Strategic Planning: A Practical Guide

Strategic Planning A Practical Guide Peter Rea, Ph.D., Harold Kerzner, Ph.D. In today's business world, now more than ever, the only constant is change. With technology producing a steady stream of innovations, consumer preferences shifting rapidly, and world-wide free trade increasing, successful managers face a growing challenge to remain a step ahead of the future. From business students to corporate managers, anyone interested in this discipline will find no resource more insightful and engaging than Strategic Planning: A Practical Guide. From their extensive experience consulting with Fortune 500 companies, Rea and Kerzner have succeeded in crafting the definitive introduction to strategic planning and management policy and strategy--from the grass-roots principles to the practical applications utilized by organizations today. Examining the integral roles of finance, marketing, learning curves, research and development, inventory control, and manufacturing techniques, Strategic Planning presents a comprehensive overview of the development and implementation of contemporary strategic planning models applicable to both small and large businesses. Rather than teaching complex, integrated theory, the authors offer a straight-forward approach to demonstrate strategic planning and management policy techniques. With step-by-step methods on how to apply relevant material, along with discussion questions, and problems designed to highlight the practical application of particular issues, companies can successfully formulate and implement strategic initiatives to: * Establish a clear direction for the future * Make decisions across levels and functions * Improve organizational performance * Build teamwork and expertise * Aid executives in thinking and behaving strategically * And more!

About the Authors Peter Rea, Ph.D., is Chairman of the Business Division at Baldwin-Wallace College. He has provided strategic planning and marketing strategy consultation to organizations including NASA, McDonald and Company, the Ohio Lottery Commission, Oberlin College, Ameritrust Bank, Society National Bank, and the University of Michigan. Harold Kerzner, Ph.D., is Professor of Systems Management and Director of the Project Management/Systems Management Research Institute at Baldwin-Wallace College, as well as President of Project Management Associates, Inc., a consulting company based in Ohio. Dr. Kerzner has published or presented more than sixty engineering and business papers, and his thirteen books include Project Management for Bankers, Operating Guidelines for Project Management, A Dictionary of Terms for Project Management, and Investing in the Corporate Bond Market.

Strategic Thinking.

Strategic Market Management.

Internal Strengths and Weaknesses.

Strategic Market Planning Using Learning Curves.

The Role of R&D.

Manufacturing Strategies.

Small-Business Strategy.

Multinational Strategies.

Index.