Strategic Marketing: Planning and Control, Third Edition

management can provide common tools and analytical techniques

enabling the assessment and control of complex issues, situations and

functional areas.

The process aims to specify corporate objectives and establish ways of
achieving such objectives. The intent is to react to, and of course influence,
the competitive environment to the advantage of the organisation. Any
such advantage must be sustained over the long-term, but be flexible
enough to adapt and develop as required.
Note, strategy and a corporate/strategic planare not one and the same.
Strategy defines the general concepts of future competitive advantage and
reflects intent, whereas a strategic plan specifies the selection, sequence,
resources, timing and specific objectives required to achieve the strategy.
Figure 1.1 summarises the above issues. Note: issues of strategy, tactics
and corporate planning are further developed in Chapter 11.

The strategic perspective 5

Figure 1.1

The basics of

strategy

Business

definition

Integration

of activity

• Scope


• Environment

Macro-environmental analysis

• Co-ordinate


• Synergy


• Vision

Consistency

of

approach

Corporate/strategic plan(s)

Core

competencies

• Competitive
  advantage


• Match


• Resource
  implications

Strategy

• Major decisions


• Long-term direction