Business Policy and Strategic Management

Study Notes

Business policy refers to guidelines, rules, and frameworks that help organizations make consistent and effective decisions to achieve their objectives.

Strategic management is a continuous process of strategy creation.
It involves strategic analysis, decision-making, strategy formulation, implementation, and control.
Its primary objective is achieving and maintaining better alignment of corporate policies, priorities, and success.

Strategic management focuses on top, middle, and lower levels of an organization.

Business Policy: Provides guidelines for decision-making within an organization, aiming for consistency in operations. It's broad and general, offering a fixed framework for strategic actions.
Strategy: A long-term plan to achieve organizational goals. It is specific and action-oriented, emphasizing competitive advantage and objectives. More flexible, adapting to changing environments.

Mission and Vision: Define the organization's purpose and aspirations.
Core Values: Guiding principles for the organization's culture and decision-making.
Goals and Objectives: Targets the organization aims to achieve.
Competitive Advantage: Unique strengths that differentiate the organization in its market.
Resource Allocation: Distribution of resources (time, money, talent) to meet goals.
Environmental Scanning: Analysis of internal and external factors influencing business operations.

Goal Setting: Defining organizational objectives and mission.
Environmental Scanning:
- Internal Analysis: Assess strengths and weaknesses.
- External Analysis: Identify opportunities and threats (SWOT, PESTLE analysis).
Strategy Formulation: Develop plans to achieve objectives based on analysis.
Strategy Implementation: Allocate resources and execute strategies.
Monitoring and Control: Evaluate performance and adjust strategies as needed.

Globalization is the integration of markets, economies, cultures, and policies across nations.
It facilitates the free flow of goods, services, capital, technology, and information globally.

Organizational adaptation is the process of adjusting structures, strategies, and operations to effectively respond to internal and external environmental changes.

Flexibility: Ability to modify strategies and processes.
Innovation: Embrace new technologies and methods.
Change Management: Manage resistance and ensure smooth transitions.
Learning Culture: Encourage continuous improvement and knowledge acquisition.