bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Zero based budgeting in the planning process
Authors: Wetherbe James C. , Montanari John R. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractAn attempt is made to integrate the zero based budgeting (ZBB) procedure into the firm's planning process. Previous studies have failed to provide an integrative framework for the application of ZBB which may account for some of the conflicting results obtained in previous ZBB programmes. Next, the results of an empirical assessment of the effectiveness of the ZBB integrative framework in service oriented organizational units are reported. Strong support is evident for the ZBB planning framework developed here using constituency oriented indicators of effectiveness.
Modelling changes in market share: A cross‐sectional analysis
Authors: Buzzell Robert D. , Wiersema Frederik D. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe decision to build market share has major resource‐allocation implications. To aid managers in assessing these implications, research was conducted to determine general relationships between changes in market share and variables representing market strategies and competitive position. The research was based on multiproduct, cross‐sectional regression analyses and includes variables that are—or should be—readily available to most businesses.
Interrelationships between environmental dependencies: A basis for tradeoffs to increase autonomy
Authors: Aharoni Yair , Maimon Zvi , Segev Eli 
Published: June 2007

AbstractGeneral managers of large industrial plants in Israel were asked to evaluate the effects of environmental dependencies on their freedom of action. It was found that most segments of the environment were perceived as homogeneous—affecting the firms' autonomy in similar ways. Different components of government, however, were perceived as having conflicting interests both within the segment and with other segments of the environment. When a segment of the environment is heterogeneous, it is possible that managers use a tradeoff strategy, in which pressures generated by one component of the environment can be used as a means to reduce pressure of the other components.
Barriers to entry and competitive strategies
Authors: Harrigan Kathryn Rudie 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe relationships between the difficulty of entry and competitive strategies in five industries, chosen for their differing structural contexts, were tested. Statistical support was found for the value of pre‐entry analysis of entry barriers and of firms' predicted responses to potential entry. In particular, the creation of idle productive capacity appears to be a potent deterrent to new entrants.
The relationship of participation and effectiveness in strategic planning
Authors: Dyson R. G. , Foster M. J. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis paper describes the results of a study focusing on effectiveness and participation in strategic planning and their inter‐relationships. The work reported is a comparative study of ten, diverse organizations in the United Kingdom. The paper sets out the frameworks for effectiveness and participation against which the empirical work took place; describes the results of the analysis undertaken; and postulates a number of theories concerning effective planning practice and its relation to participation in the system.
Managing the planning process: A field study of the human side of planning
Authors: Lyles Marjorie A. , Lenz R. T. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis paper reports the findings of an empirical field study of human behaviour in the context of planning. The investigation centres on ‘behavioural problems’ encountered by managers of strategic planning systems. Two general issues are addressed. The first concerns the frequency of occurrence of these problems among managers and their impact on the effectiveness of the planning process. The second issue pertains to whether the constellation of behavioural problems managers confront varies in accordance with the role of the manager in the planning system. Implications of the findings for practitioners and researchers are discussed.
Industry influences on strategy reformulation
Authors: Huff Anne Sigismund 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis paper emphasizes the contribution of ‘borrowed experience’ to strategy reformulation. The industry group is described as a particularly important arena in which niche‐related problems and solutions are identified and tested. Industry‐wide mistakes in environmental interpretation and strategic response provide interesting evidence of the importance of this contribution to organizational decision making.An industry oriented view of strategy reformulation requires two kinds of research which are rarely conducted today. We need to know more about the pool of strategic concepts which a group of organizations holds in common at any given time. Spender's study of fork‐lift truck rental companies is reviewed as an example of this kind of work. A second kind of needed research involves change in strategic concepts over time. A study of the perceived import threat to the appliance industry from 1950 to 1975 is summarized as an example of this second kind of research.
PIMS and BCG: New horizons or false dawn?
Authors: Wensley Robin 
Published: June 2007

AbstractStrategic market opportunities arise either because a firm is exceptionally well placed competitively or because it recognizes the opportunity, on the basis of private information, before others. Strategic market analysis must reflect these two possible routes to attractive opportunities. Both the approaches developed by the Strategic Planning Institute (SPI) through its Profit Impact of Market Strategy (PIMS) and the Boston Consulting Group's (BCG) growth/share matrix fail to reflect the full impact of competitive expectations and risk. Analysis of PIMS data should be directed more towards generalities of limited direct economic significance whereas the BCG approach should be used mostly in the context of experience curve effects. Neither approach should dominate a full analysis of the specific nature and critical ambiguities in any strategic option.
Environmental scanning and organizational strategy
Authors: Hambrick Donald C. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to test empirically the relationships between the environmental scanning activities of upper‐level executives and their organizations' strategies, on the premise that executives would scan to reinforce their organization's particular basis for competing. Among the three industries studied, there were differences in the strategy–scanning link. These differences may have been attributable to different dominant environmental requirements existing in each industry.
The value of formal planning for strategic decisions: Review of empirical research
Authors: Armstrong J. Scott 
Published: June 2007

AbstractA review of research from organizational behaviour supported the guidelines by corporate planners: that is, use an explicit approach for setting objectives, generating strategies, evaluating strategies, monitoring results, and obtaining commitment. To determine whether these findings could be applied to strategic decision making in organizations, a review was made of all published field research on the evaluation of formal planning. Formal planning was superior in 10 of the 15 comparisons drawn from 12 studies, while informal planning was superior in only two comparisons. Although this research did not provide sufficient information on the use of various aspects of the planning process, mild support was provided for having participation by stakeholders. Formal planning tended to be more useful where large changes were involved, but, beyond that, little information was available to suggest when formal planning is most valuable. Future research should assess the formal planning process, the situation in which it is used, and its effects on the total system.
The structure of service firms and their marketing policies
Authors: Blois K. J. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThere is a growing interest in understanding the way in which firms' marketing and manufacturing policies interact. The studies carried out so far have almost entirely concerned themselves with goods‐producing organizations. However this paper suggests that these studies also provide useful insights into the problems faced by service firms in organizing themselves efficiently. Furthermore it suggests that a distinctive problem faced by such firms is that adaption of their organizations may have a significant effect upon consumers' perceptions of the service they offer. The paper first outlines some investigators' views of the link between marketing and manufacturing and follows this by discussing the concept of ‘production’, ‘delivery’ and ‘consumption’ of services.A brief consideration of the pressures for change which particularly impinge upon service firms precedes a discussion of the problems, and apparent contradictions, whch are linked with the concepts of standardization and personalization of services. The paper concludes with three examples of the issues discussed.
The stock market and competitive analysis
Authors: Strebel Paul J. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractA method is presented for analysing the stock market's implicit assessment of relative strategic position in an industry. The market's overall perception of strategic position is obtained by comparing the value of future growth potential to that of the existing earnings stream for each company. More detail is extracted by using the quality and quantity of future growth, implicit in the relative value of future growth, as a measure of competitive position and product market outlook respectively. The method is applied to a sample of firms from the computer and data processing industry.
Managing strategic responsibility in the MNC
Authors: Hamel Gary , Prahalad C. K. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractAn issue that confronts the top management of every multinational company is that of determining where in the organization basic strategy decisions should be made. The firm may concentrate responsibility for a broad range of strategic tasks at headquarters, or cede strategic responsibility to foreign affiliates.This paper argues that deriving an appropriate apportionment of strategic responsibility is largely a matter of recognizing the unique strategic imperatives imposed on the multinational firm by the conflicting requirements of integration within a global context, and responsiveness to local environments. For the firm whose businesses can benefit from world‐wide co‐ordination and standardization of manufacturing and product development, there is strong pressure to consolidate strategic responsibility at headquarters. For the firm whose businesses require attention to the idiosyncracies of national markets, the strategic autonomy of subsidiaries may be requisite for success.A variety of factors renders difficult a clear‐cut, one‐time identification of the strategic imperative facing a business. For example, even within a single business, certain functions respond to the logic of integration, whereas others require a posture of responsiveness. At times both imperatives exist at full strength within a single functional area. Often, in a multi‐business, multinational firm, different businesses are subject to different pressures for integration and responsiveness. It is shown that managing strategic responsibility in situations of such ambiguity forces the firm to look far beyond traditional structural mechanisms in order to enact an appropriate division of strategic responsibility between headquarters and affiliates.
The sustainable growth model: A tool for evaluating the financial feasibility of market share strategies
Authors: Varadarajan Poondi 
Published: June 2007

AbstractMarket share objectives constitute a key element of a firm's corporate strategy. Market share strategy decisions—to build, maintain, or harvest share—are generally based on a careful consideration of the long‐term and short‐term profitability and cash flow implications of such decisions. The product sales growth rate and capacity expansion implications of share building strategies, the sustainability of implied sales growth targets and its consistency with the established financial policies and objectives of the firm are the subject of this report. The sustainable growth model outlined provides a framework for evaluating the financial feasibility of sales growth objectives at the strategic business unit level and the firm level, from the standpoint of expected return on sales, investment requirements per dollar of sales, target capital structure and the dividend policy of the firm.
Customer analysis for strategy development in industrial markets
Authors: Campbell N. C. G. , Cunningham M. T. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis paper reports on concepts and techniques which have been developed for analysing customers and used as an aid to assessing the strategic position of companies in industrial markets. The emphasis on supplier/customer relationships presented here derives from the interaction approach to marketing and purchasing strategy. Many industrial markets are highly concentrated, and many companies develop in conjunction with key customers in a symbiotic relationship, where strategy evolves as proposals made by either side are either accepted or rejected. To take account of this we propose a 3‐stage framework for analysing customers which builds on and transforms techniques traditionally used for an analysis of products. The purpose of the analysis is to improve the allocation of scarce marketing and technical resources, to reappraise the company's competitive position with different customer groups and to ensure that key relationships are managed effectively.
Influence of public affairs offices on corporate planning and of corporations on government policy
Authors: Dickie Robert B. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis article reports the findings of an extensive study of the process by which corporations manage their external affairs. The major portion of the data is drawn from the responses to a ten page questionnaire sent to 1000 of the largest corporations in the U.S.A. With a response rate of over 40 per cent, this is the largest database yet assembled with respect to the management of external affairs. The author has determined that the influence of public affairs offices varies considerably from industry to industry and from company to company, and this article identifies the factors which correlate strongly with a high degree of influence. In addition, the article identifies the factors which correlate strongly with a high degree of corporate influence in Washington.
Strategic decision analysis: Applied decision analysis and its role in the strategic management process
Authors: Thomas Howard 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis paper examines a role for applied decision analysis in the strategic management process. It is argued that decision analysis should be regarded both as a heuristic and a ‘thinking’ algorithm for decision structuring and problem diagnosis and, in addition, as an input to the process of policy dialogue. A policy dialogue paradigm using decision analysis is outlined, in which various viewpoints are reconciled by the questioning of analyses and assumptions. This dialogue paradigm is viewed as being compatible with approaches such as strategic assumptions analysis, which have been suggested in the literature as an aid for the processes of problem finding, formulation and solution.
Of strategies, deliberate and emergent
Authors: Mintzberg Henry , Waters James A. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractDeliberate and emergent strategies may be conceived as two ends of a continuum along which real‐world strategies lie. This paper seeks to develop this notion, and some basic issues related to strategic choice, by elaborating along this continuum various types of strategies uncovered in research. These include strategies labelled planned, entrepreneurial, ideological, umbrella, process, unconnected, consensus and imposed.
Corporate distinctive competence, strategy, industry and performance
Authors: Hitt Michael A. , Ireland R. Duane 
Published: June 2007

AbstractCorporate distinctive competencies may facilitate effective management of interdependencies among multiple units. Relationships between corporate distinctive competencies and firm performance were examined in 185 industrial firms. Results suggested that distinctive competencies associated with performance vary according to the grand strategy used and the firm's principal industry. Specific distinctive competencies were identified for each strategy and industry type.
The relationship of information usage characteristics to planning system sophistication: An empirical examination
Authors: Rhyne Lawrence C. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe relationship between corporate‐level planning and information systems was examined empirically. A continuum of planning system sophistication was constructed based on the level of openness to outside influences combined with the planning horizon. Futureoriented, external and environmental types of information were found to be strongly correlated with increased planning sophistication. The impact of environmental turbulence (complexity‐volatility) on planning systems also was examined. Complexity was strongly correlated with planning sophistication, whereas no relationship was found between volatility and planning sophistication.
Multiple scenario approach and strategic behaviour in European companies
Authors: Malaska Pentti 
Published: June 2007

AbstractNowadays, scenarios are a popular subject in management literature. However, information available about how extensively scenarios are used and the possible motives for their use, as well as their effects on strategic behaviour in companies, has hitherto been very limited. Results of a survey among Fortune's top 1000 companies in the U.S.A. in 1977 and 1981 showed a growing corporate interest in scenarios. A survey of the use of scenarios in large Western European companies in 1981 provided evidence of similar interest in Europe. In this article, results of the European survey are presented and the differences between user and non‐user attitudes towards the future among European firms analysed and the implications for strategic behaviour outlined.
Diversification: The growing confusion
Authors: Reed Richard , Luffman George A. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractOver the years the concepts of diversification have been simplified and a system of shorthand has developed for discussing the issues surrounding the strategy. Because of this a confusion in terminology has developed and sight of the fundamental principles involved has been lost within the vagaries of fashion. Selection of a particular strategy ought to be based on the clear identification of the benefits that the strategy will offer. Those benefits should be used to help solve specific problems. Only by returning to this type of thinking can the legitimacy of diversification be revived and the alternating acclamation and denunciation of the strategy be overcome.
Networks: Between markets and hierarchies
Authors: Thorelli Hans B. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractInterorganizational networks generally have been discussed in the context of nonprofit agencies. Providing an alternative between the open market and the internalization of activity the network potentially may be even more important in business. This is especially true in international operations and in industrial and services marketing. Involving technology transfer, information exchange, accounting and finance as well as marketing, network management calls for a holistic approach. To serve as an engine of growth the network also requires strategic planning both at the overall level and in member firms.
Entrepreneurship and paths to business ownership
Authors: Cooper Arnold C. , Dunkelberg William C. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractAlternative paths to ownership are examined, including starting, purchasing or inheriting a firm, as well as being promoted or brought in by existing owners. It is hypothesized that these involve different ‘degrees of entrepreneurship’, which will be reflected in the profiles of owner‐managers who have followed each path. Data on 1756 owner‐managers are used to test hypotheses relating path to ownership to: the entrepreneurs' background characteristics; motivations and attitudes; and previous careers, incubator organizations and processes of starting.
Types of synergy and economic value: The impact of acquisitions on merging and rival firms
Authors: Chatterjee Sayan 
Published: June 2007

AbstractAcquisitions, in general, have been demonstrated to create economic value. The intuitive reason underlying this value creation stems either from an ability to reduce costs of the combined entity, an ability to charge higher prices, or both. Current research in the area attributes these abilities to an opportunity to utilize a specialized resource. Our focus in this study is to compare three broad classes of resources that contribute to the creation of value. Following the conventional wisdom, these resources are classified as cost of capital related (resulting in financial synergy), cost of production related (resulting in operational synergy), and price related (resulting in collusive synergy). Given the limitations of our sample and research design, we find that collusive synergy is, on average, associated with the highest value. Further, the resources behind financial synergy tend to create more value than the resources behind operational synergy.
Strategy and structure in multinational corporations: A revision of the stopford and wells model
Authors: Egelhoff William G. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe Stopford and Wells study of strategy and structure in multinational corporations produced a now familiar model relating certain types of structure to certain elements of a firm's international strategy. This paper re‐examines the important relationships expressed by the model, using data from a recent study of 34 large U.S. and European multinationals. While some of the relationships are supported, others are not. A new element of strategy, the relative size of foreign manufacturing, is introduced, and found to be an important predictor of structure. Based on the findings, a revised model for relating strategy and structure in MNCs is proposed.
Theories of technological innovation as useful tools for corporate strategy
Authors: Butler John E. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThree theories of technology and innovation; the product‐process concept, the meta‐learning concept, and the concept of technological interdependence, are used to relate technology and innovation to strategic management. This paper attempts to identify complementary and unifying concepts in these theories, which are useful to strategic planners. Performance indicators, from the commercial airline industry, are used to illustrate how theoretical assumptions can be related to practical applications. Type of innovation, stage of development, learning at all levels, interdependence between technologies, and users' expectations all appear to play a role in the emergence of technologies and the rate of innovation.