Introduction
Strategy is a mechanism that a company or organization uses to defeat rivals. For instance someone can strategize to achieve his personal goals and wishes, someone else can also strategize to achieve his or her dreams in life. Both cases they are what strategizing is about.
One must strategize to do things in a way different from what his rival is doing. You strategize in order to outsmart your rival in all ways possible. Strategic management involves total management and quality management, continuous improvement, and over coming cultural barriers. It involves having a strategic vision. Strategy should be seen as a marketing slogan, which will not withstand competition. (Porter, 2004,p.54).
Strategies in operation
A company has to strategize on prices, pressure on costs, technology, competition from rivals and many more. In this case of mine as a company like Microsoft, which deals with computers, it is good example of what strategy is all about. Microsoft has kept itself in the leading position for a long time because of what it does as its strategies (Porter, 2004, 60-66)
As a company, Microsoft aims at innovation, price and minimizes its costs as much as possible, it uses technology. It has remained at the top of it rivals because of good strategic planning. It has a strategic vision, which is almost perfect or is perfect. And since strategies require hard choices then Microsoft as a company has overcome the strategic dilemma, which many company has not overcome. (Porter, 2004, p.20)
Continuous improvement
It is a company that has continuous improvement and plans more on it is part. It invest more on technology and innovations, as such, it is ahead of other rivals companies in those two areas as well. Other than letting innovations coming by themselves, they have invested a lot of money and manpower in this area.
For a company to be strategically well positioned it has to look on the prices of its products, Microsoft is very much aware of this and this is why it remains above its competitors and it has remained there for along time now
Strategic management
Strategic management is one utmost factor that any company should put into consideration before it throws itself in the race to compete with any other rival company. It has to strategize plan and employ the best manpower possible.
Any company should ensure, it has a better manpower in its decision-making organ. It has to ensure that it is well equipped with a better man-power possible which is to give it the vision it requires and should be best placed in competing with other rival companies. A management, which will steer the company through continuous improvement, quality work, better pricing policies, better costs management and also better strategic planning. The management, which creates a conducive atmosphere for competition and instills discipline in the whole workforce.
A Choice
Strategy is a choice and like any other choice is more of a personal affair. You have to be ready to face it is consequences. I think this is why Japanese companies are known not to strategize. It is something that they have been contented to live with without any problem. Because they know that to strategize is a choice like any other, and in fact it is a hard choice.
One must strategize to ensure he maintains his customers through price advantage. One must strategize to ensure he attracts more potential customers. And more so he knows that a strategy is a way of life. If live a life without strategy is to live a life without a plan. (Porter, 2004, p. 104-106).
I believe a company like Microsoft has a decentralized decision-making organ. Something, which can only be achieved through good strategizing. A company that has not overcome its cultural barriers it is hard for it to strategize because strategizing is more modern in the global market. (Porter, 2004, p.80).
Microsoft as a company goes along way in strategizing in order to keep on beating other competitors. It ensures that it holds exhibitions and promotions for its products,, which are valid and more attractive, as such gaining an upper hand as compared to other companies. It also donates some computers to schools, institutions, colleges and universities.
It is a company with its strategies in place in the face of declining prices in the world market. It always ensures quality software for its customers. It is a company with more strengths that weakness. If it would have more weaknesses than strengths then it would not be where it is now. For sure it is a company with the best managerial skills, which involves best strategies for the company. It is a company that has come face to face or rather has experienced more success than failures. (Porter, 2004, p. 130).
In most cases companies that strategize they just venture in their endeavors to meet success in their work. Venturing is about risking, as such it is the only way of being on the safe side since nothing ventured, nothing have. A well-ventured mission ensures better vision for the company and also cong improvement. Lack of strategic vision in a company must overcome cultural barriers and instead strategize for its own good. (Porter, 2004,p. 92).
Bibliography
Porter. (2004); Michael Porter; New York Press.