Strategic Thinking & Decision Making in Competitive Environments

This course is designed for professionals involved in strategic planning and decision-making in both private and public sector organizations. It will be particularly beneficial for:

• Strategic Planners
• Senior Operations Personnel
• Marketing Analysts
• Technical and Research Professionals
• Corporate Finance Specialists
• HR Professionals contributing to long-term staff development

Day 1: Evaluating the Business and its Potential

• Understanding the value structure of a business
• Examining how and why business value is changing
• The “value chain” and “value ladder” in strategic thinking
• Financial and non-financial evaluation of the business
• Foresight as a key strategic activity
• The concept of profitable growth

Day 2: Strategic Analysis in a Competitive Context

• Learning from best practices in strategy
• Developing a strategic mindset
• Managing internal and external relationships during strategy development
• Assessing risk in strategic decisions
• Reviewing and evaluating initiatives and projects
• Ensuring cohesion in strategic programmes and projects
• Strategic analysis in a competitive environment

Day 3: Dealing with Choice and Complexity

• Strategic choice 1: Determining what to do and what to avoid
• Strategic choice 2: Incorporating agility and contingency in decision-making
• Economics of the “make-versus-buy” decision
• Using information technology to manage increasing complexity
• Optimizing the supply-demand chain
• Participating in a virtual or extended organization
• Managing complexity in strategic decision-making

Day 4: Strategic Decision-Making

• Key members of an effective strategic planning team
• Project evaluation and ranking of opportunities
• The role of innovation in strategic decisions
• Risk analysis and management tools and techniques
• Setting project objectives, milestones, and performance measures
• Maintaining differentiation through the total business model
• Making a real-life strategic decision

Day 5: Implementing Strategy and Long-Term Development

• Why most strategic plans fail in implementation
• Breaking down strategy implementation for successful execution
• Treating implementation as a "mission-critical" management activity
• Planning ahead—only as far as you can see
• Leveraging experience to translate foresight into actionable projects
• Discussion of delegates’ follow-up action plans
• Overview and summary of the entire course