Strategic Planning & Analysis Flashcards

A 'harvest strategy' in product portfolio management means the organization intends to:

Answer: Gradually reduce investment in a product to maximize short-term cash flow before exit

A harvest strategy extracts maximum cash from a product or business unit with limited future potential by minimizing investment while maintaining sales as long as profitable.

Which planning horizon is most commonly associated with 'strategic planning' versus operational planning?

Answer: Three to ten or more years focused on long-term organizational direction

Strategic planning typically addresses a three-to-ten-year horizon, setting the long-term direction, while operational planning covers shorter-term implementation details.

In competitive intelligence, 'benchmarking' involves:

Answer: Comparing an organization's processes and metrics against industry best performers

Benchmarking systematically compares organizational processes, practices, and performance metrics against leading organizations to identify improvement opportunities.

An organization following a 'prospector' strategy (Miles and Snow typology) is best characterized by:

Answer: Continuously seeking new market opportunities and innovating ahead of competitors

Prospectors (Miles and Snow) are innovation-oriented organizations that continuously explore new products and markets, accepting higher risk in exchange for first-mover advantages.

Which of the following is the MOST critical factor when translating a strategic plan into actionable implementation?

Answer: Aligning resources, accountabilities, and timelines with specific strategic initiatives

Effective strategy implementation requires aligning human, financial, and technological resources with clear ownership and deadlines for each strategic initiative.

The concept of 'strategic intent,' as defined by Hamel and Prahalad, refers to:

Answer: An ambitious long-term goal that stretches the organization beyond current capabilities

Strategic intent is a compelling, ambitious vision—often seemingly beyond current reach—that energizes and directs organizational effort over a sustained period toward a transformative goal.

In force field analysis (Lewin), 'restraining forces' are best described as:

Answer: Factors that resist or hinder movement toward a desired strategic change

In Lewin's force field analysis, restraining forces are the barriers—cultural resistance, resource constraints, inertia—that push back against change and must be reduced for strategy to succeed.