External strategic analysis. Enterprise strategic analysis

Strategic analysis is a means of transforming the data obtained during the analysis of the environment into an organization's strategy plan. Its tools are quantitative methods, formal models and the study of the specifics of a given organization. Typically, strategic analysis goes through two stages - comparative, when analyzing the gap between the organization's goals and real opportunities, and identifying strategic alternatives, when analyzing the possible options for the development of the organization. This is followed by the final stage of developing a strategy, choosing the most suitable option and preparing a strategic plan.

First way of analysis

It is quite simple to analyze the gap, and it is effective method in management when the first stage is carried out strategic analysis... Its purpose is to identify the gap between the desires of the organization and its capabilities, and if such a gap exists, it is necessary to search for the most effective filling of it. Strategic analysis requires a specific algorithm to investigate such a gap.

First, you need to identify the main interest of the firm, which is expressed in terms of strategic planning. Increasing sales, for example. Further, the real possibilities are clarified, a strategic analysis of the environment is carried out and the future state of the organization is projected, for example, in five years. It is necessary to define specific indicators in the strategic plan that would correspond to the main interests of the firm. Then the difference is established between the identified indicators and those possibilities that the real state of affairs dictates. And, finally, special programs are being developed that contain ways to fill this gap.

Second way of analysis

The second way to conduct a gap analysis is to measure the difference between extremely modest forecasts and the highest expectations. If, for example, management is counting on twenty percent of the real rate of turnover on their capital invested, and research shows that the real figure is a maximum of fifteen percent, then a detailed discussion of fundraising and the necessary measures to fill this five percent gap is necessary.

You can fill it in in different ways. It can be an increase in productivity until reaching the desired twenty percent, or abandoning ambition and being satisfied with fifteen. The latter is definitely a joke. But in any case, the strategic analysis of the organization will certainly force you to find the right way to fill the existing gap between the desired and your own capabilities.

Classic model

One of the most powerful models for strategic analysis of the organization appeared back in 1926, when the dynamics of costs were already being investigated and the curve of experience was emerging. This method connects the definition of a strategy and the achievement of an advantage through minimal costs. How did the costs go down if the volume of production increased? This was due to a number of specific factors. A deep internal strategic analysis of each of them was carried out. First of all, costs were reduced due to the expansion of production, in which new technologies almost always appear that give such an advantage. In parallel, the choice of the most effective way of organizing production and training of personnel with the transfer of such experience. In this way, the organization achieves economies of scale.

The experience curve applies mainly to material production. Accordingly, the purpose of strategic analysis is to identify the main direction of the organization's strategy. This usually means capturing as much market share as possible, because only the largest competitors have the ability to achieve the lowest costs, and therefore the highest profits. But the decrease in costs may not be related solely to the increase in production. It is much more important to have high-tech equipment, which is designed for absolutely any scale production, including a very small one. Today, for example, modular equipment or computerization has penetrated literally everywhere, and this cannot but ensure high productivity. The main thing is to be able to maneuver, to quickly rebuild, in order to solve the most varied and most specific tasks. This model, of course, over time revealed its shortcomings. The main one is the one that provides for taking into account only a single internal problem of the organization, and strategic analysis of the external environment is not performed at all (that is, the needs of buyers are ignored, for example).

Market and life cycle

Strategic planning and strategic analysis cannot do without analyzing market dynamics, for which it is necessary to apply a well-known model that repeats, by analogy with the life cycle of a biological being, the life cycle of any product. In the marketplace, a product also goes through major stages, each of which has its own level of sales and many characteristic marketing features. For example, a new baby product is born and immediately enters life, that is, to the market where at first great achievements are not expected from it, that is, sales will be small, and manufacturers will only focus on growth.

This stage may be delayed, but if the baby is healthy, and the products are of high quality, he will grow up quickly, and sales will increase. The second stage is the growth stage, which requires a different strategy. Then comes maturity: the strategy is focused on stability because sales are stable. And finally, old age. The market is saturated with this product, a decline sets in, sales declines, and therefore a reduction strategy is being developed. The purpose of this model is to determine the correct business strategy by tracking the product path in the market step by step. There are a lot of modifications of such life cycles, it all depends on the type of product. But there is no way to tightly tie modern strategic analysis to the life cycle model.

Products and market

In 1975, a prominent economist Steiner proposed a new model, which is a kind of matrix with the classification of markets, as well as existing products, new, related to existing, and completely new. This matrix can show different levels of risk and likelihood of successful production and reward by considering a wide variety of market and product combinations. This model is still used to conduct strategic management analysis to determine the likelihood of success at the very beginning, when choosing a type of business, without losing the opportunity to see the ratio of investments for different units. All this means that it is possible to quite accurately form a portfolio of securities of the organization.

The development of strategic analysis occurs during the formation of portfolio models, since it is then that it becomes possible to predict both the present and the future of a starting business, to consider the attractiveness of the market and the ability of new products to compete in it. The first classic portfolio model came from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). With its help, the main positions of the new business were determined. There are four of them:

1. A highly competitive business designed for a fast growing market. Ideal position - "star".

2. The business is also highly competitive, but created for markets that are already mature and saturated, even prone to stagnation. It is an excellent source of cash for an organization called a "cash cow", "money bag".

3. Business without good positions in competitive struggle, however, operating on the market promising. This is not a very well defined future, with a question mark.

4. A business with a weak competitive position in a market that is stagnant. They are outcasts in the business world.

Using the Boston Model

The BCG model is used to determine interrelated conclusions about the positions of the business, about each of its business units within the organization and, of course, about strategic perspectives... With the help of this matrix, the management of the organization forms a portfolio, since combinations of all capital investments in different industries and business units are identified. Another good thing about this model: the BCG matrix offers various options for strategies. With an increase in market share and business growth, the "question mark" easily turns into a "star", and following the strategy of the "cash cow", that is, maintaining market share, the business will also retain income that is important for financial innovation and solving the problems faced by each growing type of business.

The third option is the so-called "harvest", when the business gets the maximum short-term profit share, even if the market share is reduced. This is not a strategy for strong businesses. This is how old "ladybugs" and "question marks" act, which failed to become an exclamation. If opportunities to invest in a difficult business run out, and the positions are still not improving, there is a strategy for this case as well. The business is liquidated, and the funds received are used in other industries.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of the BCG model, firstly, is that it can be used to analyze the relationships between all business units that enter the organization in pursuit of the most long-term goals. Secondly, this model is able to analyze different stages of business development in general and each of its business units. And the most important advantage: the model is simple and easy to understand, but nevertheless offers an excellent approach to collecting a business portfolio (that is, an organization's securities).

There are two drawbacks. The first is that business opportunities are not always accurately assessed using this model, and not all opportunities are calculated. They can advise leaving the market when not all internal and external changes have been completed yet, and the position of the business could still quite improve and even move to a successful one. For example, a certain farmer in the seventies barely and then went into a fashion for organic products, and his business could become a "cash cow", but late, it was sold, since the BCG model did not foresee this possibility. The second drawback is an excessive focus on cash flows (cash), and in fact it is almost always supported by investments, this path is much more efficient. The focus on ultra-fast growth is also not so good because it does not see the possibility of applying new and more effective management methods to improve the business.

Multivariate matrix

This is a more complex version of the portfolio model developed by McKinsey & Company, a well-known international consulting company that operates even in Russia. This matrix was ordered by General Electric Corporation. Along with a simple portfolio model, a multivariate matrix has many advantages and equally significant disadvantages.

First of all, this is taking into account the largest number of factors, both external and internal environment of the organization. But, applying this model, it is also impossible to completely protect the analysis from erroneous conclusions. This is probably why there are no specific behavioral recommendations for activities in a particular market. A subjective or distorted assessment of the position of a business in the market is also possible.

Purpose of strategic analysis

The main goal is considered to be the assessment of the greatest impacts on the current and future position of the analyzed organization, it is equally important to determine the specific impact on strategic choices. Based on the identified goals of the organization, the main tasks facing the organization are also determined, which will help to present indicators for strategic planning (moreover, completely regardless of the nature of these indicators - whether it is financial or not).

This means that the first step in strategic analysis will be to identify the following components: the main goal, main tasks, expectations and authority relations within the organization. Against the background of the goal and main tasks, it is much easier to formulate strategies and all the criteria by which they will have to be evaluated. The goal is the whole raison d'être of the business and the nature of the organization's activities The main objectives are established and long-term, so that this goal was achieved.

External setting and internal

This is the second component of strategic analysis - where an organization exists, and all elements of the external environment - economic, social, technological, political - should be investigated. Because the external environment is constantly fluid and forced to undergo significant changes, the organization will have to solve the most important strategic problems as they arise. There is a micro and macro environment, and they are interconnected with each other. Microenvironment - the inner environment. It is necessary to analyze the competitive structure of this industry, where this organization, as well as parameters for the development of this industry. Macroenvironment offers macroeconomic, social, legal, technological, international factorsdirectly affecting the organization.

The third component of strategic analysis is the internal environment in the organization. It determines the quality and completeness of the resources that the organization manages, taking into account the key disadvantages and advantages this business... Internal strategic analysis reveals the overall picture of the constraints and impacts that are imposed on strategic choices, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the organization, identifying expectations and opportunities to influence the planning process.

We have already looked at the types of competition and 5 competitive forces that affect the enterprise. In a competitive environment, it is important for an enterprise to have a strategic plan. In order to choose the strategy that the company will adhere to, it is necessary to conduct a strategic analysis. There are several types of strategic analysis. Let's consider them.

GAP analysis (gap analysis)

Gap Analysis is a comprehensive analytical study that examines discrepancies, gaps between the current state of the company and the desired one. This analysis also allows you to identify problem areas ("bottleneck") that impede development, and assess the degree of readiness of the company to make the transition from the current state to the desired.

Let's consider how this analysis method is applied to solving the problem of increasing sales. If the company has chosen this parameter as a strategic goal, then it can be approached in different ways.

  • · On the one hand, within the current market volume, we can increase our sales by intercepting sales from competitors. We must not forget that competitors in the same way claim your company's market share and you need to defend yourself against them.
  • · On the other hand, perhaps there is still a large group of consumers not covered by our products / services. If we assume that all possible consumers have used the goods / services produced by our company and competitors, then the total sales volume is called the absolute market potential and can be taken as a "super-goal".

Let's list the main reasons that prevent you from covering the entire potential market.

  • · Firstly, there are groups of consumers who are not satisfied with existing goods, as they do not have certain functions. So, perhaps people do not drink coffee because their blood pressure rises due to the caffeine it contains. In this case, you can expand the range of products by releasing, for example, decaf coffee.
  • · Secondly, many goods do not reach consumers, because they simply cannot buy them at the right time due to shortcomings in the distribution network (the delivery schedule is not adhered to, products are not ordered on time). In this case, you need to think about how to properly organize the sale of goods.
  • · Third, many consumers do not know how to best use the product. Then our job is to point it that way (see the Orbit ad: “Take two chewing gum pads”).

Steps to Perform a Gap Analysis

Gap analysis includes the following steps.

  • 1. Determination of the current value. Gap analysis begins with forecasting the state of the company for the planned period using the method of expert assessments or using mathematical forecasting methods. This stage allows you to assess what position your company could occupy, calculate all possible benefits, which she received as a result of making certain decisions.
  • 2. Determination of the maximum available value. In the process of assessing the existing gap, it is necessary to find out whether it can be overcome at all? If the gap is too large to be bridged with our own resources, it is advisable to either revise the desired future, or break its achievement into several transitional stages, or stretch the process over a longer period of time.
  • 3. Selection of the criterion by which the consideration will take place. Within the framework of this stage, it is necessary to break the general gap into components that correspond to each significant functional, sectoral, territorial and other areas of activity for which planning will subsequently be carried out. In the course of such a breakdown, sets of needs are identified and grouped into major categories. Thus, each section of planning represents a group of needs that have an impact on bridging the gap between the present and the future. The groups of possible needs may include information, communication, financial marketing, administrative, technical, etc.
  • 4. A set of plans (initiatives) to achieve. Sources can be employees of various services, distribution channels, competitors, government agencies. Market-focused sources identify opportunities based on the wants and needs of consumers. R&D sources identify new product opportunities based on fundamental research. At the same time, methods of generating ideas can include "brainstorming", polls, questionnaires, etc.

Analysis of cost dynamics and construction of the experience curve.

One of the classic strategy models was developed in 1926. It links the definition of a strategy to the achievement of a cost advantage. Assumes that every time production doubles, unit costs are reduced by 20%. The experiment curve is shown in Fig. 3. Reducing costs with an increase in production is due to a combination of the following factors: 1 advantages in technology arising with the expansion of production; 2 learning from experience in the most efficient way to organize production; 3 the effect of economies of scale. According to the experience curve, the main direction of the firm's strategy should be the conquest of the largest market share, since it is the largest competitor that has the opportunity to achieve the lowest unit costs and, therefore, the highest profits. In modern conditions, achieving cost leadership is not necessarily associated with an increase in the scale of production. The current high-tech equipment is designed not only for large-scale production, but also for small ones. Today, even a small firm can use computers, modular equipment, which provide high performance and adaptability to solve various specific tasks.

Figure 3

purpose analysis - search ways to reduce costs while increasing production. The main goal is to gain the largest market share.

The main disadvantage of the model is the consideration of only one of the internal problems of the organization and inattention to the external environment (primarily to the needs of customers).

The classical portfolio model is the BCG matrix (Bostonconsulting group).

When conducting strategic analysis, one of the important issues is the company's future product portfolio. It is necessary to understand what areas of activity are priority, how they will be financed and positioned in the market. Therefore, it is recommended to use one of two standard methodologies when developing a strategy: the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix or the McKinsey matrix. In accordance with these methods, all businesses of the company are positioned in terms of "market attractiveness" and "competitive status of the company in this market." The fundamental difference between these two methods lies in assessing the attractiveness of the market and the competitive status of the company in it. The BCG matrix is \u200b\u200bhypothesized that both can be measured using a single dimension. The attractiveness of a market is determined by the rate of its growth, and the competitive status of a company in this market is determined in accordance with its share. To begin with, even such a simplified approach can be used, but a more accurate estimate can be obtained only if several parameters that affect attractiveness and competitive status are taken into account.

So Zvezdy has a high growth in sales and a high market share. Market share must be maintained and increased. Stars are very profitable. But, despite the attractiveness of this product, its purely monetary income is quite low, since it requires significant investments to ensure a high growth rate. Cash cows (Moneybags) have a high market share but a low growth rate in sales. Cash cows need to be protected and controlled as much as possible. Their attractiveness is explained by the fact that they do not require additional investment and at the same time provide a good cash income. The proceeds from sales can be directed to the development of Wild Cats and to support the Stars. "Dogs" are characterized by a low growth rate, low market share, a product, as a rule, a low level of profitability and requires a lot of attention from the manager. You need to get rid of "dogs".

"Wild Cats" ("Dark Horses", "Question Marks", "Dead Weight"). They have a low market share but high growth rates. Such goods need to be studied. In the future, they can become both stars and dogs. If there is a possibility of transferring to the stars, then you need to invest, otherwise, get rid of.

Disadvantages of this analysis:

  • - a strong simplification of the situation;
  • - the lack of accounting for the financial aspect, the removal of dogs can lead to an increase in the cost of the cost of cows and stars, as well as negatively affect the loyalty of customers using this product;
  • - the assumption that the market share corresponds to the profit, this rule may be violated when a new product is introduced to the market with high investment costs;
  • - the assumption that the market decline is caused by the end of the product life cycle. There are other situations in the market, for example, the end of rush demand or an economic crisis.

The benefits of the BCG Matrix include:

  • - theoretical study of the relationship between financial receipts and the analyzed parameters;
  • - objectivity of the analyzed parameters (relative market share and market growth rate);
  • - clarity of the results obtained and ease of construction.
  • - it allows you to combine portfolio analysis with a product life cycle model
  • - simple and easy to understand
  • - easy to develop strategy for business units and investment policy

Construction rules: the horizontal axis corresponds to the relative market share, the coordinate space is from 0 to 1 in the middle with a step of 0.1 and further from 1 to 10 with a step of 1. The market share assessment is the result of the analysis of sales of all industry participants. Relative market share is calculated as the ratio of own sales to sales of the strongest competitor or the three strongest competitors, depending on the degree of concentration in a particular market. 1 means that own sales are equal to sales of the strongest competitor.

The vertical axis corresponds to the rate of market growth. The coordinate space is determined by the growth rates of all the company's products from maximum to minimum; the minimum value can be negative if the growth rate is negative.

For each product, the intersection of the vertical and horizontal axes is established and a circle is drawn, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich corresponds to the share of the product in the company's sales (Fig. 4).

Figure 4

Multivariate portfolio model - McKinsley matrix.

In the early 1970s, an analytical model emerged, jointly proposed by General Electric Corporation and consulting company McKinsey & Co., and called the "GE / McKinsey model."

The name of the model comes from the name of the company and seven factors, seven words beginning in English with the letter "S" (strategy - strategy, skill - skills, shared values \u200b\u200b- generally recognized values, structure - structure, systems - systems, staff - personnel, style - style).

Market attractiveness criteria.

Instead of one market growth, a number of criteria of market attractiveness were used, such as:

  • · Market size.
  • · Market growth rates.
  • · Number of competitors.
  • · Profit potential.
  • · Social, political and legal factors.

Competitive strength criteria.

Also, instead of using one market share as an indicator of competitive strength, a number of factors were used, such as:

  • · Market share.
  • · Opportunity to develop a distinctive advantage.
  • · Opportunities for developing cost advantages.
  • · Reputation.
  • · Distribution capabilities.

Weighing criteria.

Managers were able to decide which criteria applied to their products. This gave the model a market appeal - flexibility in a competitive position. Having defined the criteria, the managers then agreed on the weighting system for each set of criteria, those of the factors that were more important had more weight... For example: market attractiveness. Competitive strength.

Market size 0.15 Market share 0.20.

Market growth rate 0.20 Distinctive advantage 0.40.

Number of competitors 0.30 Price advantage 0.05.

Profit Potential 0.30 Reputation 0.10.

Social, political, Opportunities for dissemination 0.25, legal factors 0.05.

Each factor of market attractiveness is rated on a 10-point scale (from 1, which means not attractive, to 10, which means very attractive). Also, each factor of competitive strength is evaluated on a 10-point scale. Each score is multiplied by a factor weight and summed up in order to obtain an overall market attractiveness and competitive strength score for each product. Then, it can be plotted on the market attractiveness-competitive position matrix (Figure 5).


Figure 5

Zone 1: finance growth.

Zone 2: make a selection.

For the middle zone, additional analysis is required.

The McKinsey model is also important because it perceives planning not only as a process of creating formal schemes and a set of quantitative indicators. The planning process is understood here as establishing communication and agreement between employees, linking their interests, taking into account all aspects of human activity at the enterprise. Planning here is primarily productive communication.

Business Analysis Model PIMS.

The PIMS approach is to look for guidelines developed from the generalized experience of successful and unsuccessful companies. Since 1972, a database of 450 corporations has been compiled containing analysis of more than 2,800 business units. Statistical analysis and computer modeling of the database provide participating companies with the necessary information and strategic guidance based on a variety of strategic situations in various industries. Two concepts are fundamental to the database:

  • 1. Business unit (business unit) - a division, product line or profit center.
  • 2. The served market is the portion of the overall market in which the firm competes.

PIMS analysis evaluates: changes in the competitive position of the firm; the strategies used to achieve it; ultimate profitability.

The analysis shows that three groups of factors constantly influence the profitability of an enterprise. The first group describes the firm's competitive position, including market share and relative product quality. The second reflects the structure of production, including investment intensity and labor productivity. The third group reflects the relative attractiveness of the market growth rate and consumer characteristics. Taken together, these variables account for 65 to 70 percent of the profitability options of the surveyed businesses. The purpose of a PIMS project is to apply this experience to specific strategic issues. These questions include:

  • * What level of cash flows and profits is “normal” for this type of enterprise, given their market environment, competitive position and strategy used?
  • * If the business continues, what market share and profitability result should be expected in the future?
  • * How will the changes in strategy affect this outcome?
  • * How did enterprises in the same or other industries, operating in similar conditions and with a similar competitive position, achieve results using different types of strategies?

The answers to these questions will help you evaluate possible alternatives when developing a strategy.

The PIMS database is represented by a wide variety of industries, products, markets and geographic regions. Most are located in North America, although 600 of the 2,800 businesses are located in the UK, Europe and elsewhere.

Results of the PIMS project. This analysis found links between strategy and company performance. These relationships will help managers understand and anticipate the impact of strategic decisions and market conditions on the company's performance. The following are the most common links between strategy and performance:

  • * In the long term, the most important factor influencing the efficiency of the company's divisions will be the quality of the company's goods and services in relation to its competitors.
  • * Market share and profitability are closely related.
  • * High investment intensity actively affects profitability.
  • * Many businesses - the so-called "dogs" and "question marks" - make a profit, while many "cash cows" do not.
  • * Vertical integration is profitable only for some enterprises, for others it is not. For businesses with a small market share, the ROI is higher when the degree of vertical integration is low. For enterprises with more than average market shares, the return on investment is highest either with low or, conversely, high levels of vertical integration.
  • * Most of the strategic factors that increase return on investment also have positive influence on the long-term value of the enterprise in the future.

Limitations of the PIMS model. Several elements of the PIMS model have been criticized, from the definition of information collection methods and the accuracy of the data, to the unreasonable connections between them. This criticism is fair and warns of the need for careful use of the results obtained. PIMS analysis can give the user a false sense of precision and foresight. It should be seen as an additional source of ideas for strategic planning, along with your own experience, views and analysis.

Practical use. The argument that the structure of the industry, the competitive position of the enterprise, its cost / profit / investment structure, and the competitive strategies it employs have a significant impact on profitability has a strong intuitive appeal.

Practitioners know that being a dominant market leader in a growing market with attractive income opportunities and moderate investment requirements will bring high returns. On the other hand, an enterprise in the third or fourth competitive position in a mature market with a low rate of return will experience low profit or loss. PIMS shows that these structural indicators significantly affect the profitability of the enterprise, and that companies should look for competitive structures and positions that would give them a profit advantage.

SWOT analysis

SWOT is an analysis method in strategic planning, which consists in dividing factors and phenomena into four categories: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

This analysis is a necessary element of research, a mandatory preliminary stage in drawing up any level of strategic and marketing plans. The data obtained as a result of the situational analysis serve as the basic elements in the development of the strategic goals and objectives of the company.

  • 1. List of strengths and weaknesses.
  • 2. Enumeration of opportunities and threats.
  • 1. Detailed description of strengths and weaknesses.
  • 2. Detailed description of opportunities and threats.

At the next stage, the opportunities and threats identified in the analysis are divided into three groups according to priority, the need to concentrate efforts and funds, and the thoroughness of monitoring.

The final stage is the formulation of the main strategic directions, taking into account their importance.

The results obtained are formulated into the company's strategy, its goals and objectives. We will talk about this type of analysis later.

PEST analysis

(sometimes referred to as STEP) is a marketing tool designed to identify the political (Political), economic (Economic), social (Social) and technological (Technological) aspects of the external environment that affect the company's business (Fig. 7)

Politics is studied because it regulates power, which in turn determines the company's environment and the acquisition of key resources for its activities. The main reason for studying economics is to create a picture of the distribution of resources at the state level, which is the most important condition for the operation of an enterprise. No less important consumer preferences are determined using the social component of PEST analysis. The last factor is the technological component. The purpose of his research is considered to be the identification of trends in technological development, which are often the reasons for changes and losses in the market, as well as the emergence of new products.

The analysis is carried out according to the "factor-enterprise" scheme. The results of the analysis are drawn up in the form of a matrix, the subject of which are the factors of the macroenvironment, the predicate is the strength of their influence, assessed in points, ranks and other units of measurement. The results of the PEST analysis make it possible to assess the external economic situation in production and commercial activities.

Table 1

POLITICAL FACTORS

INFLUENCE OF ECONOMY

  • Current legislation on the market
  • · Future changes in legislation
  • · European / international legislation
  • Regulatory bodies and norms
  • · Government policy, change
  • State regulation of competition
  • · Trade policy
  • Tightening of state control over the activities of business entities and penalties
  • Elections at all levels of government
  • Funding, grants and initiatives
  • Lobbying / market pressure groups
  • International pressure groups
  • · Environmental problems
  • Other government influence in the industry
  • Economic situation and trends
  • Refinancing rate dynamics
  • Inflation rate
  • Investment climate in the industry
  • Foreign economies and trends
  • General problems of taxation
  • Taxation specific to product / services
  • Seasonality / weather influence
  • Market and trading cycles
  • Effective demand
  • Production specifics
  • Commodity distribution chains and distribution
  • End user needs
  • Currency exchange rates
  • Major external costs
  • o Energy carriers
  • o Transport
  • o Raw materials and components
  • o Communication

SOCIOCULTURAL TRENDS

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS

  • Demographics
  • Changes in legislation affecting social factors
  • · Structure of income and expenses
  • Base values
  • Lifestyle trends
  • Brand, reputation of the company, image of the technology used
  • Buying behavior models
  • Fashion and role models
  • Major events and influencing factors
  • Consumer opinions and attitudes
  • Consumer preferences
  • Media representations
  • Buyers Contact Points
  • Ethnic / religious factors
  • Advertising and public relations
  • Development of competitive technologies
  • Research funding
  • Substitution technologies / solutions
  • Maturity of technology
  • Change and adaptation of new technologies
  • Production capacity, level
  • Information and communication
  • Consumers buying technology
  • Technology Legislation
  • Potential for innovation
  • Access to technology, licensing, patents
  • Intellectual property issues

Ansoff's matrix.

Ansoff's matrix was developed in the 50s of the XX century. American economist I. Ansoff. The matrix determines the company's growth strategies, taking into account the novelty of the market and the novelty of the product. Depending on the combination of different product and market combinations, the following strategies are possible:

  • 1) market penetration: old product on the existing market. This strategy can be estimated by the amount of sales and the likelihood of risk. These indicators are calculated taking into account the amount of possible costs for implementing the chosen strategy. Total costs necessary in order to attract potential consumers; creating competitive advantages; stimulating sales and increasing service potential; 2) market development: old product in a new market. This strategy presupposes marketing efforts to promote the existing product to new sales markets through brand promotion, the use of tagging, and the creation of a new reliable distribution system;
  • 3) product development: new product in the old market. Promotion of a new product to an old existing market is associated with a high degree of risk and requires significant costs for penetrating the traditional market, organizing a presentation, demonstrating a new product, careful consultation and convincing advertising;
  • 4) diversification: new product in a new market. This strategy initially involves the development of planning and management decisions in the field of innovations of goods and services, determining the degree of unmet demand for a new product, the possible market share and the level of risk of marketing efforts for advertising, incentives, brand promotion and public opinion formation in target audiences of buyers.

Strategic analysis is needed to ensure that managers necessary information to develop a company's strategy. Everything seems to be clear and logical, but, in fact, in practice, companies are faced with one of the fundamental problems of strategic management.

When a company tries to conduct strategic analysis, the question immediately arises of what, in fact, should include a strategic analysis, what information should be the output of this analysis, and what information managers need to develop a strategy. Many attempts have been made to somehow formalize this process, that is, to define standard formats for strategic analysis, following which the company is guaranteed to provide itself with the necessary information to develop a strategy.

But the problem is that there are a lot of strategic analysis tools, and at the same time there is no guarantee that if all of them are used, the company will be able to develop some kind of correct strategy. The process of developing a strategic plan, in this case, like making any other decision, is, in principle, not fully formalized. Strategic analysis techniques can only help organize information for decision-making, but the decision itself remains with managers. This article will focus on the most common strategic analysis techniques.

So, when a company realizes the need to implement strategic management and begins to take the first steps in this direction, then we can say that it has managed to solve the first fundamental problem of strategic management.

Although sometimes there are situations when the owners and management of the company realize the need for strategic analysis, but at the same time the strategic choice has to be made blindly. For example, once at a seminar, one of the participants ( general director a small watch wholesale and retail company) told me a curious story. At the very beginning of the business, she had to make a very important strategic decision, namely to choose a foreign supplier. Moreover, I immediately wanted to conclude a dealership agreement with exclusive sales in Russia.

To select a supplier, it was decided to visit a specialized industry exhibition. The calculation was made on the fact that all major watch manufacturers will be represented at the exhibition, it will be possible to collect information from them and make a strategic choice. But it turned out that not everything is so simple. Representatives of all companies were ready to talk for a very long time about what wonderful products they have, but at the same time they did not give practically any numbers.

That is, we are not even talking about the fact that they did not provide information about the sales of their products in other countries, so they could not even provide a clear price list according to which they are ready to supply products to their dealers. Therefore, I had to make a choice relying only on intuition. They did not cooperate with companies producing premium products. We immediately focused on the middle segment and, in the end, guessed right. The products began to be sold both in Moscow and in the regions. But you could not guess, but in this case, according to the CEO, there was no other option.

Strategic analysis techniques

If you open strategy books, you can find in them a wide variety of all kinds of strategic matrices, which are just designed to carry out a standard strategic analysis in its various aspects. But, as a rule, in practice (at least in Russian practice), literally several methods are used. In addition, these books do not say how to use the results of such a large amount of analysis.

The most common strategic analysis techniques include the following:

  • SWOT analysis;
  • PEST + M-analysis;
  • analysis of the company's product portfolio (BCG matrix or McKinsey matrix);
  • analysis of the problem field of the company.

    Here you need to be clearly aware that to develop a strategy, on the one hand, there should not be little information, but, on the other hand, there should not be a lot of it. In addition, the time factor is also important. Sometimes, in practice, it is more important to make a decision that is not entirely correct and polished, but now than a more reasonable and correct one - tomorrow. Because either the information on the basis of which the correct solution was developed may become outdated, or, as they say, “the train has already left” and the correct solution does not save the situation.

    The simplest (in terms of the perception of results) and the most common tool for strategic analysis is SWOT analysis. The main idea of \u200b\u200bstrategic SWOT analysis is that when developing a strategy, you need to take into account the main factors affecting the company's business. Moreover, these factors are considered in two sections (see. Fig. 1):

  • external and internal;
  • positive and negative.

    Fig. 1. Strategic SWOT Analysis

    Accordingly, when it comes to environmental factors, then among them there are favorable opportunities and threats for the company. The same factors can affect business and other companies, incl. competitors, however, this influence can be assessed in different ways. Among the factors of the internal environment, the strengths and weaknesses of the company are highlighted.

    It should be noted right away that the strengths and weaknesses of the company are not an absolute concept, but a relative one. That is, the factors of the internal environment are mainly analyzed in comparison with competitors. It is clear that the company does not have complete information about the state of affairs of its competitors. Companies sometimes do not even know everything about themselves what they would like, but here you need to know the same about competitors. But, nevertheless, when determining the factors of the internal environment that significantly affect the business, it is necessary to classify them into strengths and weaknesses, comparing your company with competitors.

    Naturally, collecting information about competitors will have to spend certain time and financial resources. Therefore, if the company really involves the introduction of a full-fledged strategic management system, then it will have to be done. Of course, you still need to understand how detailed information about competitors is really required by the company, moreover, some of the information can be quite accessible and open. In any case, monitoring information about competitors is one of the functions of the development department.

    It should be noted that in practice it happens that the same environmental factor for one company is a favorable opportunity, and for another - a threat in the external environment. When our team of consultants, performing a consulting project, carried out together with working group The customer's strategic SWOT analysis at one dairy plant, then, among other environmental factors, such a factor as “bad collective farms” was considered.

    It meant that the enterprise was surrounded by a large number of small farms, which were in a very poor condition. On the one hand, this factor should be considered as a threat in the external environment, but for this enterprise it was a good opportunity. The fact is that if instead of this large number of ineffective collective farms, there were several large farms, then a very large competitor (one of the leaders of the dairy industry in Russia) would buy them, and in such a situation it was not profitable for him.

    For this dairy plant, such a state of the raw material base, on the contrary, was considered as an opportunity to gain control over them, and then to enlarge and develop these collective farms. Thus, it turns out that one and the same environmental factor can be a threat for one company, and a favorable opportunity for another.

    Using even such a simple tool as SWOT analysis helps the company to focus on strategically important issues. The CEO of one company at my seminar on strategic management said bluntly that using a tool like strategic SWOT analysis helped them increase their profits. They constantly monitored the factors affecting the company's business and focused on the most significant ones, that is, they worked according to priorities.

    What to do with the results of strategic analysis?

    The results of the strategic SWOT analysis should be used as follows (see. Fig. 2). Having analyzed the selected factors, it is necessary, first, to assess the degree of their influence on the company's business, for example, on the basis of a point system. That is, the influence of all positive factors (external and internal) on the company's business is estimated, say, from one to three pluses, and the influence of negative factors - from one to three minuses, respectively.

    If the influence of a factor received a score of "0", it means that now the influence of this factor is too weak to be taken into account when developing a strategy, so it should be excluded from further analysis. You can use a five-point or ten-point scale, but, as practice has shown, the wider the scale is used, the more difficult it will then be to choose and concentrate on key factors.

    Second, the factors must be ranked in descending order of their influence on the business (as is done in the examples).

    Third, you need to try to understand how you can increase the impact of opportunities in the external environment, how to avoid threats, how to more effectively use the company's strengths and what to do with weaknesses.

    Fig. 2. The main directions of using strategic SWOT analysis

    When assessing the degree of influence of factors on the company's business, of course, you need to take into account the period for which the strategy is being developed. After all, some factor may be insignificant if the company develops a strategic plan for a year, but the same factor can have a significant impact on the company if we are talking about a period of three or five years. Therefore, by the way, some companies sometimes conduct several strategic SWOT analyzes for different periods of strategic planning.

    Such monitoring of factors must be carried out constantly. Some Russian companies, for example, hold it once a quarter (or at least once a year). But here it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that quarterly monitoring is carried out as part of a regular procedure - the rules of strategic analysis. In addition, you need to constantly monitor the dramatic changes in the situation.

    Strategic SWOT analysis is the simplest and most understandable business screen of the company, which allows the company to navigate the current situation and determine the strategic directions of development.

    Of course, the information contained in a strategic SWOT analysis is in fact, so to speak, the “tip of the iceberg”. In addition to SWOT analysis, there are even more complex and meaningful methods of strategic analysis, but, nevertheless, while these methods are not yet implemented, you can start with using SWOT analysis. Over time, of course, the set of strategic analysis tools needs to be expanded, but this must be done gradually, because if you try to use a large set of tools right away, none of them will actually work effectively.

    It should be noted that there should not be too many factors in a strategic SWOT analysis. There must indeed be the most essential ones. There really shouldn't be too many of them. When a strategic analysis was carried out in one large energy company, when collecting information, they went, as they say, bottom-up in order to take into account as much information as possible and not miss out on essential information.

    The work on the collection of factors was distributed among the departments, and as a result, the total number of factors totaled several hundred. The selection of the most significant factors from this total number was carried out first by the Directorate for Development, and then by the Strategic Committee. As a result, a table was obtained, located on one page and containing a generalization of all the collected information (the very "tip of the iceberg").

    After completing this work, the company compared the results of the strategic SWOT analysis, which was carried out before and after such detailed work. It turned out that they coincided by about 70%. But in this situation, the managers checked themselves, that is, how correctly they intuitively feel the situation in which the company is located.

    It turns out that in practice, a more detailed strategic analysis does not always provide newer qualitative information. For the future, the company decided to act like this. She constantly monitored factors using the business SWOT analysis screen, and when new weighty factors emerged, she convened a strategic committee meeting and made decisions on how to respond to the changed situation. Naturally, before the strategic committee was held, the Development Directorate analyzed the situation and proposed several strategy options for discussion.

    When a strategic SWOT analysis is conducted for the first time, it is best to follow this simple principle. First, write down all the factors that only come to mind. It doesn't matter that this can end up with a very long list. The main thing is not to miss anything important. And then each factor needs to be assessed according to the accepted scale (for example, by the number of pluses and minuses).

    Then rank all the factors in descending order of importance and start cutting off first of all those that received the lowest marks. In addition, it must be remembered that each factor recorded in the SWOT analysis should be further taken into account when developing a strategy. Therefore, if a factor either received a low assessment of the degree of influence, or it is not clear how it can be taken into account when developing a strategy, then this factor should be excluded from further analysis and strategy development.

    It is necessary to pay attention to one more important point. It is impossible to use strategic management in a company without the active participation of the company's CEO. And in order for the CEO to be able to participate in this process, as practice has shown, the tools used must be simple and understandable to use. This is especially true for large companies.

    CEOs, for obvious reasons, are very busy people, so it will be difficult for them to immediately grasp a large number of complex schemes. Naturally, all simple solutions have a certain efficiency limit, so you have to complicate solutions, but you need to do this gradually.

    First, learn to use simple tools, and then slowly complicate things.

    Note: the topic of this article is discussed in more detail at the workshop

  • Concept and levels of strategy

    The choice of the organization's strategy should be based on the analysis of existing and forecasting future strategic needs of consumers, strategic segmentation of the market, forecasting the life cycles of future goods, forecasting their competitive advantages.

    Currently, it is necessary to apply a marketing approach when solving any strategic management problems, and especially at the stage of forming an organization's strategy.

    Strategy can be defined as the decision-making process at the highest level of the organizational hierarchy.

    Strategic analysis is a management activity associated with the setting and implementation of long-term goals, maintaining effective relationships between the organization and its environment, while meeting the goals set by its internal capabilities. There are five tasks of strategic management:

    1) substantiation of the type of commercial activity and the formation of strategic directions for its development;

    2) substantiation of strategic goals and objectives for their achievement;

    3) justification of the strategy to achieve the intended goals;

    4) the rationale for the strategic plan;

    5) assessment of performance results and justification of changes in the strategic plan.

    These tasks are closely interrelated and interdependent.

    1) the head of the highest management level;

    2) managers production units certain areas of activity;

    3) functional managers of production units;

    4) managers of the main operational units.

    In a single-business company, strategic analysis is done at three levels - top-level strategic managers, functional and operational managers. In small organizations, the management work to develop and implement a strategy is concentrated in the hands of a few leaders.

    Strategic Analysis Outline

    Conducting a strategic analysis involves a certain order of work, including organizational aspects, collection, selection and consolidation of analytical information in the areas of assessing the external macroeconomic and internal microenvironment of the company.

    In the context of globalization of economic processes, external factors cannot be considered in isolation from each other. Therefore, the development of an effective strategy for the development of an organization is based on three components: a deep understanding of the competitive environment, a real assessment of its own resources and capabilities, the right choice strategic and tactical goals. This is why the development of an organization's strategy must begin with an analysis of the marketing environment. The success of further steps in strategic planning and strategy implementation depends on how correctly it is carried out.

    The marketing macro environment for many companies today is international. F. Kotler and K.L. Keller note the following global factors of the macroenvironment acting on the organization:

    Significant acceleration of international transport, development of communications and financial transactions, which leads to a sharp increase in world trade and capital investment;

    The economic recovery of some Asian countries;

    The desire of participants in trade blocs for economic cooperation;

    Serious problems with external debt of some countries, increasing instability of the international financial system;

    Increasing the importance of barter and countertrade transactions in international trade (countertrade is a form of barter in which a country requires foreign companies to buy its goods in exchange for the right to sell their goods on its territory);

    Transition to a market economy in former socialist countries, accompanied by large-scale privatization;

    Rapid unification of lifestyles caused by the development of global communications;

    Opening up new major markets, namely China, India, Eastern Europe, Arab countries and Latin America;

    Globalization of transnational corporations;

    Growth in the number of international strategic alliances of large corporations;

    Strengthening of ethnic and religious conflicts in some countries and regions;

    Strategic planning structure

    Strategic planning can be viewed as a dynamic set of six interrelated management processes that logically follow from one another. At the same time, there is strong feedback and the influence of each process on the others.

    The strategic planning process includes:

    Determination of the mission of the enterprise, organization;

    Formulation of goals and objectives for the functioning of an enterprise, organization;

    Assessment and analysis of the external environment;

    Assessment and analysis of the internal structure;

    Development and analysis of strategic alternatives;

    Choosing a strategy.

    The strategic management process (in addition to strategic planning) also includes: implementation of the strategy; assessment and control of the strategy implementation.

    Strategic planning is one of the components of strategic management. Strategic management is sometimes seen as synonymous with the term "strategic planning". However, it is not. In addition to strategic planning, strategic management contains a mechanism for implementing decisions.

    The main components of strategic planning:

    Determination of the mission of the organization. This process consists in establishing the meaning of the firm's existence, its purpose, role and place in the market economy. In foreign literature, this term is usually called a corporate mission or business concept. It characterizes the direction in business that firms are guided by, based on market needs, the nature of consumers, product characteristics and the availability of competitive advantages.

    Formulation of goals and objectives. The terms "goals" and "objectives" are used to describe the nature and level of business aspirations inherent in a particular type of business. Goals and objectives should reflect the level of customer service. They must motivate the people in the firm. The target picture should have at least four types of goals: quantitative goals; quality goals; strategic goals; tactical goals, etc.

    Goals for the lower levels of the firm are considered tasks.

    Analysis and assessment of the external and internal environment. Environmental analysis is usually considered the initial process of strategic management, as it provides both the basis for defining the mission and objectives of the firm and for formulating the strategy of behavior that allows the firm to fulfill its mission and achieve its goals.

    One of the key roles of any management is to maintain a balance in the interaction of the organization with the environment. Each organization is involved in three processes:

    Obtaining resources from the external environment (input);

    Transformation of resources into a product (transformation);

    Transfer of the product to the external environment (exit).

    The control is designed to provide a balance of input and output. As soon as this balance is disturbed in an organization, it embarks on the path of dying. The modern marketplace has dramatically increased the importance of the exit process in maintaining this balance. This is precisely reflected in the fact that the first block in the structure of strategic management is the block for analyzing the environment.

    Analysis of the environment involves the study of three of its components:

    Macroenvironment;

    The immediate environment;

    The internal environment of the organization.

    Analysis of the external environment (macro- and immediate environment) is aimed at finding out what the company can count on if it successfully carries out the work, and what complications can await it if it fails to ward off negative attacks that can present her with the environment.

    Macroenvironmental analysis involves studying the impact of the economy legal regulation and management, political processes, natural environment and resources, social and cultural components of society, scientific, technical and technological development of society, infrastructure, etc.

    The immediate environment is analyzed according to the following main components: buyers, suppliers, competitors, labor market.

    Analysis of the internal environment reveals those opportunities, the potential that a firm can count on in the competitive struggle in the process of achieving its goals. Analysis of the internal environment also makes it possible to better understand the goals of the organization, to formulate the mission more correctly, i.e. determine the meaning and direction of the firm. It is extremely important to always remember that an organization not only produces products for the environment, but also provides an opportunity for its members to exist, giving them work, providing an opportunity to participate in profits, providing them with social guarantees, etc.

    The internal environment is analyzed in the following areas: human resources; organization of management; finance; marketing; organizational structure etc.

    Development and analysis of strategic alternatives, choice of strategy . The development of the strategy is carried out at the highest level of management and is based on the solution of the above tasks. At this stage of decision-making, the manager needs to evaluate alternative ways of operating the firm and choose the best options to achieve the goals. On the basis of the analysis carried out in the process of developing a strategy, strategic thinking is formed by discussing and agreeing with the management line apparatus of the concept of the company's development as a whole, recommending new development strategies, formulating draft goals, preparing directives for long-term planning, developing strategic plans and monitoring them. Strategic management assumes that the firm defines its key positions for the future, depending on the priority of goals. The firm faces four major strategic alternatives: limited growth, growth, downsizing, and a combination of these strategies. Limited growth is followed by most organizations in developed countries... It is characterized by the setting of goals from the achieved, adjusted by associations of firms in unrelated industries. Leaders are least likely to choose a reduction strategy. In it, the level of the pursued goals is set lower than that achieved in the past. For many firms, downsizing can mean a path to streamline and reorient operations. In this case, several options are possible:

    Liquidation (complete sale of material stocks and assets of the organization);

    Deduction of excess (separation by firms of some of their divisions or activities);

    Downsizing and reorientation (downsizing part of your business in an attempt to increase profits).

    Downsizing strategies are most often used when a company's performance continues to deteriorate, during an economic downturn, or simply to save the organization. The strategy of combining all alternatives will be followed by large firms active in several industries.

    Having chosen a specific strategic alternative, management must turn to a specific strategy. The main goal is to select a strategic alternative that will maximize the long-term performance of the organization. To do this, leaders must have a clear, shared vision of the firm and its future. Commitment to a particular choice often limits the future strategy, so the decision must be carefully scrutinized and evaluated. The strategic choice is influenced by various factors: risk (factor of the life of the company); knowledge of past strategies; the reaction of shareholders, who often limit the flexibility of management in choosing a strategy; the time factor, depending on the choice of the right moment. Decision-making on strategic issues can be carried out in different directions: "bottom up", "top down", in the interaction of the above two areas (the strategy is developed in the process of interaction between top management, planning service and operational units). The formation of the firm's strategy as a whole is becoming increasingly important. This concerns the priority of the problems to be solved, the determination of the structure of the firm, the justification of investment, the coordination and integration of strategies.

    Strategy implementation. The implementation of the strategic plan is a critical process, because in the case of a real plan, it leads the firm to success. It often happens the other way around: a well-designed strategic plan can “fail” if no measures are taken to implement it. Very often there are cases when firms are unable to implement the chosen strategy. This happens because either the analysis was carried out incorrectly and the wrong conclusions were drawn, or because there were unforeseen changes in the external environment. However, the strategy is often not implemented because management cannot adequately draw on the firm's capacity to implement the strategy. This applies especially to the use of human potential.

    Successful implementation strategy is facilitated by meeting the following requirements:

    The goals and activities of the strategy should be well structured, communicated to and understood by employees;

    It is necessary to have a clear action plan for the implementation of the strategy, providing for the plan with all the necessary resources.

    6. Evaluation and control of the strategy. Evaluation and control of the implementation of the strategy is the logical final process carried out in strategic management. This process provides a stable feedback between the progress of the process of achieving goals and the actual goals facing the organization.

    The main tasks of any control are as follows:

    Determination of what and by what indicators to check;

    Assessment of the state of the controlled object in accordance with the accepted standards, regulations or other reference indicators;

    Clarification of the reasons for deviations, if any are revealed as a result of the assessment;

    Making adjustments if necessary and possible.

    In the case of monitoring the implementation of strategies, these tasks acquire a very specific specificity due to the fact that strategic control is aimed at finding out to what extent the implementation of the strategy leads to the achievement of the company's goals. This fundamentally distinguishes strategic control from managerial or operational control, since it is not interested in the correctness of the implementation of the strategy or the correctness of the performance of individual works, functions and operations. Strategic control is focused on finding out whether it is possible to implement the adopted strategy in the future, and whether its implementation will lead to the achievement of the set goals. Adjustments based on the results of strategic control can relate to both the implemented strategy and the goals of the firm.

    The main components of strategic planning.

    The main components of strategic planning A strategic plan is important in that it helps to consistently, step by step, outline the actions that your company will take on the way to success. It also reveals the potential obstacles the company will face and how to overcome them. In a sense, having a strategic plan is more important for small companies than for large corporations. The reason is that small companies have much less cash to rely on in case something goes wrong. But what should a good strategic plan include? There are 3 main components: - Mission. Every good strategic plan should contain a mission statement for the company. It should be short, concise, explaining why the company exists and what it is trying to achieve. - The goals of the organization. Organizational goals are the ways in which you plan to fulfill the company's mission. - Strategies for achieving goals. These strategies go deeper one level and provide a blueprint for how you will achieve your organizational goals. The development of an industrial marketing strategy begins with the study of an industrial buyer (real or potential) and his specific needs in the field of activity industrial company... The needs of industrial buyers arise from production processes and mediated by the needs of the end users of the products. The important characteristics of a product for an industrial buyer will be: - quality - suitability for the production process and technology used; - delivery reliability (well-organized sales system); - price and terms of payment. In addition, the company's capabilities to create a product required by the market include a combination of two components - resources and a company's management structure. The ability of the management structure to effectively use available resources is an important aspect of the strategy's ability to implement. The resource and structural capabilities of the firm need to be aligned with the needs of key customers. Implementation of the strategy involves the development of long-term relationships with industrial buyers. The match between the capabilities of the supplier and the needs of the buyer is achieved through the interaction of both parties. Thus, the industrial marketing strategy assumes focusing on the relationship with each individual customer, which means the development and implementation of individual marketing strategies for each specific client, including the main components of marketing activities: - product (assortment) policy; - sales and service policy; - price policy; - communication strategy.

    3. The influence of modern trends in the development of the economy, its globalization on the new planning ideology.

    The concept of strategic planning in literary sources is often not clearly defined. It is known that strategic planning originated and was most developed, primarily in the military field, and meant "the general's art of finding the right paths to achieve victory", now strategic planning is used in other areas, including the economy. So the American scientist Russell Ackoff notes that it is more correct to think about strategic planning as managing a certain set of problems, a problem mess. The main purpose of the planning strata is to model the future success of the enterprise. Strategic plans define the main directions of the enterprise development, they indicate certain niches for economic activity, which in the future must be filled with funds operational planning... Strategic planning is characterized by the following features:

    1.
    Uncertainty, mobility of the market environment inherent in a market economy, which necessitates the development of an appropriate direction for the development of enterprises. Planning allows an enterprise to try to avoid risks or, at least, to mitigate their negative consequences, as well as to ensure its further growth, that is, planning is a tool to overcome uncertainty and a way to clarify the internal and external conditions of enterprises' activities.

    2.
    Scientific and technical progress, leading to radical qualitative transformations of production and, increasing its impact on the competitiveness of the enterprise, requires anticipating the possible results of scientific and technological progress and taking measures in advance to use them or reorient the enterprise's activities. The use of strategic planning creates the most important advantages in the functioning of enterprises:

    1.
    firstly, it is preparation for changes in the external environment,

    2.
    secondly, linking its resources with changes in the external environment,

    3.
    third, clarification of emerging problems,

    4.
    fourthly, coordination of the work of various structural divisions,

    5.
    fifth, improved control at the enterprise

    These circumstances fill the concept of strategic planning with new content and define it as a way of implementing the strategy adopted by an economic entity. Today's complex and rapidly changing environment in which an organization operates requires a great deal of flexibility in planning systems. This contributes to their improvement, reducing the degree of formalization, leading to a shorter planning horizon and, accordingly, more frequent adjustments to plans. According to some estimates, every third enterprise in Russia has such a document as an enterprise development strategy for several years. Moreover, most of the planning strata are more developed at export-oriented enterprises, as well as in the military-industrial complex. As David Aaker notes, a strategic plan aimed at success must take into account the international business environment while objectively globalizing internal business processes. Modern economics characterized by a high degree of globalization. Signs of economic globalization include:

    1.
    emergence and development of transnational corporations

    2.
    the emergence of super competition

    3.
    global production and global marketing

    Considering the above, strategic planning of an enterprise's activities should be understood as the management process of developing specific strategies of varying degrees of uncertainty, time orientation and planning horizon based on the comparison of the goals, resources and capabilities of the enterprise.

    4. Specific features, approaches, methods and models of the strategist plan-i.

    Submitted methods of strategic analysis provide research at all stages of strategy development and implementation. In this case, the analysis of the internal environment of the company is carried out by management functions, analysis of the company's goods and services, portfolio analysis. The latter includes SWOT Analysis, assortment analysis and product life cycle analysis. The most important goal of portfolio analysis is the alignment of financial resources and business strategies between firms within corporations or within a firm between business units.

    The GAP Analysis method complements portfolio analysis by providing research to prevent gaps in strategic goal setting and research on how to achieve them. This method can include expert or mathematical predictive methods.

    CVP-Analysis method provides a detailed coordination of financial resources and decisions made to achieve strategic goals. It is this analysis that includes studies of the interactions of cost, volume and profit that should ensure the strategic success of the firm.

    The Activity Based Costing method complements CVP-Analysis, since its main purpose is to ensure the correct allocation of funds allocated for the production of products or services at direct or indirect costs.

    This allows the most realistic assessment of the company's costs for individual business processes in accordance with their planned profitability. Using this method, you can quickly estimate the amount of profit expected from the production of a particular product or service.

    The Ishikawa diagram or the method of structural analysis of cause-and-effect relationships is a graphical method that allows you to visually represent the interaction of effects and the causes that caused them. It is this method that makes it possible to analyze the effectiveness of business processes and factors affecting the quality of services provided.

    The ABC method - Analysis provides a classification of the firm's objects, highlighting the most valuable (A), intermediate (B) and least valuable (C). It is this method that ensures the allocation of problems or the need for resources to be addressed first, by allocating their priority. This method of analysis complements the Ishikawa diagram, since it allows you to select the most valuable from the totality of factors influencing the final result. The economic meaning of research within the framework of this method boils down to the fact that the maximum effect is achieved when choosing factors related to group A.

    The PEST-Analysis method examines the description of the external environment (external macroenvironment). Given the descriptive nature of the research, this method is considered by individual authors and as a model by analogy with SWOT-Analysis and GAP-Analysis. Therefore, these two methods, like the Five Forces model of Michael Porter, can be classified as strategic analysis models.

    Strategic Analysis Models allow to carry out: assessment of the competitiveness of certain types of business, strategic positions and competitive advantages, as well as structuring the microenvironment of the company, its industry into strategic zones of management, choosing a solution to the internal environment, resources, capital investments, technologies, identification of strategies in the strategic zone of management. At the stage of analyzing the mission and goals, an important place is given to the models of the production and economic system and the system of strategic management.

    The SWOT Analysis Model provides analyzes of actual and regulatory strategic potential when comparing with competitors or determining competitive advantages. This model reveals a picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise. In doing so, strengths define the key success factors as the means by which the firm wins the competition.

    It should be noted that the concepts of the internal environment must be considered simultaneously from the positions of a manager and a marketer. With this approach, the SWOT Analysis model expands its scope, identifying strengths and weaknesses and opportunities not only in the microenvironment, but also in the macroenvironment (firm and market). It is on the organization, marketing, logistics and sales that the effective functioning of the company as an open system depends.

    With this approach, Michael Porter's Five Forces Model is also an essential tool for exploring the internal environment.

    The BCG (Boston Consulting Group) model helps to make decisions about the intended market positions and the allocation of strategic resources among different business areas in the future. Since this matrix is \u200b\u200bbased on a product life cycle model, all analyzed strategic economic zones (SZH) should be in the same phase of life cycle development. This is a one-factor model (the dimension of the matrix is \u200b\u200b2x2).

    Model I. Ansof and D. Abel (development of the commodity market) describes the possible strategies of the firm in a growing market, which can be implemented by the firm and make a decision on their implementation. In this case, the field of possible strategies lies in three dimensions: the groups of buyers served, the needs of buyers, and the technology used in the development and production of a product or service.

    The General Electric-McKinsey model is an extension of the BCG model. This two-factor model is applicable to all phases of the product life cycle. Increasing the dimension of the matrix (3x3) allows for a more detailed classification of the analyzed businesses.

    The Shell / DPM (Directed Policy Matrix) model is aimed at choosing a long-term investment strategy (outwardly similar to the GE Mckinsey model) based on multiple assessments of the qualitative and quantitative parameters of the business. Compared to GE Mckinsey, this Model places an even greater emphasis on quantitative business performance. If the criterion of strategic choice in the BCG Model was based on an assessment of the cash flow (Cash Fiow), as an indicator in the GE Mckinsey Model - on an assessment of return of Investments, as an indicator of long-term planning, then the Shell / DPM Model uses both of these indicators simultaneously ... Thus, this model is a tool for multi-parameter strategic analysis used in capital-intensive industries (chemical, oil refining, metallurgy). This Model combines qualitative and quantitative variables into a single parametric system. Unlike the BCG matrix, it does not depend on the statistical relationship between market share and business profitability.

    The ADL / LC model takes into account the life cycle stages and market position of the business. The analysis of any business is carried out taking into account these stages. The combination of two parameters (life cycle stage - 4th position and 5 competitive positions creates a 4x5 matrix).

    Depending on the position of the type of business, a set of strategic decisions is given on the matrix. The basic concept of the ADL Model is that a corporation's business portfolio, defined by life cycle stage and competitive position, must be balanced. In addition to displaying the specific position of a type of business, the ADL Model shows its financial contribution to the corporate portfolio, the Model is used to demonstrate the distribution of sales, net income, assets and efficiency of the type of business (RONA indicator), as well as the level of cash reinvestment (internal redistribution). The Hofer / Schendel model is based on a clear division of the different levels of strategic planning. Hofer and Schendel distinguish 3 levels of strategy formulation: corporate, business level and functional level. The HOFFER / SCHENDEL model is designed to balance the corporate portfolio of business strategies. She considers the delineation of a set of strategies for 3 levels (groups): corporate strategies; business strategies and functional. At the same time, the strategic planning process is divided into two levels - corporate and business levels. After establishing the desired type of corporate portfolio of businesses, specific business strategies are formed for a particular type of business. Thereafter, any discrepancies between corporate strategies and business strategies are resolved through consultation of two levels of managers. In this Model (4x4 matrix), the main parameters are the stages of market development and the relative competitive position of the type of business.

    Depending on the position of the type of business, strategies for business development and competition are derived, based on the variables of the strengths of the business and the stages of the life cycle of the relevant market.

    The model is an evolution of the top-down approach used for strategic analysis of diversified firms. At the corporate level, this model uses the development directions of competitors' corporations, their vulnerabilities and opportunities. The model can be used to analyze competitors, both at the corporate and business levels.

    Alternative models of strategic analysis investigate the market and determine the most profitable positioning of the company's business based on its competitive position, taking into account various parameters.

    The EVA (Economic Value Added Analysis) model provides the definition of key value factors (interrelated financial and non-financial indicators), which allow for the valuation of the business and ensure the management of the effectiveness of its development.

    The added economic value EVA (Economic Vaiue Added) is a universal cost indicator of the efficiency of a business.

    The Balanced Scorecarel model is a system for developing a balanced company strategy and translating the strategy to the operational level of activity. This Model provides a balanced implementation of the EVA Model.

    It is the Strategic Map Model that provides business performance management. The KPIs presented in the last section are the final stage of a business performance management system that relies on methods and models of value analysis and a strategic map model - key success factors. Key performance indicators are closely related to the factors that determine the value of the company.

    Chapter 1. Fundamentals of strategic analysis.

    General management principles, basic principles of the plan and specific principles planning strategist

    Strategic planning, its logic is based on certain patterns, called planning principles. Under planning principle one should understand the objective category of the science of planning, which acts as a starting fundamental concept that expresses the cumulative effect of a number of laws of development of both the planning object and the planning practice itself, and determines the tasks, direction and nature of drawing up, the possibility of fulfilling planned tasks, as well as checking their implementation.

    Strategic planning is the central element of the system of management of a society, an organization, and for it four are generally valid general principle management, which include:

    1) the principle of the unity of economics and politics with the priority of politics;

    2) the principle of unity of centralism and independence;

    3) the principle of scientific validity and effectiveness of management decisions;

    4) the principle of combining general and local interests with the priority of interests of a higher rank and stimulating personal and collective interest in the implementation of managerial decisions.

    With regard to strategic planning, these principles have the following content.

    1. The principle of the unity of economics and politics with the priority of politics, the content of which is the requirement according to which the developers of forecasts, strategic programs and plans must proceed from the goals of the policy, planned for implementation by the relevant management entities. Politics is nothing more than an organizationally formed system of interests of the corresponding communities of people. It expresses their relationship with each other and with the state, the direction of this activity in the direction that allows them to realize these interests. In the system of interests, economic interests occupy a central place, they are decisive in comparison with all others, and in this sense, politics is a concentrated expression of the economy. In addition, for the unhindered development of the economy, appropriate political conditions are needed, a state with all its institutions and authorities is needed. Consequently, without the priority principle of policy in managing the economy, the latter cannot develop successfully, which determines the relationship between the economy and politics. At the micro level, the owners of commercial entities form a policy that determines the direction of their development, the distribution of financial performance in accordance with their interests.

    2. The principle of the unity of centralism and independence consists in the fact that the draft decisions prepared by the regulatory bodies in the form of forecasts, strategic programs and plans, on the one hand, should be based on information about the intentions of economic entities, taking into account their interests, and on the other, to ensure the impact on them in the direction necessary for society. Within the firm, centralism and autonomy in strategic planning find their specific application in providing their branches with the maximum possible freedom of economic activity, including in planning, but within the framework of the overall development strategy of the firm.

    3. The principle of scientific validity and effectiveness of forecasts, strategic programs, plans means the need to take into account the following requirements in the process of drawing up them:

    a) compliance with the entire system of laws of the development of society, which determine the content and direction of individual elements and areas of activity. When developing forecasts of projects of strategic programs and plans, it is necessary to proceed from the essence, content and forms of manifestation in practical activity of the economic laws of the market economy, the laws of development of social relations and the laws of the development of science and technology;

    b) deep study and practical use in planned work achievements of modern domestic and foreign science and technology in order to timely implement the restructuring of the economy;

    c) the ability, based on the widespread use of economic instruments, to orient firms towards timely technical re-equipment and renewal of production, flexible susceptibility to the achievements of scientific progress and quick response to the constantly changing needs of society;

    d) ensuring in the process of strategic planning the organic unity of strategic and tactical plans, programs and forecasts;

    e) increasing the degree of reliability of planning and accounting information, which is an information base for calculating indicators of forecasts, strategic programs and plans;

    f) continuous improvement of technology for the development of all planning documents;

    g) ensuring the comprehensive use of all other elements of the strategic planning methodology.

    4. The principle of combining general and local interests with the priority of interests of a higher rank and the stimulation of personal and collective interest in the fulfillment of tasks of strategic programs and plans means, firstly, the objective need for an organic coordination of the interests of various classes, social strata, collectives of commercial organizations individual workers into a single system and ensuring in the process of management the strategic goals of programs and draft plans, as well as the preparation of activities that contribute to their achievement Secondly, when regulating production processes in the national economy, with the help of federal and regional targeted comprehensive strategic programs and plans, the solution of these problems is based on the priority of strengthening the security of society and other universal values. Third, the creation (with the help of a system of economic incentives, in the form of various forms of wages, bonuses, tax and credit benefits, provision of the necessary material resources) of the personal and collective interest of workers in the successful fulfillment of planned targets.

    Analysis of the strategic position of the enterprise in the market and ways to maintain its competitiveness.
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