Information and Accountants in the Role of Strategic Planning

This article on strategic planning practices is based upon a field study of five world-class companies. The strategic planning practices discussed in this article were extracted from the corporate environment. The information contained in this article, however, is of value alike to CPAs assisting with the enhancement of strategic planning practices in corporations and public accounting firms

Strategic-decision quality in public organizations : an information processing perspective

This study draws on information processing theory to investigate predictors of strategic-decision quality in public organizations. Information processing theory argues that (a) rational planning practices contribute to strategic-decision quality by injecting information into decision-making and (b) decision-makers contribute to strategic-decision quality by exchanging information during decision-making. These assumptions are tested upon fifty-five Flemish pupil guidance centers. Rational planning practices are operationalized as strategic planning, performance measurement and performance management. Information exchange by decision-makers during decision-making is operationalized as procedural justice of the decision-making process. Results suggest that procedural justice, strategic planning and performance management contribute to strategic-decision quality while performance measurement does not

The effect of strategic marketing planning practices on performance: a study of Australian private hospitals

Although many marketing text books and a number of studies claim that strategic marketing planning can help firms improve their organizational performance, little or no study particularly in Australia has examined the effect of strategic marketing planning practices on private hospitals. This paper aims to present the results of a study that addressed whether strategic marketing planning practice is related to private hospitals organizational performance

Research communication

The aim of the article is to identify challenges for strategic planning at the municipal level in Russia in the light of local self-government practices in the Nordic countries. Data for the study were collected from literature sources, as well as through analysis of legal documents and statistics, participatory observations of Russian municipal practices, and participation in the Presidential Program for the training of young managerial staff for the national economy of Russia in Norway in 2012. Municipal practices in Russia and the Nordic countries are examined and compared, and the problems which hinder the Russian municipalities in the elaboration and successful implementation of strategic plans for their development are indicated. The study reveals that there are two major groups of problems: those that have an institutional origin and those that are related to the economic situation within which the local authorities in Russia must work. It is shown that formal institutions at the national level to stimulate strategic planning at the municipal level – especially, necessary laws and regulations – are lacking. The same applies to informal institutions such as traditions and the culture of strategic planning at the local level. A typical economic situation within which the local authorities have to work is extremely low budget security at the municipal level, which gives rise to the competition for funds from the regional consolidated budget between the regional and municipal administrations, prevents them from being partners in the process of municipal strategic planning. Taking Nordic experiences into account, policy suggestions for the improvement of strategic planning at the municipal level in Russia are made

Strategic Planning in Construction Professional Service Firms: A Study of Irish QS Practices

The role and usefulness of strategic planning has been documented over several decades of strategic management research. Despite the significant body of existing knowledge in the field of strategic planning, there remains limited empirical investigation of the construction sector, specifically professional service firms operating within it. The construction sector is hugely important to the Irish economy, yet until now, no empirical investigation has been undertaken to determine the strategic planning process in construction professional service firms in Ireland. A two-phase mixed methods study was undertaken to ascertain the extent of strategic planning within quantity surveying (QS) practices in Ireland. Characteristics of the strategic planning process differ between practices to such a degree that three groups of practices are apparent. Groups are differentiated along dimensions of size and ownership structure, which influence the generic strategies and competitive positioning of practices. Strategic planning process formality and the existence of a written plan are positively associated with large practices that form part of a global organization. Informal strategic planning is undertaken in practices without a written strategic plan but tends to be tactical (project-based) rather than strategic in nature. The realization of the need for systematic strategic planning in QS practices is, however, beginning to emerge, given the turbulent environment within which the firms are competing. While the conclusions are specific to the QS profession, the research has been designed such that it has potential to be applied to other professional service firms

The Role of Digitisation in the Strategic Planning Process of Irish Quantity Surveying(QS) Practices

Digitisation is important to the transformation of many aspects of the construction industry such as strategic planning process in QS practices. Quantity Surveying (QS) practices largely apply digital technologies in construction project delivery, while neglecting the use of digital technologies in the strategic planning process. The aim of this paper is to investigate the role of digitisation in the strategic planning process of QS practices operating in Ireland. The study adopts a quantitative research methodology which is the first phase of an ongoing research project, by administering survey questionnaires to senior management of QS practices in Ireland. The findings of the study provide valuable insights to senior management on the role of digitisation and the application of digital technologies in the strategic planning process of QS practices. Theoretically, the paper provides a new direction for digitisation studies in construction industry by demonstrating the usefulness, influence and value creation of digitisation in specific aspects of strategic planning process in quantity surveying firms

The Effect of Strategic Planning on Effectiveness and Efficiency of Human Resources Management

The main purpose of this work is to examine the effect of strategic planning on Human Resources Management HRM practices. 200 survey questionnaires were sent to different employees and managers working in the hospitals sector in Jordan and only 169 questionnaires were received. Statistical Package of Social Sciences SPSS analytical software was used in this study to analysis the data and testing the hypotheses. The study examines the effect of strategic planning on HRM. The strategic planning analyzed as one construct while HRM practices have five constructs i.e. HRM planning; performance management; recruitment and selection; training and compensation. The results indicated that significant positive impact of strategic planning on HRM practices being analyzed in this study except for the performance management. Thus, the finding concluded that effective strategic planning will result in sufficient and effective HRM practices. Keywords: strategic planning, human resource management, hospitals industry, Jordan DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-17-03 Publication date:June 30th 202

Strategy Planning Practices and Performance: A Case Study in Road Transport Department

This study is conducted to present findings on strategic planning practices, issues and influences of strategic planning in relation to performances of the Road Transport Department in Putrajaya, and Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur. The research design used a qualitative method and case study research approach. A total of 10 respondents were interviewed in this study. Data was collected through face to face interviews, which used open ended questions. Data is analyzed based on the data gathered from the semi-structured interviews. The results show that the practices of strategic planning in the Road Transport Department included the element of environmental scanning and strategy formulation during the process of strategy planning. Thus, strategic planning practices are relevant based on the model selected. Apart from that, issues of strategic planning were also raised by the respondents and they suggested several solutions to overcome these problems in order to produce the desired result. Overall, strategic planning in the Road Transport Department has increased organizational performance

STRATEGIC PLANNING DIMENSIONS IN SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMEs) IN SOUTH AFRICA: THEIR RELATIVE IMPORTANCE AND VARIATIONS IN SELECTED DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the strategic dimensions of SMEs and how each dimension is rated by owners and managers of SMEs. The other objective of the study was to ascertain if differences in strategic planning practices existed with respect to demographic variables namely gender, age and position in the organization. It was found that the main dimensions of strategic planning are mission and vision, environmental scanning, employee participation in the strategic planning process, time horizon of strategic planning, implementation incentives, evaluation and control, formality of strategic planning and source of information about the environment. It was also found that mission and vision, formality of strategic planning and evaluation and control were the most valued factors. No significant statistical difference existed among owners and managers of different age, gender and positions in strategic planning practices. The value of the study is that it offers various dimensions of strategic planning that SMEs can implement to be competitive and sustainable