from 1998 to 2017. Among the comparable indicators, the absolute numbers of physicians, the population size, and the physician’s ratio by inhabitants were used. The number of medical schools and undergraduate places in public and private institutions, the supply of residency training posts, and the number of medical specialists and medical residents per 100 000 inhabitants were also used to compare both countries. Seventeen medical specialties with the highest number of specialists and comparability between the two countries were selected for further comparison.ResultsDue to the opening of medical schools, the density of physicians per 1 000 inhabitants grew by 28% in Spain and 51% in Brazil between 1998 and 2017. In that period, Spain and Brazil increased the supply of annual undergraduate places by 60% and 137%, respectively. There is a predominance of private institutions providing available undergraduate places, and the supply of medical residency posts is smaller than the contingent of medical graduates/general practitioners each year.ConclusionBoth countries have similar specialist densities in cardiology, dermatology, and neurosurgery specialties. However, family medicine and community in Spain has 91.27 specialists per 100 000 inhabitants, while in Brazil, the density is only 2.64. The comparative study indicated the complexity of the countries’ decisions on increasing the medical supply of general practitioners and specialist physicians. Research and planning policies on the medical workforce must be aligned with the actual health needs of populations and health systems.

Strategic planning challenges in the hospital: A qualitative study

Strategic planning challenges in the hospital: A qualitative study

Challenges to strategic planning in public institutions

PurposeA strategic plan is a document used to communicate an organisation’s goals and the actions needed to achieve those goals. Strategic planning in public organisations promotes timely decisions, enhances the management of limited resources in a more rational manner, improves service delivery and induces greater satisfaction of customers. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to critically examine the strategic planning challenges facing the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS), and how these impact organisational performance; second, to identify strategies that can be implemented to enhance strategic planning and performance management in the DTPS.Design/methodology/approachThis paper used a qualitative case study design with the aid of document analysis to provide insight into the research questions.FindingsThe paper concludes that public institutions such as the DTPS face a plethora of challenges that militate against successful strategic planning and implementation. A major challenge is resistance to change arising from a desire to maintain the status quo. This paper argues that it is important to promote strategic planning, and aligning organisational objectives with performance in public institutions.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is based on documentary research and therefore its findings may lack current findings that would have emerged from direct interviews.Practical implicationsThis research contributes towards efforts being made to make strategic planning and implementation effective and credible in public institutions especially in sub Saharan Africa.Originality/valueIn many South African public institutions, strategic planning is viewed as the work of top management, a misconception which compromises service delivery. In addition, strategic planning has been implemented as a direct attempt to inhibit poor budgetary planning and corruption in procurement systems, and in order to effectively manage public resources. There is a need for the department to conduct regular skills development programmes, uproot top-level bureaucracy, and increase innovation, monitoring and evaluation of organisational activities.

Challenges of Clinical Education in Midwifery and Strategies to Improve It: A Qualitative Study

Background: Recognizing the barriers to clinical training and providing appropriate solutions to them significantly enhance the quality of clinical training. Objectives: The present study was conducted to evaluate the challenges of midwifery clinical training, and propose solutions from the perspective of midwifery instructors and students. Methods: The present qualitative study was conducted on 10 midwifery instructors and 10 midwifery students using semi-structured interviews (n = 12) and focus groups (n = 8). Each interview or focus group lasted 45 - 90 minutes. The interviews and codes extracted were stored in Max QD. Content analysis was also used to analyze the qualitative data. Results: Analyzing the data led to the extraction of two main themes, i.e. efficient clinical training and strategic planning challenges, four categories, i.e. efficient clinical instructors, quality of clinical setting, learners’ perception of the situation and efficient educational planning, eight subcategories, i.e. instructors’ clinical competence, instructors’ motivation, professional attitude, humiliating experiences, restricted resources, inappropriate atmosphere of the clinical setting, inefficient curriculum and inefficient educational methods, and twenty semantic units. Conclusions: Clinical training can be improved by considering the job motivation of the midwifery instructors, reviewing the system of selecting and evaluating the instructors, paying attention to the psychological dimension and academic motivation of the students, enhancing the intra-organizational cooperation in line with training, optimally allocating educational resources, reviewing the educational curricula based on the community needs and developing midwifery references tailored to professional goals.

Leading positive change in higher education through appreciative inquiry: a phenomenological exploration of the strategic planning process

ABSTRACTThis study explored the application and impact of using appreciative inquiry in the strategic planning process at a Canadian institution. Appreciative inquiry is a strength-based organisational development model that can be used to guide an institution’s dialogues and actions towards positive change. Applying the appreciative inquiry process in strategic planning challenges the deficit and negative connotations that may be associated with this process. Through phenomenological interviews with seven stakeholders involved in this process, their transformative experiences and the generative impact of the process were explored. Implications for higher education practitioners were also provided.

USING THE BSC FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING OF IT (INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY) IN BRAZILIAN ORGANIZATIONS

This paper presents a method that integrates Balanced Scorecard (BSC) concepts and IT strategic planning (ITSP) processes. The resulting method was applied in two organizations in order to verify contributions of Balanced Scorecard regarding the identified ITSP problems. The development of this work was realized in qualitative, exploratory research based on two case studies. The results show that the use of BSC contributed directly to work with IT strategic planning challenges and involved middle management, multifunctional teams, and top management support, all beyond IT boundaries.

Resource Allocation Challenges in South African Universities: A Management Accounting Perspective

Quality control reviews, programme accreditations and the rating of universities and researchers are new trends in tertiary education. This paper deals with the strategic planning challenges in South African universities that attempt to improve their rating in credible international ranking systems. Improved rating requires a carefully thought resource allocation system. Resource allocation within a university system in turn suggests the application of some of the principles of the economics of higher education and management accounting innovations. Using case analysis, the paper attempts to develop a generic balanced scorecard for an academic unit, and shows that financial decentralization reduces the tensions between teaching and research on one hand, and between academic units and central administration on the other hand.

The challenges of strategic planning in academic libraries

PurposeThis paper reports on the findings of the HEFCE‐funded outcomes project which aimed to investigate strategic planning in UK academic libraries.Design/methodology/approachThe research consisted of a literature and documentation review, followed by interviews with academic library directors and senior institutional managers. There was also a survey of all UK HE libraries.FindingsThe key issues which need to be addressed by academic libraries in terms of strategic planning are: the involvement of library staff; communication of library aims and plans externally; level of active involvement in institutional and departmental planning; evaluation and target setting; and involvement in more “difficult” institutional aims such as income generation and widening participation.Research limitation/implicationsThe response to the various activities of this research project indicate the lack of interest in outcomes assessment within the academic library sector. There is little rigorous evidence in this area to inform library professionals.Practical implicationsThe lack of interest in outcomes assessment with the sector is worrying; there is a general view of libraries as essential part of higher education and do not need to demonstrate how they contribute to institutional aims. This may leave libraries in a vulnerable position.Originality/valueThe paper reports on an issue which should be of great concern to the academic library sector, especially in the light of the proposal to axe professional posts at the University of Wales, Bangor library.

The benefits, challenges and impacts of radio frequency identification technology (RFID) for retailers in the UK

PurposeTo offer an outline of the characteristics of radio frequency identification technology (RFID) and discuss its perceived benefits, impacts and challenges, as they apply to retailers in the UK. The paper draws together a range of information and intelligence about the application of RFID and reflects on the strategic planning challenges it poses to retailers.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws its material largely from trade and practitioner sources and illustrates general themes with specific retail examples.FindingsThe paper suggests that RFID has the potential to deliver a wide range of benefits throughout the supply chain, including tighter management and control, reduction in shrinkage, reduced labour costs and improved customer service. However, retail users will have to address a number of operational and strategic challenges and consumer privacy concerns before these benefits can be fully realised. The adoption of RFID may further increase structural concentration within the retail sector of the economy, and have a major impact on retail operations at shop floor level and on the customers' shopping experience.Originality/valueAn accessible outline of RFID developments within UK retailing, of interest to marketing professionals and academics concerned with marketing practice. A companion piece to the paper by Wyld et al. in this issue.

Summary of some traffic engineering studies carried out within RACE project R1044

AbstractThe paper summarizes some results obtained within RACE Project R10044 in the period 1988–1992. Traffic Engineering Studies have been carried out by R1044 with the objective and within the scope of supporting identification, selection and evaluation of network evolution strategies towards IBC; in particular, to establish which kind of traffic assumptions should be considered within Reference Demand Scenarios and how these traffic assumptions can be obtained. In its first part, the paper summarizes discussions on the main challenges to be faced by Traffic Engineering to contribute to the definition of evolution strategies towards IBC (to which requirements should Traffic Engineering respond?; which traffic considerations are required?; which “weight” they “should” have?; which problems should Traffic Engineering experts solve to allow strategic planning considerations?; more details, and discussion on other strategic planning challenges, can be found in the so called R1044 book, published by North Holland [1, 2, 3]). In particular the first part summarizes discussions on: the need of simple conservative engineering rules based upon ergodic approximations; their use to conceive a network architecture which can accommodate decoupling among Service and Network Evolutions; their role in establishing Reference Demand Scenarios, namely real differences in the “nature” of the demand requiring different strategical decisions. In the second part the paper provides information on the results obtained in order to solve some problems introduced in the first part; in particular this part introduces the conservative ergodic approximations developed to support an engineering of the first statistical multiplexer stage over time, robust against unexpected traffic evolutions. Finally, in the third part, the paper describes a simple computer tool developed (intentionally no more than an “electronic sheet”) and applied in RACE Project R1044 to produce simple reference demand scenarios.