Every business and organization has set goals. The distribution of resources to achieve them is referred to as strategic management. It is an area with many elements to it, such as competitor analysis and planning.
The benefits of strategic management aren’t only financial. Setting long-term and short-term goals helps create a vision of a future for the business. In other words, it is the direction in which an organization is headed. Proper and timely strategic management can help significantly improve performance and profitability.
In this article, our experts have gathered topics and essay questions on strategic management. They will help you start and finish your assignment. Under the article, you will also find strategic management essay samples written by students like yourself.
There are different reasons why strategic management is important. It’s a shame that plenty of first-time business owners neglect to address future plans and ideas. Failing to set long-term objectives leaves a company without focus. Strategic planning helps not only find direction but also compare the business against its competitors.
The world of the 21st century is fast-paced and ever-changing. A business needs to be able to survive in new environments and plan for sudden changes. Being prepared can result in an organization discovering new opportunities and give it a competitive advantage.
A business has limited resources. Thus, it needs to have a clear idea of where they’re being allocated. Wasting time and effort will result in setbacks. Effective leadership involves implementing specific policies and management practices that clearly outline the framework to be followed.
Finally, a business without a mission is a business without a drive. There has to be an underlying assumption about the focus and nature of an organization. Understanding the company’s mission allows both the owners and the employees to know where they’re headed.
9 Essay Questions on Strategic Management
Writing a strategic management essay, you may encounter or seek essay questions. Using them helps narrow down the scope of your work and focus your body paragraphs.
We came up with some ideas for you right here:
How can a business conduct competitor analysis?
Explain what competitor analysis is. Discuss competitive intelligence and competitor research. What are some of the ways this study can be conducted, such as the competitive profile matrix?
What are some of the most effective strategic management techniques for establishing future objectives for small businesses?
Mention some useful methods in the process of strategic management. For example, talk about the SWOT or the Growth-share matrix. Which tool is the most effective in establishing goals for a small business?
Are internal and external analyses similar?
Outline the main components of internal and external analyses. Compare and contrast the concepts. What are the goals of conducting these types of studies?
How does strategic control differ from other types of management control?
Define the concept of strategic control. What are some other strategic management examples? Compare and contrast them. Mention that strategic control accounts for uncertainty and doubt.
How can a business ensure a successful merger using strategic management?
Describe the meaning and the process of a merger. Note the challenges that can arise during this process. Analyze the different ways of ensuring success, such as integration strategies.
What is the difference between strategy implementation and formulation in marketing?
Elaborate on the key elements of strategy implementation and strategy formulation. Compare and contrast them. Explain how these concepts would be executed in the context of marketing.
How do global businesses conduct effective strategic cost management?
What is the process of strategic cost management? Evaluate some of the techniques global businesses might use, such as target costing. Provide real-life examples.
Why would a business want to conduct internal and external R&D?
Explain what R&D is and how it relates to strategic management. Contrast external and internal R&D. Describe the reasons why combining the two is beneficial.
What tools can a business use to ensure that its goals and objectives are being met?
Explain different types of objectives a business might set. Show some of the strategic management tools that can evaluate performance, such as the Balanced Scorecard. Which of these tools is most effective?
21 Strategic Management Assignment Topics
While using questions is effective, sometimes they can distract you from writing your best essay about strategic management. If this sounds like you, then we have something else to offer. Below, we have gathered some ideas for you to explore. Besides, you can use our very title generator – it will create a topic for you automatically!
Check these strategic management topics:
A discussion on the difference between horizontal integration and vertical integration.
How can a business achieve a competitive advantage in its niche?
The effectiveness of PEST and SWOT analyses in strategic management.
Dell – a strategic management case study of low-cost manufacturing and supply chain organization.
An analysis of the long-term benefits of sustained strategic planning.
The difference between business-level, corporate-level, and global-level strategies.
How can strategic management lead to effective conflict resolution?
The advantages and disadvantages of horizontal integration.
What role do the stakeholders play in strategy implementation?
An evaluation of the steps of the AFI Strategy Framework.
How businesses adjust when set objectives aren’t being met.
A case study of Walmart’s strategic management and vertical integration.
The factors to consider during the process of strategy formulation.
A study of the Strategic Management Journal: its impact on the universal principles in strategic planning.
What are the limitations of strategic management?
A breakdown of the strategic management process: key components.
How do businesses choose what type of vertical integration to implement?
Porter’s 5 Competitive Forces and the creation of market opportunities for new businesses.
A study of the critical assumptions of the Research-Based View.
The benefits and limitations of Ansoff’s Matrix in strategic planning.
A critical evaluation of the VRIO framework and its role in strategic management.
Thank you for reading! We hope that these ideas will further inspire you in your strategic management assignment.
Writing an academic paper is always hard work, so we wish you the best of luck. If you still seek a little more guidance, check out our strategic management paper examples below. And if you don’t have the time for that, use our online summarizer to shorten them!
Notably, the document analyzes and describes the primary facts and issues the company manages using its BSC methodology, the strategic objectives pursued using the tactic and assesses the suitability of the adopted strategy.
This paper is an analysis of the impacts that technology has had on businesses in the past and the impact that future technology is expected to have on businesses.
The strategy formulation and planning phase is executed by the needs of the consumers. The company has been producing superior smartphones and mobile devices that support the needs of more customers.
Being an Internet-based company in the world's largest Internet market, Alibaba has used technology to enhance customers' purchasing power of products from different parts of the world. For Alibaba, the expanding network of both sellers [...]
Lime had to reduce the number of staff and wait for the situation to stabilize. Pandemic fatigue and the return of people to the streets coincided with active Lime marketing campaigns.
The potential for Waitrose & Partners' expansion is significant, and it is vital to evaluate the company's strategy and positioning in the current market.
McDonald's also strives to unite and develop society and improve the visitors' mood through its service. This change affected the mission of the organization and its activity.
Ford Company has been forced by the prevailing conditions to adopt the changes; for example the company has a website where a customer can log in and communicate directly to the company.
Microsoft works to ensure that its products and services are constantly evolving and improving in order to meet the needs of customers. The company has developed a range of automation solutions to help customers increase [...]
30, regardless of the number of items ordered, I realized that the implementation of the Economic Order Quantity model could be an effective way to reduce the ordering cost.
Since resources are limited, the effectiveness of the strategy is determined by the extent to which managers' strategic choices lead to the company's competitive advantage.
To achieve the goal and maximize profits, it is important to resolve such a problem as the necessity to minimize lead time and queues and receive the customer contract with the highest level of payment.
Improved cross-border labor flows and foreign direct investment, technological advances, and changes in the competitive domains of firms are the leading forces behind the internationalization of enterprises in the 21st century.
In order to interpret the results illustrated in the matrix, it is important to understand that the intersection of the horizontal and vertical lines of the EFE matrix and the IFE matrix indicate points of [...]
The significance of the reference to the 21st century is in the company's intention to address the issues the new age brings first and foremost, the environmental situation.
The Mac OS Big Sur for fostering a positive work environment that allows its staff to be happy and comfortable. Their products will be more effective in the market due to this, and customers will [...]
The Strategic Change Cycle is an action in strategic planning aimed at the constant development of an organization’s strategy and adaptation to new conditions.
From the above analysis, ineffective marketing was identified as the main issue characterizing Emirate's internal and external environment and that has the potential to influence the company's future operations.
In this case, Toyota's strategy was to use the just-in-time production approach that it transferred from its Japanese facilities to other countries as the firm's strategy and structure. Related and supporting industries were the suppliers [...]
Apple Inc.'s current success can be attributed to the organization's effective management and leadership abilities to quickly adapt to a highly dynamic business environment.
The great idea was that the company provided its customers with the possibility of sharing the link, telling their friends and families about the deal, and encouraging them to buy it.
While the majority of data used to analyse the success of Bulgari's use of diversification will be collected from secondary sources, primary research will be collected through an interview with the CEO of Bulgari, which [...]
In reference to this fact, the authors, in this case, seek to bring out the various considerations needed and their impacts on decisions to outsource or make Scotts Miracle-Gro, the company which is the subject [...]
One of the central reasons for the decline and failure of Kodak was the inability to correctly evaluate the current situation and disregard of digital technology and opportunities that were associated with it.
Due to this strategy, the company understands what their customers require and creates its products according to the desire of the consumers, so the final product just waits for the client to buy it.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the three matrices and learn how this information can define possible strategies to capitalize and add value to Amazon.
The company statement plays a vital role in communicating the focus of the business to the customers. Uber company has the largest market share following the spread of its business operations in different countries.
The objective of the organization to create a unique place with a comfortable atmosphere in order for people to enjoy the taste of perfect coffee was accomplished.
What is the relationship of collaboration and innovation to that business strategy? The main benefit of this tool is that it involves a greater number of workers in the development of a product.
In the case of Nespresso, its main advantage is built on the quality of the good and service, which is valuable, and the scale of Nestle production, which is difficult to imitate.
Modern world of innovative technologies preconditions a wide usage of technological intervention strategies in the sphere of organizational development. According to this view, the appliance of behavioral intervention strategies in diverse environments is a crucial [...]
The absence of a business strategy that would have helped the organization to become instantly recognizable and gain the trust and support of new customers is the main contributor to M&S's failure in Ireland. The [...]
In the current business environment, competition is a normal phenomenon in the day-to-day running of the business. Third, environmental scanning provides the company with the vital inputs in the process of development and implementation of [...]
Mission and vision though often confused as to mean the same things are different in that mission is the purpose of existence of an organization while vision is what the organization hopes to achieve. The [...]
This paper aims to discuss the influence of globalization, technology, strategic models, stakeholders, as well as mission and vision statements on the success of Johnson & Johnson company.
The authors also name major abilities every successful company should have: the ability to see the change, the ability to experiment, the ability to manage complex systems, and the ability to motivate people.
The focus of the strategy will be on its aerospace division The aerospace engine industry is, unique in the world of business in the sense that it is very oligopolistic.
Such a demographic presence of the company leads to the growing popularity of cruise travel as a vacation option, especially with regards to the company's reputation as the leading service provider in the sphere.
Because of a communication error between Zumba business owners and Crunch gyms, the Zumba business ended up losing a lot of time and money in legal negotiations concerning the rights of the songs used in [...]
In the first quarter of the 2020/2021 fiscal year, the company recorded a financial performance that exceeded the projections of analysts who had predicted poor performance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the case study, perform a detailed analysis of Tetra Pak's current position on the market, and draw up recommendations for Tetra Pak and Greatview on how their [...]
The purpose of this paper is to conduct an external and internal environmental analysis of the BMW Group to be able to assess its strategy from different perspectives.
Caterpillar Inc.'s acquisition of Bucyrus International, which occurred in 2011, maybe considered the most critical one since it has contributed to Caterpillar's performance and success in achieving its goals.
The basic purpose of this part of the paper is the strategic evaluation of the company in terms of the competitive advantages of the company in the context of SWOT analysis.
The main problem is that the Coca-Cola Company tried to raise the declining demand for its products and push up the sales by carrying out research on obesity that emphasized the importance of sport and [...]
Accordingly, this case study will endevour to assess the organisational background of Skoda Auto, from the time of its inception in the early 1890s, and how the firm has progressed over the years to become [...]
The competitive leading positions as well as the growth of the hospitality industry particularly in the emerging economies have also contributed to the growth of the firm.
It is concerned with determining the quantity and timing of production in order to meet forecasted demand at the lowest cost possible and by maintaining the quality of the product at the same time.
The second principle of TQM is that the problem in most companies is the processes but not the people. This was based on the fact that the quality of the products was determined by all [...]
The important milestones achieved in its history include the decentralization of healthcare to 20 districts and the establishment of the national insurance agency in 2018.
Consequently, the number of layers on the one hand and the number of project and business management units within each layer on the other inarguably depends on the size of the unit, budgetary allocations, number [...]
According to Swamidass, the term 'cycle time' is used in the management field to signify the duration of time taken by the production personnel to avail the product for onward shipment or delivery to the [...]
The main objective of the strategy was to make VWB the largest producer and seller of vehicles in South America. The target of the strategy was to develop a new relationship with the key stakeholders [...]
The understanding of the specific forces and factors in the industry and sector where the company operates is essential to the development of effective strategies.
In addition, it has cinema business with more than 180 screens across the MENA region; it generates the highest profit from the operation of the national market; at the same time, Egypt, Bahrain, and Qatar [...]
However, there are risks to the effectiveness of talent acquisition, retention, and development and the sustainability of the team's success in the long term.
According to the case, AHS's mission is to advocate for the medically unserved and ensure equality in providing and access to adequate healthcare services to everyone in the Asian community, including refugees and immigrants regardless [...]
Since the introduction of biscuits in Australia, so many market players have entered the industry and the competition has been increasing tremendously.
Over the years, the Japanese company has proven to be a force to be reckoned with and it is safe to say that what indeed fueled Nissan's success was its constant search for innovation.
The component aids in the provision of the effective strategies that can enhance room for change of processes implementation to ensure effectiveness in the planning processes within a sound organization The recent research findings have [...]
The main drivers surrounding the future development of change strategies and the social and environmental application of the proposals will also be explored in the current review.
The concept of competitive advantage in strategic management refers to the advantage over the opponents that is achieved by providing the consumers with a higher value.
At the rudimental level, dynamism and uncertainty of the technological, economic and political environments have made company's see the light of flexibility and responsiveness.
The policies define organizational culture, and when implementing annual objectives, employees are bound by the culture to work in a given pattern. When developing long-term objectives, it is always important to focus on the vision [...]
With the constant growth of the cancer drugs industry, Herbal has massive potential to capture a large market share due to the innovative nature of the new drug.
Also, the possible effects of the goals and plans are evaluated at this stage. The reason behind this is that implementation of plans helps in achieving the set goals.
Table 1: EFE Matrix It is important to note that the market of Microsoft Corporation is oligopolistic by nature, and only a handful of big businesses dominate the market.
One of the products which are currently in the maturity stage of the cycle is the fast food of Burger King, and there are two main reasons for this standpoint.
The current opportunities include India and Brazil, where workforce is significantly cheaper, and where Walmart can gain the loyalty and attention of new buyers.
The purpose of this report is to discuss the market of a biscuit company in Australia. The author of this report has selected Arnotts Ltd to examine the market of a biscuit company in Australia.
Next month, Starbucks will celebrate 10 years of operations in the UK, where it has transformed coffee from breakfast staple to lifestyle accessory - a process supported by its much-publicized partnership with Apple, its Starbucks [...]
The respective organizations can create long-term goals with the aid of practical ideas with the assistance of the affiliates to persuade the authorities to bring about significant improvements in the lives of the kids that [...]
As the Office of the Auditor General indicates, the governance system comprises a steering committee established to deliver strategic guidance on the Project, and a project control group that gives general direction concerning Project's realisation.
This is because the opportunity method reaches out for the achievable value while in the goal grid method, the future achievements are the key issue in a firm.
Thus, the analysis will represent the review of the possible problems described in the case study, the recommendations for the company, and the analysis of the strategic approaches, which are used, and should be resorted [...]
As a result, there is a need to implement an effective IT strategic plan, facilitated by formulating strategic outcomes that align with the overall business strategic plans, and the department's mission and vision.
The company also has very competitive pricing of its products and services that has ensured that it is continuous to be more attractive for many clients.
In the banking industry, competition is multi-faceted as the operations of companies capture a multitude of areas from loans to brokerage services, and finding an organization that will be the most effective in the offering [...]
The rapid changes in the organization reduce the confidence of managers in meeting the future needs of the business. Participation or the presence of the human personnel in an organization is a source of uncertainty [...]
This rise in prices is due to the constraints in the supply and manufacture of the commodities because of the difficulty and risk involved in obtaining raw materials.
In this section, we will analyze two staple examples of Market Myopia demonstrated by two major companies that were once leaders in their own segment of the market but fell off due to overconfidence and [...]
So, to conduct the analysis of the threat of mobility, it is necessary to concentrate on the barriers for entering and developing and analyze the possible reactions from new competitors' sides."Barriers to entry are the [...]
Considering the popularity of SWOT analysis, the article reveals current aspects of this process and may affect the choice of entrepreneurs whether to use it or not.
In addition to the BSC, other strategic management frameworks can be used for global expansion, and they include the Objectives and Key Results and the PEST model.
It will be crucial for Sportsman to create a strategic human resource plan that will capture all the requirements necessary to assist the effective transition in competitive strategy if they want to succeed with their [...]
The functional departments of Wal-Mart that are most needed to facilitate the strategy are, marketing, human resource, IT, manufacturing operation and accounting.
The company’s organizational structure changed three times. The last shift resulted in the creation of 25 small groups that concentrate on a particular sphere.
There are two types of business plans, strategic and operating plan. Strategic planning is more broad notion and offers the strategic goal of the company for a big period of time.
The Positioning School provides the best theoretical frameworks for analyzing this case, and the Design and Planning School offers better strategies for the company to espouse.
Stakeholders are one of the key elements in the corporate structure and as such, the division of roles and duties is crucial in guaranteeing the success of a company.
Just as suggested by the name, Scandinavian Airlines System mainly operates in the Scandinavian countries although it has operations other countries as well. The challenge is that the prices of the services might be higher [...]
Walmart on the other hand is one of the largest discount retail stores in the world operating 8,416 stores and clubs in 14 countries and serving 176 million customers per year to date.
For all these requirements, the alignment of IT and business is crucial. Most of them have to do with the inconsistencies between technology and business aims.
A personal functional area guides directional and fundamental planning activities of the firm, and are concerned with such problems as to whether to diversify and, if so, into what lines; whether new products should be [...]
I would recommend the project to be organized in matrix, this is because matrix is a structure in which functional and staff personnel are assigned to both basic functional area and to a project or [...]
In conclusion, the main reason for Blockbuster's failure was due to poor core competency transfer of its marketing skills; an important factor for customer satisfaction, hence increased revenues from business ventures.
This paper evaluates Zara's business plan, including its financial plan, management team, and marketing strategies in order to determine the restaurant's internal strengths and potential to attract investors.
Wang and Moini note that researchers reported different data on divestment, but it is clear that from one-third to a half of the companies were divested after M&A.
A Comparison between Strategy Formulation and Implementation Strategy formulation entails the process of developing and establishing the mission, vision, and objectives of an organisation.
The mission of the management is to ensure production of goods and services in the suitable quantity and quality and then distributing them at the required place at the right time.
However, effective strategic planning demands relevant and up-to-date information about the current state of the firm, its position on the market, the current demand for particular products, and the work of competitors.
The entrance of Soho Art Gallery into the market of art production creates necessity for making use of the existing technologies as for instance Internet for improving business capabilities and promoting Soho Art Gallery interests [...]
When speaking about the evaluation of a fictitious firm, it may be easier and more appropriate, to begin with, the identification of external factors based on the information about the industry and market segment in [...]
