A business strategy is a pragmatic plan of action to achieve certain objectives. In order to evaluate its appropriateness the following comes in handy:
Appropriateness
of Business Strategy
A business strategy is a
pragmatic plan of action to achieve certain objectives. In order to evaluate
its appropriateness the following comes in handy:
Internal Consistency: A business strategy in a particular area of business should be
consistent with strategies in other areas and objectives and polices of
business. Internal inconsistency in any strategy will create problem in its
implementation. Consistency
with Environment: A strategy is basically an enterprise’s response to cope with external
environmental variables. Therefore, it should aim at meeting the threats and
pressures of external forces.
Appropriateness in the light of
available Resources: Formulationofastrategyrequiresarealisticassessmentoftheresources
of the enterprise-men, money and materials – both existing resources and the
resources it can command. The resources of an enterprise also include the
skills of management and other manpower, command over sources of scarce raw
materials, production facilities, technology, marketing capabilities and image,
and so on. It is desirable that the every enterprise formulates its strategy
within the limitations imposed by its resources. The objective is to ensure
that the enterprise’s resources are not over-stretched or over-strained on the
one hand and to utilize the existing and commendable resources in the best
possible manner on the other. Acceptable degree of Risk: Any major strategy carries with it certain element of risk and
uncertainty because it covers a long future horizon and because it seeks to
cope with complex environment. The degree of risk inherent in a strategy should
be within the bearable capability of the enterprise. Resources should not be
committed irrevocable, nor should they be a concentrated on a single or narrow
range of ventures. Also, there should be a match between risk and returns,
financial and otherwise. Appropriate Time Horizon: Time is the essence of any strategy. While a reasonably long time span
imparts some flexibility, the problem has to be reckoned with, however, of
forecasting is ever present. How far in the future can top management predict
with credibility is a measure of its capability An optional time span cannot be
mathematically determined; it is a matter of environmental conditions, the
objectives to be sought and the judgment of management. Workability: A strategy should be feasible and produce desired results within the
constraints and parameters known to the management. It should be realistic and
relatively simple to understand and implement. Certain quantitative measures
like volume of sales and profit, growth rate, asset formation, market share,
introduction of new products and so on are to be set. These are to be combined
with qualitative criteria like the degree of confidence with which managers
implement the strategy, the extent to which major areas of decision situations are handled by reference to the
criteria embedded in the strategy, the extent to which opportunities are
exploited, threats averted, resources mobilised, and environmental control
gained.
Tags : Management Concepts & Organisational Behaviour - Policies
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