Corporate long range planning for ocean oriented industries

In order to evaluate and project the future growth opportunities for ocean oriented industries, it is necessary to get the current market into focus. There has been a considerable amount of misinformation circulated about marine activities and the potential of ocean resources. When this has been translated into corporate programs, the results have been disappointing because of a failure to put the market into the proper perspective and anticipate lead times. Under the circumtansces it is advisable to dispel some of the popular misconceptions about the ocean and related markets before it is possible to identify the long range potential within a realistic context.     

Government economic planning in the United Kingdom

The present system has its origins in the 1961. Plowden Report, which spawned both the Public Expenditure Survey and the Medium Term Assessment. The ramifications and requirements of the former provide the hard backbone of U.K. planning; formal indicative planning has not been attempted since the National Plan of 1965. Instead, the Medium Term Assessment provides a feasible range of scenarios for the next 5 years, circulated only within the Treasury but used as background for the main public expenditure and other economic policy decisions, for advice given to nationalized industries, and for information given to NEDO. However, the emphasis in Government relations with the private sector has shifted firmly away from indicative planning to the ‘bottom-up’ approach of the Industrial Strategy. This general framework appears likely to endure.     

The use of strategic planning techniques in the United Kingdom

In this paper some of the techniques available for strategic planning are reviewed. Four techniques are presented, the experience curve, the growth-share matrix, the directional policy matrix and the PIMS program. The results of a survey into the use of these techniques in the United Kingdom are also presented.     

Planning in a nationalized industry

In times of uncertainty, the art of forward planning becomes—paradoxically—of even greater importance to industry. But how do you plan both flexibly and effectively? In this speech to the Society for Long Range Planning at the Royal Society on 11 March 1975, BSC's managing director finance, Leonard Kingshott described how the BSC tackles the problem.     

Corporate strategic planning in a university

This paper reviews the relevance of key constituents in modern corporate strategic planning to policy determination in universities. The emphasis is on corporate policy making at the level of the individual institution, not the universities or higher education as a whole. From the outset it is assumed that a university has a measure of autonomy within a wider negotiated environment of which the universities, as a group, are a sector for negotiating purposes. There are therefore important elements in the working of any university that are bound not only by general laws and customs but by specific standard policies, practices and conditions applicable to all universities within a country, e.g. salary and wage-scales.First the environment of universities is examined to ascertain the relevance of such an approach to their problems before passing to an appreciation of their unique features in terms of decision-taking and adaptability. Only in the light of this survey is an attempt then made to concentrate on the particular issues which a university may have to resolve and to which such longer term planning can make a contribution.Inevitably this paper is coloured by the experiences and observations of the author when involved in two U.K. institutions that have undergone rapid growth and change at a pace previously unprecedented in the history of higher education in the United Kingdom. This experience has been shared by many universities and replicated in other higher educational institutions such as polytechnics.     

Corporate planning for a church

The article provides a case history of the introduction of corporate planning into a small Methodist Church. It describes the methods used to secure a widespread involvement and participation in the exercise of those who attend the church, and draws parallels with business planning situations It also underlines some of the differences.The end product of the first stage of the planning effort was a series of project plans leading to increased activity directed at fulfilling the objectives defined for the church. The events described in this article occurred in 1972 and early 1973.     

Corporate planning—a conceptual critique

Corporate planning is accepted by some as being an effective, efficient, and feasible means of charting the path an enterprise takes through the future. In this paper the author questions both the concept and the contribution of corporate planning. The author examines not only the problem of budgetary analysis within a planning process but also questions the ability of corporate planning to provide the necessary perspective of the future in any identifiable or probabilistic sense. The author postulates ‘the guts of corporate planning’. In the author's own word conceptual critiques ‘may be defined as setting up your own straw man in place of the other fellow's sawdust totem’. However, this paper presents some controversial yet fundamental criticisms of the current concepts of corporate planning. It is for the reader to judge whether the straw or the sawdust is deepest.     

Corporate planning in small companies— a survey

The current state of research on corporate planning is directed at investigations of actual practices within specific industries. It is believed that by so doing, a more generally applicable theory of corporate planning will ultimately be developed. Within this broad framework, the study reported upon in this article was undertaken so that a determination could be made of the current level of actual planning by small businesses. More specifically, it focuses upon the corporate planning process within small and medium sized companies located in New England, U.S.A.     

Corporate planning in the Netherlands

This article is the result of an investigation into the practice of corporate planning in 20 major Dutch companies. The results emphazise some of the problems regarding the corporate planner and his role in the firm. Those problems are such that it is not unrealistic to speak of some sort of “identity crisis”.     

Corporate strategic planning in practice

Practical approaches have now been developed for use in corporate strategic planning. These methods can be applied to any type and size of business organization anywhere.     

Corporate planning in developing economies

The critical factor in industrial planning in developing economies is the effective implementation of national or regional plans at the individual industrial enterprise level. This article focuses upon the ‘state of the art’ of corporate planning in developing countries and, having considered the difficulties and opportunities for improvement, suggests guidelines for a constructive assistance programme based on the development of planning in terms of progressive modular steps which may be introduced one at a time depending upon individual needs and other local circumstances.     

Corporate planning in local government

The author suggests that corporate planning in local government is concerned with giving purposive choice to our local communities through the political process. It is not concerned with making the choice, but it is concerned with ensuring that there is awareness that a choice is being made and that attempts are made to understand the impact of that choice.     

Corporate planning in local government—a case study

The authors set out their view of the peculiar problems facing corporate planners in local government as compared with the private sector and their view of the nature of corporate planning in this special environment. By way of illustration as to how one local authority has attempted to introduce corporate planning, the article includes a case study of the City of Bradford Metropolitan Council.     

Corporate planning a review of questions and answers

This paper is about corporate planning, seen primarily but not exclusively from the viewpoint of operational research. The reasons for the rise of interest in corporate planning are examined, as are the contributions which O.R. has made or can make to corporate planning problems. An abstract discussion of these problems concentrates on those posed by increasing “connectedness” in the environment. After comparing the responses of the “commonsense manager”, the model-oriented operational researcher, and the cybernetician, the question is posed: “How can the operational researcher or planner enhance the adaptive capability of his organization?” A case study illustrates one possible form of solution, the “modular” approach; and another, the “zoom-lens” is outlined. The relevance of global system modelling to the widening problems of the corporate planner is also considered, and related to the concepts previously discussed.     

Manpower planning for maintenance jobs in process industries

This paper describes a model for allocating the weekly requirement of manpower for maintenance jobs in the process units. We develop a simple procedure for the solution of the manpower allocation problem which has to deal with planned and unplanned jobs during a planning period. The solution procedure is illustrated by a numerical example. Possible extensions of this model are also discussed.     

Corporate planning in South African companies

This paper is based on the research understaken by the author for his dostorate thesis. It describes the research methodology, data analysis and results of a survey of strategic planning as practised by South African companies, based over 500 questionnaires. The influence of the various interest groups revealed in the analysis is compared and discussed.     

Corporate planning in an international environment

In any company, corporate planning centres on deciding what kind of business it should be in, and the philosophy which should govern its method of operation. When the company is an international one, then not only does its organisational structure require closer attention, but another dimension is added to its strategy—that of choosing the countries in which to operate. This article is concerned with two aspects of management: organization and control and the factors influencing the selection of a country for investment purposes.     

Corporate planning in the mineral industry

The following overview of external and industry environment with brief references on approaches to corporate planning, is intended to stimulate interest for more in-depth examination of particular phases or issues in planning within the mineral industry. Commentary and dialogue will be welcomed by the author.     

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.