Is strategic planning completely useless? That was the question the CEO of a global manufacturer recently asked himself. Two years earlier, he launched an ambitious overhaul of the company's planning process. The old approach, which required business-unit heads to make regular presentations to the firm's executive committee, had broken down entirely. The ExCom members - the CEO, COO, CFO, CTO, and head of HR - had grown tired of sitting through endless PowerPoint presentations that provided them few opportunities to challenge the business units' assumptions or influence their strategies. And the unit heads had complained that the ExCom reviews were long on exhortation but short on executable advice. Worse, the review led to very few worthwhile decisions.
The revamped process incorporated state-of-the-art thinking about strategic planning. To avoid information overload, it limited each business to 15 'high-impact' exhibits describing the unit's strategy. To ensure thoughtful discussions, it required that all presentations and supporting materials be distributed to the ExCom at least a week in advance. The review sessions themselves were restructured to allow ample time for give-and-take between the corporate team and the business-unit executives. And rather than force the unit heads to traipse off to headquarters for meetings, the ExCom agreed to spend an unprecedented six weeks each spring visiting all 22 units for daylong sessions. The intent was to make the strategy reviews longer, more focused and more consequential.
It didn't work. After using the new process for two planning cycles, the CEO gathered feedback from the participants through an anonymous survey. To his dismay, the report contained a litany of complaints: "it's disconnected from the way we run the business." And so on. Most damning of all, however, was the respondents' near-universal view that the new approach produced very few real decisions. The CEO was dumbfounded. How could the company's cutting-edge planning process still be so badly broken? More important, what should he do to make strategic planning drive more, better, and faster decisions?
Like this CEO, many executives have grown skeptical of strategic planning. Is it any wonder? Despite all the time and energy most companies put into strategic planning, the process is most often a barrier to good decision making, our research indicates. As a result, strategic planning doesn't really influence most companies' strategy.
In the following pages, we will demonstrate that the failure of most strategic planning is due to two factors: it is typically an annual process, and it is most often focused on individual business units. As such, the process is completely at odds with the way executives actually make important strategy decisions, which are neither constrained by the calendar nor defined by unit boundaries. Not surprisingly, then, senior executives routinely sidestep the planning process.
They make the decisions that really shape their company's strategy and determine its future - decisions about mergers and acquisitions, product launches, corporate restructurings, and the like - outside the planning process, typically in an ad hoc fashion, without rigorous analysis or productive debate. Critical decisions are made incorrectly or not at all.
When you make good plans for your holiday trip, you will end up saving more. Spending less does not mean you have to compromise on the quality of your trip. You can still enjoy a high quality vacation while you save. When you go on a luxurious vacation, be prepared to shell out premium price. Here is how you can go about planning for your trip.
First, be clear about why you are traveling. Are you going there for business? Or do you want to go sight seeing? Remember, different strokes for different people. Spare a thought for your travel companions, and think about what they want. Always communicate with your travel companions to avoid misunderstandings. Reconcile your travel goals as much as you can.
It's easier to work out the rest of the details when you have clear goals. For instance, if you are traveling to Bali to golf, then focus more your golf plans. Find travel companions with similar goals. What equipment will you need? Then figure out how much time you need for each activity. You can mix your activities if you like to make the trip more interesting.
Of course, the best travel plans always have a wide variety of activities. For instance, after scuba diving, you can always plan for a relaxing evening reading at the cafe. When you have your days filled with fun and relaxing activities, your trip will be an enjoyable and memorable one.
In sum, make sure that your plan works in your favor. Don't set yourself up for more stress. Distractions are abundant, so you must be careful not to let them spoil your vacation. Just focus on enjoying the trip. Having some peaceful moments to yourself is rare and precious. Your travel plan will help you achieve that.
Once you have made up your mind to go on a luxury vacation, you will now have to pick a destination. Destinations differ in terms of facilities, scenery, and price. But there will be a place that will appeal to your own personal preferences.
When we talk about luxury vacations, we are referring to villas. We are not talking about resorts here. Villas are private dwellings with their very own facilities. They are highly exclusive and very peaceful. Of course, given such exclusivity, they cost a lot more. But in return, you get more space.
The most expensive destinations are those from developed countries. This is because real estate prices are high in such countries. Therefore, you can expect the prices of such villas to be two or three times more than villas in other destinations.
If price is a concern, then perhaps villas in the eastern part of the world such as Indonesia or the Philippines. You can expect prices to be very reasonable.
On top of that, you will also see sights that are more exotic and unusual. For instance, the people in Asian villas dress in traditional costumes that you may have never seen before. Luxury villas in destinations such as Bali are renowned for their exotic feel. Even the surroundings may be a breath of fresh air. For ultimate luxury, try staying in a super large 5 room villa!
So who says you have to spend a fortune to enjoy luxury holidays? Just spend a little more time looking around. If Asian destinations don't suit you, try Australia or New Zealand.
Both Melih Oztalay & Gen Wright are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Melih Oztalay has sinced written about articles on various topics from Modelling, Site Promotion and PPC Advertising. Melih ("may-lee") Oztalay, CEOSmartFinds Internet MarketingWeb: EMail: melih@hsfideas.comAt CJPS Enterprises we specialize in executio. Melih Oztalay's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.
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