The authors of the paper raise topics related to improper payments regularly occurring in various companies. They argue that “the risk of improper payments increases in programs with complex criteria for computing payments, a significant volume of transactions, or emphasis on expediting payments” (Strategies to manage improper payments, 2001, p. 8). The authors’ main point is that work on these problems must be first carried out within the company. Only in this way, will organizations be able to establish work processes and be ready to communicate with other stakeholders. This will help them avoid losses and keep track of all internal operations.
The authors give an example of such a system in the U.K. Their government was committed to ensuring that all payments were timely, calculated, consistent with the circumstances, and controlled. Thanks to this, the country managed to reduce the monetary losses from fraud significantly. Without strategic planning, this would hardly have been achieved. If an organization does not control internal processes, it cannot rely on accuracy in calculations. In addition, the lack of control allows external forces to affect these processes adversely. That is why strategic planning is necessary for the productive work of organizations.
Despite this, in some situations, companies may sometimes be not as attentive to strategic planning. For instance, during a crisis, most organizations should focus on the current state of things. It is vital to understand what areas of work should be paid special attention to for the company to keep functioning. It is also worth applying measures that alleviate the crisis of the organization. Moreover, all these actions will not necessarily lead to positive results in the long run. However, they are essential because the survival of the company depends on this. Therefore, in these situations, strategic planning fades into the background.
The U.K. Parliament has set standards to support its plan and achieve the best results. In particular, “it enacted legislation authorizing data sharing activities within and between government agencies and departments” (Strategies to manage improper payments, 2001, p. 16). This has made financial information more open and accessible, so they can better track inaccuracies. In addition, the state has begun to promote anti-fraud policies actively. In this way, they aroused interest in the problem among the public, which allowed attracting even more attention to it. Thus, the entire state was able to track and evaluate the success of the fight against fraud.
The U.K. Parliament has taken significant steps to improve the financial situation. Since the problem exists on the scale of the whole state, competent and accurate strategic planning was necessary. In my opinion, the parliament managed to work out an effective system of measures to combat fraud. This planning had a positive impact on the country’s economic situation and made citizens more conscious of financial issues. The economic situation of the whole country has improved; therefore, the standard of living of its inhabitants has become higher. Although it is challenging to get rid of fraud completely, the state’s strategy is aimed at this and keeps moving in this direction.
Strategic planning is a crucial part of the public sector. Government organizations, as a rule, are focused on long-term existence. Therefore, they need to plan further actions and anticipate future opportunities and challenges. This will allow them to be more flexible and adapt to any possible situations. In addition, they exist within an extensive, connected state system. In strategic planning, it is necessary to focus on it to be protected by the state and not lag behind. Thus, strategic planning is one of the most critical areas of the activity of various organizations.
Reference
Strategies to manage improper payments: Learning from public and private sector organizations. (2001).