Strategic planning in the Thomas Cook group

Until Midland Bank took control of Thomas Cook in 1972 there were only rudimentary accounts in the Group and no systematic attempt to budget its operations. An immediate priority was to establish an effective finance function and the first planning activities of the Group were centred in this area. At the beginning of the annual planning cycle a Group Strategic Conference at Board level and a Group Planning Conference determine strategies and many territories follow this latter meeting with their own regional conference to discuss Plans, which are finalized and consolidated by computer into the Group Plan, to be ready for the start of the financial year.     

Corporate planning and control systems in Williams & Glyn's Bank

The paper describes the planning procedures presently existing in Williams & Glyn's Bank. Emphasis is placed on the link between the Corporate Plan and the shorter-term budgets; the Corporate Plan provides the framework within which the budget is compiled and the budget is then used as a means of implementing the plan and monitoring progress. Emphasis is also given to the dissemination of the Corporate Plan both to all staff at Branch Manager, or equivalent level, and above and to members of the National Union of Bank Employees Joint Consultative Committee.Lectures based on this paper have been given to the Organization and Use of the Corporate Planning Process Study Group and to the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Group; both Groups belong to the Society for Long Range Planning.     

Planning and social change

During his ten years experience of corporate planning in industry the author became increasingly concerned about the relationship between planning and social change. This article, based on a talk given to the Social and Ecological Study Group of the Society for Long Range Planning, explores an approach to environmental appraisal which might make businesses and government agencies more responsive to the needs of a changing society and their products and services correspondingly more socially desirable. The author is currently leading a multidisciplinary team on a study of urban deprivation in Birmingham.     

How will technology impact your business?

Over 1980–1982 the Business Environment Study Group of the Strategic Planning Society considered how new and emerging technology is likely to impact on business. This included a consideration of the mechanisms by which technology is taken up by business and the ramifications of the technological impacts in the coming decades.This material formed a Study Group publication [R. H. G. Whaley, New Technology Impacts on Business, Proceedings of the Business Environment Study Group, Society for Strategic and Long Range Planning (1983)]. During 1986 the Study Group revised and added to the material as part of the exercise of merging its previous publications into one document— the technology section of which is the subject of this paper.The Study Group does not carry out research, but conducts a networking process where corporate planning and allied opinion on aspects of the business environment are distilled. This enables planners to confirm aspects of their work with others, and for newcomers to pick up the concepts. After discussion a surprising degree of consensus is generally obtained.The Study was carried out by considering the types of technology impacts on business, technology and people's values, innovation, emerging technologies, and the ramifications of technology impacts in the coming decades in different business areas.     

Pluralist organization and consensus in Swedish planning

Planning is regarded as an information input into social decision-making processes, rather than a mode of decision-making. Planning should enhance the scope for rational human choice in social development, by identifying optións. The political character of planning then depends on how and by whom relevant choices are made and implemented. Swedish planning is undertaken by pluralistic organizational structures, in the context of a socio-political consensus which has been conditioned by social democratic ideology.     

Development planning—An adaptive approach

The author argues that Adaptive Planning is necessary for managing development projects. Given the many interdependencies between the project and its environment, and between activities and stages of the Project Cycle, learning-by-doing is essential. The key tasks of planning and coordination cannot be managed in advance through the blueprint planning approach favoured thus far. The rationale and implications of following the Adaptive Planning approach are explored, and examples are given to illustrate the argument.     

Corporate Planning and Control in German industry

This article records some important results of an extensive empirical investigation in GFR. In so doing the structure and the stage of development of Corporate Planning and Control Systems in 355 industrial companies were analyzed—in addition other systems were investigated. Within the context of the planning and Control Systems, the multi-echelon organization of the system, the time scale and the differentiation of the plans as regards content, co-ordinated planning between various management levels (multi-echelon co-ordination) as well as the harmonization, adaptation and formalization of the plans and the planning, were investigated. Furthermore the content of the planning— for example, objectives, programmes, resources, and budgets—, the various sectional plans of the company, the organizational units, information as well as the interrelationship between the different management levels as regards information and the instruments for planning and control, were surveyed. In relation to the other systems, the organization, information, and management development systems as well as the general management system were analyzed.Within the context of the empirical investigation the structure and developmental stage of Planning and Control Systems in 355 industrial companies in the GFR were analyzed. As the basis for the empirical study a technological concept for Planning and Control Systems was worked out, which is based on a comprehensive planning and control theory.     

Planning for innovation

This article is based on a presentation given by the authors to the Society for Long Range Planning and reprinted from the NRDC Bulletin. It is concerned with corporate planning in the NRDC and illustrates the philosophy and approach adopted in planning for innovation in an organization whose work is of a longerterm nature than most companies.     

Change of Thought: Findings on Planning for Shrinkage from a Regional Design Competition

Shrinkage or ‘no growth’ is expected to condition the long-term perspective of many Western cities and regions. Planning for shrinkage differs substantively from planning for growth and therefore calls for a change of thought in spatial planning. In our paper, we analyse how planning professionals responded to a ‘planning for shrinkage’ challenge in a regional design competition. We found that they fully adapted to the shrinking perspective, took a strategic approach, and promoted a leading role for local inhabitants. Collaboration with local inhabitants and entrepreneurs, creating new alliances, and timing emerge as key themes for planning professionals in planning for shrinkage.     

Planning in a free market economy

This paper is based on a research study project on Premises and Process of Introducing Strategic Planning in a Company. It presents and discusses some major findings of the study concerning the content of strategic decisions, the elements of a planning system, the process of introducing strategic planning and the impact of environmental conditions upon the strategic planning system.     

Long range planning for the small firm

The article describes a clear and effective method to undertake basic Long Range Planning. The method has been developed for the busy managers of small firms which do not carry specialist staff. The method involves a single page worksheet on which will appear the entire basic long range planning process. The method can be described as 'Every- managers Long Range Planning!     

Reunite management and planning

In many companies the planning function has been removed from the mainstream of corporate life. Planning (and planners) have been isolated from the locus of decision- making power and insulated from information vital to the planning process. The outcome has been the generation of irrelevant plans and a proliferation of impotent planners. The author argues for a reintegration of technical expertise and managerial power, a reunion of planning and decision-making processes.     

Corporate planning for an uncertain future

The increasing complexity of socio-economic systems has increased the need for planning while at the same time making planning more difficult. Planning in a changing environment for an uncertain future presents the planner with a dual challenge. He must not only identify the forces behind changing circumstances but must also help wean decision-makers from their dependence on single-line forecasts.     

Joint planning for an interdependent world

In this article the author floats the idea of a Planning Forum as an aid to efficiency in what is becoming an increasingly interdependent world. The paper explores the ‘Why?’ and ‘How’ of the argument for joint planning.     

钢铁联合企业的计划与调度系统

钢铁企业的计划与调度是企业高效组织,有序生产,保证产能、经济效益最大化的最核心的生产管理功能.计划部分需要考虑板型设计、物料计划、生产计划等,在详细的排产阶段需要设计热金属交付、连铸、轧制等时刻表甘特图.     

Strategic management: lessons from success and failure.

Is Corporate Planning a failure or a success? In this article David Hussey assesses the research which has been done on the planning process and concludes that Corporate Planning obviously has the potential to improve business performance but for many reasons this potential has not been realized. He then examines the attempts which are currently being made to persuade managers to ‘think strategically’, to use portfolio analysis scenarios and other techniques of strategic analysis. He asserts that to succeed, the planner or the consultant in planning must use these and other analytical approaches to help managers ‘to change the perceptual boundaries of the strategic problem’ and generate strategies and action programmes which will enable them to compete successfully in world markets.     

Focusing innovative effort through a convergent dialogue

This is the first of three articles on Planning for Technological Innovation by Peter Ward (the second and third articles will be published in future issues of the Journal). Appropriate innovation, in products, processes and management, is a means by which industry adapts to a changing environment. Adaptive or dynamic planning at the corporate level serves to foster and direct the necessary effort, as does organic planning in a wider context. The methods described are based on practical experience in industry and consulting work.     

Integrated planning for health care organizations, especially hospitals

Planning in health care organizations is of considerable current interest in this country. Furthermore, effective planning processes require, as a necessary condition for that effectiveness, development within a framework which considers the organizational, managerial and service delivery environment.This paper examines the concept of planning in relation to health care organizations. Through an examination of the effects which proper planning can have upon industrial organizations the authors analyze the possible impacts of planning procedures upon health care institutions. Their analysis leads to certain tentative conclusions as to appropriate organizational structure which could support effective planning. Whilst the authors have yet to test their hypothesis the conclusion they draw from their initial analysis are worthy of further investigation.