Planning as a function of management. Planning as a function of management in a modern enterprise

landscaping 26.09.2019
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Distinguish between long-term, strategic and current planning.

Short-term planning has been actively used by firms for a long time. However, the rapid growth of the economy, increased competition, dynamization external environment led to the transition to long-term planning. In the 50s, it was first used in large and medium-sized firms. The planning process includes four steps:

development of common goals of the enterprise;

specification and specification of goals;

determination of ways, economic and other means of achieving these goals;

control over the achievement of goals.

The planning process can be represented as a diagram (Fig. 1).

This algorithm can be used as a working tool in the preparation of a strategic plan for the activities of a trading enterprise.

Planning is a purposeful type of control action, the implementation of which is considered as component management process.

The direction of planning depends on its classification: according to the degree of coverage (general and partial), content in the aspect entrepreneurial activity(strategic - the search for new opportunities and products, tactical - prerequisites for known opportunities and products, operational - the implementation of this opportunity), the subject (object) of planning (target, means - potential, equipment, materials, finance, information; program, actions), areas of operation (manufacturing, marketing, finance), coverage (global, contour, macro-values, detailed), terms (short, medium, long-term), rigid and flexible.

Planning provides answers to the following questions:

1) What is the current state of the organization. To do this, you need to assess the situation in the field of finance, production and other areas.

2) What should be the goals of the organization. Assessing the opportunities and threats in the environment, the goals of the organization should be determined. It should be clearly defined: the object of planning (what is planned), the subject of planning (who plans), the period (horizon) of planning (for how long), planning tools (for example, computer software), planning methodology (how to plan), coordination of plans (which with whom and under what conditions Management's approach to planning can be carried out by setting the criteria and objectives of planning, determining the means of planning, methods of coordinating plans, directions and methods of planning.

1.3 Planning steps

Planning involves making specific solutions on the functioning of the development of the production system. This allows to ensure its effective functioning and development in the future, to reduce their uncertainty. Such decisions are usually referred to as planned, which may be associated with the setting of certain parameters.

Making such decisions is the planning process in broad sense. In the narrow sense, planning is a comparison of special documents - plans that determine the specific steps of the organization in the implementation of the decisions made.

Often the plans reflect: forecasts for the development of the organization; intermediate and final goals and tasks facing it and its individual divisions; mechanisms for coordinating current activities and allocating resources; emergency strategies.

The concept of goals and plans is an integral part of any society. A goal is a desired state of the future that an organization is trying to achieve.

The meaning of the goals is determined by the fact that each organization exists for the sake of a certain result, and the goals allow both defining it and bringing information to employees and society. The plan is a route for the organization to achieve its goals, including resource allocation schemes, various schedules, and intermediate tasks. The term planning combines goals and plans, that is, it is the process of determining the goals of the organization and the means to achieve them.

Goal setting starts with the top management of the organization. The first stage of the planning process involves the statement of the mission and the formulation of the strategic goals of the company. Goals express specific individual areas of activity of the organization. The importance of setting goals is related to the fact that they are the foundation for management, planning, organization, motivation, control; determine ways to improve the efficiency of the organization; underpin any business decision; serve as a guide for the formation of specific planned indicators.

The values ​​and goals of top management influence the activities and behavior of the firm. Values ​​are formed by our experience, education and socio-economic background. Values ​​guide and guide leaders in making critical decisions.

General observations and sociological research confirm that behavior is not free from influence value orientations; both individuals and organizations show preferences for certain types of behavior. They express this preference by following a certain line of behavior, even if it means a loss in terms of results.

First of all, when planning, it is necessary to determine the goals of the organization.

The main overall goal of the organization is a clearly expressed reason for its existence and is designated as its mission. All goals are developed for the implementation of this mission.

In other words, the mission is the main goal for which the company is created.

From this it follows that at the top of the hierarchy and corporate goals is the mission, or rationale for the activities of the organization, that is, a description of its values, aspirations and reasons for which it exists. A clearly defined mission is the foundation of the goals and plans that follow from it.

The mission of the firm should be seen in terms of identifying the basic needs of customers and meeting them effectively, management actually creates customers to support the organization in the future.

There is only one reasonable definition of the purpose of entrepreneurship - the creation of a client. If an entrepreneurship takes on the mission of creating customers, it will also reap the profits it needs to survive, barring mismanagement of that mission.

The mission statement is called general definition the main lines of business and operations of the organization that distinguish it from other companies. The mission statement usually describes the potential markets and consumers of the company, indicates the main points of application of its efforts. From the mission statement, the public can learn about corporate values, the attitude of the organization towards employees, the policy of improving the quality of products and the level of service, the location of the company's divisions. As a rule, the mission statement reveals both the priority goals and the philosophy of the company.

The significance of the mission for the organization and its employees is very high. The goals developed on its basis serve as criteria for the adoption management decisions. After all, if the main goal of the organization is missing, then its leaders do not have a logically justified choice of alternatives.

In the absence of an organization's mission, its leaders may have only their individual values ​​as the basis for making decisions. As a result, there may be a dispersion of the efforts of employees, rather than unity of purpose, which is essential for the success of the organization.

The mission details the status of the organization and provides direction and direction for setting goals and strategy at various organizational levels. That is, the mission is the goal for which the organization exists and which must be completed in the planning period. The special significance of the mission for the activity of the enterprise lies in the fact that it is the basis for all planned decisions of the company, for the further definition of its goals and objectives. The mission creates confidence that the organization pursues non-contradictory, clear, comparable goals; helps to focus the efforts of employees in the chosen direction, unites their actions; provides understanding and support among external participants in the organization.

Setting goals involves specifying the time periods for which they must be achieved, in other words, determining the deadlines, dates by which it is necessary to obtain the set results.

Thus, all goals and plans of the company have a certain time horizon. Therefore, according to the timing of the implementation of plans, it is customary to divide them into long-term, medium-term and short-term.

Long term ( over five years) are mainly classified as strategic plans.

medium-term ( from one to five years) are carried out in the form of various kinds of programs and consist in determining tactical goals.

Short term ( up to a year), include the operational goals of departments and employees, and also take the form of budgets, network diagrams.

Planning covers all levels of management and helps to take and simplify actions that will lead to the achievement of the organization's goals. It also reduces the risk of uncertainty in the external and internal environment of the organization, helps to optimally delegate authority and allocate resources within the company. Important Goals planning include achieving a certain level of profit, increasing labor productivity, the ability of the organization to enter a new market, etc.

The effective implementation of the planning function involves:

obtaining information about the main general economic and market conditions affecting the market of the company itself and its competitors, in particular, information about past sales and profits;

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

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Planning as a function of management is the definition of a variety of tasks for the functioning and development of the enterprise, as well as ways and money to achieve them. Any organization necessarily requires planning, because many management decisions are made:

Resources are allocated;
. activities are coordinated among individual divisions;
. coordinates with the market;
. an effective internal structure is created;
. activity is controlled;
. the organization develops in the future.

Planning as a function of management is able to provide timely decisions, as well as avoid hasty decisions. It sets a clear goal and The right way to implement it, and mandatory control of the situation.

The usual functions of management in an enterprise:
- predicts and plans;
- organizes work;
- motivates;
- coordinates and regulates;
- performance of control, accounting, analysis.

Management functions at the enterprise, which are distinguished, taking into account the activity:
- implementation of long-term and current economic and social planning;
- work on standardization is organized;
- accounting and reporting;
- performance economic analysis;
- technical preparation of production;
- organizing production;
- manage the technological process;
- operational management of production;

Functions modern management- Quite varied.
Planning like this:
. goal setting (goals are determined);
. combination (coordination) of the goal and the means to achieve it;
. develops or unity existing system performance of the company and its future development.
Goal setting is the development of tasks, and these are the general goals of the company and the goals of its individual division. As a result, different goals are obtained, which underlie planning.

To implement planning, you also need to have an established organizational system. is sent to get the planned indicator, and the results depend on how this work is organized and coordinated. Even the most perfect plan will not be implemented if there is no such organization. There must be executive structures. Apart from this, the organization must have the ability to develop in the future, because if this is not the case, then everything will collapse. The future activity of the organization depends on the external environment, on the skills and knowledge of employees, on those places that belong to the organization in the industry.

All planning in the company can be divided into the following levels: strategic and operational. as the function of management is to determine the purpose and procedure of the organization in the long term, the operational is the system by which the organization is managed on current time. These two connect the organization, in general, with all specific units, and this is the key to successful coordination of action. If we talk about the organization in general, then planning is carried out in this way:

1. Design
2. Given the mission, develop a strategic focus or direction of work (landmark is often called a quality goal).
3. Evaluate and analyze the external and
4. Define a strategic alternative.
5. Choose a specific strategy or path to achieve goals. They answer the question "what to do?".
6. When the goal is set and alternative ways are chosen to get it, then the development of tactical plans, the implementation of procedures, the implementation of the rules are required.

Based on all of the above, we can conclude that planning as a function of management allows a modern enterprise to develop extremely efficiently and dynamically, without spending extra financial resources.

In this lecture we will talk about the first function of the management process, about the planning function. What is the management process (or management cycle), as well as the functions that it includes, in general, we have already analyzed. With the same material, we begin a cycle of full-fledged lectures on each function separately. Planning as a function of management can be considered a fundamental function. The point here is not that it is the most important, it is the main one. This function starts the whole control process.

is to find and consolidate the main guidelines or directions of activity of any organization. Therefore, to say that planning is the creation of plans is very narrow and inaccurate.
The value of planning for management can be represented in the form of a figure.

The planning process will include a number of procedures and actions:
— collecting information on a situation or problem;
— information analysis;
— finding directions for action and formulating goals, strategies and plans;
— creating a structure or hierarchy of plans;
— implementation of the developed plans;
- monitoring the implementation of plans.
These are all activities that can be performed during the planning process. In addition, this list can be expanded, for example, supplemented by writing programs and projects that will be outside the planning cycles, but also similar in the creation process to the development of target plans.
These elements of planning both repeat a number of stages in the process of making and developing decisions, but this will be discussed in subsequent lectures.
Why planning is the basis of management? As mentioned above, we begin management with planning. And the point here is that the planned indicators set the basis for the work. Essentially, plans are landmarks or pointers; they tell us where we are going, what we are aiming for, and when we want to get there. Having clear goals makes it much easier to go to the intended goal. Actually, this is the fundamental principle of planning for management.

Organization plan system

What is created in the planning process is called organization plan system. This system itself is very versatile, and in addition to plans, it can also include programs, projects, strategic directions for development, vision, and similar targets.
What are the plans? We indicate the most famous varieties.
From the point of view of organizational activity usually allocate:
organization plan , all at once, characterizing its activity as a single mechanism;
unit plan , he talks about what this unit itself will do;
individual employee plan , this is the smallest form of the plan, characterizing future activities a specific employee in a specific position, usually compiled by the employee himself or his manager or jointly;
subsidiary plan - this is, in fact, a plan for a unit, but a larger one, is used only when the organization has such a complex structure.
By date or time horizon allocate plans:
long-term - the biggest time plans today are more than 5 years, a rarity for business, due to the variability of the external environment, which we have already talked about;
long-term – in terms of terms today are 3-5 years, the longest plans for commercial organizations;
medium-term - most often the term of such plans is 2-3 years, they are rarely used as an independent form;
short-term - a period of implementation up to one year, the most common form of plans;
operational - compiled for short periods of half a year, a month, a decade or a five-day period, include detailed actions and resources.
The basis of such plans is that the longer the period for the implementation of the plan, the less specifics and more general directions in it. Short-term plans, on the contrary, have clear descriptions of what and how to do and how much resources to take for this.
Plans are close to the same classification group. in terms of current or prospective processes :
strategic plans - are aimed at general, as a rule, long term goals organizations;
tactical plans – develop strategic, are developed on short term;
business plans - are developed for specific projects and ideas or attracting resources;
forecasts – have a long-term planning horizon and talk about opportunities for more than a week about specific and clear directions for action.
In addition, plans may vary depending on content economic activity :
- production plan
financial plan
- marketing plan
- marketing plan
- sales program
- personnel plan.
This group of plans is primarily associated with the functional structure of the organization, when each unit has its own action plan, and the organization has a corresponding direction in this function.

Hierarchy of goals and plans of the organization

The planning process ends with the creation of various kinds of documents, so to speak, planning products. They have different properties and degree of influence on the organization. That is why it is customary to speak of the hierarchy of plans, and the so-called sequence and subordination of plans.
To put it simply, there are fundamental goals and specific plans, the hierarchy is based on common goals, more specific plans are subordinate to them.
Let us represent the hierarchy of plans and goals schematically.

As already noted, planning products are very diverse, they are used for different activities of the organization, both basic and auxiliary.

Planning principles

When developing plans, it is very important to follow some rules and the most important principles of planning. The rules are pretty much the same for everyone. managerial functions, this is a complete collection of information on the problem, its detailed analysis and formulation of directions for action. But the planning principles will be specific to this function:
1. Principle of the limiting factor - it is very important to understand that it is possible to fulfill the plan only when we have the resources for it, therefore, when planning, we must always clearly remember our capabilities that LIMIT our actions.
2. Commitment principle - a plan is an OBJECTIVE that we are going to fulfill, and only for this they are created, which means that we must go to the fulfillment of our obligations in the plan.
3. The principle of flexibility - is associated with changes that are very common today, so the plan must be FLEXIBLE to adapt to change, otherwise there will be no need to implement it, conditions can greatly change the picture.
4. The principle of "navigational changes" - navigation is associated with tracking, plans are set for a specific period, and it is necessary to VERIFY what we have planned with what we have achieved.
5. The principle of promoting the achievement of goals – each plan is developed in support of and to achieve the MAIN PURPOSE of the organization.
6. The principle of effective plans - the plan must be effective, not a simple reply, but a clearly WORKED DOCUMENT, one of the most complex principles.
7. The principle of the primacy of planning All management begins with the development of a plan.
8. The principle of planning assumptions - all plans, both small and global, must be AGREED, the better their elaboration, the more effective the achievement of common goals.
9. Principle of structure, strategy and policy – The better the strategy and policy are aligned, the clearer and clearer the structure of the plans will be.
10. The principle of coordination in time - each plan has a time horizon, the fulfillment of these horizons is the basis for the effectiveness of the entire management process.

In fact, this is the process of drawing up special documents - plans that determine the specific steps of the organization in the implementation of the decisions made.

The main tasks that the company solves in the process of planned activities:

  • determines the goals it seeks to achieve and the types of activities that are necessary for this;
  • search for the necessary resources and their distribution in accordance with the needs;
  • provides formation;
  • contributes to the increase of labor activity of employees;
  • allows you to choose the most rational and effective method achieving the goals of the company, ensures its profitable work, increasing labor productivity, the rhythm of production, improving the use of equipment;
  • creates the basis for reliable control over the activities of the company.

The purpose of planning is to strive to take into account all internal and external factors that are able to provide favorable conditions for the normal functioning and development of the organization.

Purpose of planning- eliminate the negative effect: the uncertainty and variability of the organization's functioning environment, focus on the main tasks, achieve effective functioning and facilitate control.

Types of plans

The plan is official document, which reflects the forecasts for the development of the organization in the future, intermediate and final goals and objectives facing the organization and its divisions, mechanisms for coordinating current activities and allocating resources, strategies in case of unforeseen circumstances.

There are three main types of plans.

Goal Plans- these are plans that are a set of qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the desired state of the control object and its individual elements in the future. Plans rank these goals one way or another, but are never associated with either a particular means of achievement or the resources needed to do so. Goal plans are used where there is great uncertainty about the future.

Plans for recurring activities- plans, which indicate their timing, as well as the procedure for implementation in standard situations.

Plans for non-repetitive activities- compiled to solve specific problems that arise in the process of development and functioning of the organization. Such plans may exist in the form of a budget for the receipt or distribution of resources, etc.

Depending on the deadline, plans are usually divided into:

  • long-term (over 5 years) - mainly belong to the category of goal plans;
  • medium-term (1-5 years), are carried out in the form of various programs;
  • short-term (less than 1 year) are in the form of budgets, network diagrams, etc. A variety of short-term plans are operational, drawn up for a period from one shift to one month.

The planning process in the organization is carried out by the planning committee, whose members are usually the heads of departments. As well as the planning department and its structures in the field.

Plan Development Methods

Currently, there are several ways to streamline plans, or planning methods: balance, normative and mathematical-statistical.

Balance Methods are based on a comparison of the resources available to the organization and the resources needed to achieve goals in the planning period.

Regulatory Methods are based on the fact that norms and standards are used to calculate the need for resources. Norms and standards in planning can be natural, cost and time.

Mathematical planning methods are reduced to optimization calculations based on a variety of models. The simplest models include statistical ones, for example, a correlation model that reflects the relationship between two variables. Based on them, it is possible with a certain degree of probability to predict further events B, if the associated event A occurred. Methods linear programming allow, based on the solution of a system of equations and inequalities linking a number of variable indicators, to determine them optimal dimensions in mutual combination. This helps to select the most profitable option operation or development in order to maximize profits, reduce costs, etc.

The concept of strategic planning

foresight- this is the starting point for planning the activities of enterprises, management in general. Emergence and practical use strategic management methodology is caused by various reasons, mainly as a result of changes in the external environment of the organization. There are several stages in the development of this methodology. The table shows the four main phases of the gradual transition to strategic management.

Table. Characteristics of the stages of development of strategic management

Phase Phase characteristic Key landmarks
1 Current management "by deviations"Reacting to the current situation. Inward planning is limited to the development of budgets and operational plans.
2 Management "from what has been achieved", with elements of predicting the futureApplication of elements of analysis and control of the situation, emerging from the outside and in the organization. Planning uses extrapolative prediction of the future
3 Management "by objectives", with a focus on the external environmentMastering "strategic thinking" aimed at reducing the impact of threats on the activities of the enterprise and seizing the chances that contribute to the success of the organization. Planning - strategic, developing "strategic responses" to the actions of competitors in the "product-market" categories
4 Strategic managementPreparing for the future and for the future. Strategic planning, permeates all subsystems of the enterprise, uses all the achievements of these phases

Thus, it is defined as a control technology in conditions of increased instability of environmental factors and their uncertainty over time. There are many various styles behaviors, but they all come from two opposite styles: incremental and entrepreneurial.

Incremental behavior of the organization, as the name itself indicates, is characterized by setting goals “from what has been achieved”, aimed at minimizing deviations from traditional behavior. Organizations that adopt this style of behavior tend to avoid change, limit it, and minimize it. The search for alternative solutions is carried out sequentially and the first satisfactory solution is adopted.

Entrepreneurial style of behavior characterized by a desire for change, new opportunities. A broad search for managerial decisions is being carried out, when numerous alternatives are developed, and the optimal one is selected from them.

- this is the definition of the main long-term goals and objectives of the enterprise, the adoption of a course of action and the allocation of resources necessary to achieve the goals.

The definition of a business or line of business is important element strategic management, since already at the first stages of its formation it is advisable to realize which organization is the object of management - specialized, homogeneous in the direction of activity or diversified, multidisciplinary. The second group includes polyproduct enterprises that produce products of different value and almost unrelated products.

Strategy for the development of the economic portfolio of the organization

Each enterprise must carefully study the market, critically assess its position in it.

For acceptance effective solutions about activities in a particular segment, reliable information about the specifics of the segment is needed, that is, it is necessary to determine the factors that characterize the market. Great importance at the same time, it has the so-called segmentation - the degree of market detail according to the selected criteria.

Market segmentation is based on two theoretical premises:

  1. the heterogeneity of the nature of the market, which lies in the fact that the market consists of several parts-segments that reflect specific variations in the demand of individual consumer groups;
  2. the need for differentiation of products, methods of its manufacture, distribution and marketing to meet market requirements.

Segments can differ significantly from each other. Such specific characteristics of segments are: size, development rates, phases of the development cycle, level of competition, and the like. Careful research of segments is the basis of the successful activity of the company. AT strategic management the segmentation of the market is associated with the direction of the enterprise, the content of product strategies. The level of specialization of firms is determined by the number of segments they serve. Single-product or homogeneous, specialized enterprises operate in one segment, which is most often defined as a strategic economic zone (SZH).
Strategic economic zone (SZH)- a separate segment of the market in which the company operates or which it wants to have access to.

The main factors that determine SBA are needs and the products that satisfy those needs. In addition, SZH has certain quantitative and qualitative characteristics.

Based on the results of the analysis, for each SBA, it is possible to formulate separate strategies that follow from the characteristics of the SBA and the ability of the enterprise to operate to one degree or another in this market.

For single-product firms, the overall strategy and the SBA strategy mean the same thing. In these cases, a strategy of concentration (or a strategy of “focusing”) on one area of ​​activity is chosen. For diversified, multi-product, diversified enterprises, the overall strategy is to combine the SBA system, defined as the "enterprise portfolio" with own methods management, disadvantages and advantages. Portfolio analysis is used to analyze such enterprises.

portfolio analysis

The multi-product company has a variety of activities. In addition, she may have priority activities and “equal” strategic economic zones.

The goal of the portfolio is to achieve competitive advantage, which can be implemented in the presence of different areas of activity. Portfolio analysis allows you to rank SBAs according to the degree of their advantages and make a decision on how many SBAs it is advisable to serve in a certain period of time. This method requires the use of matrix models.

BCG matrix

The first most widely used growth/share matrix developed by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In it, to determine the prospects of the organization, it is proposed to use a single indicator - the growth in demand. It defines the vertical size of the matrix. The horizontal size is determined by the ratio of the market share held by its main competitor.

Relative market share is the ratio of the market share of this unit to the market share controlled by the main competitor, expressed in relative units.

The matrix proposes the following classification of the company's activities: "stars", "cash cows", "wild cat" ("signs"), "dogs" and suggests appropriate strategies for them.

BCG matrix

"Stars" occupy a leading position in a rapidly growing industry. They bring substantial profits, but at the same time require significant amounts of resources to finance continued growth. The strategy aims to increase and maintain market share.

As the industry slows down, the star turns into "cash cow". It occupies a leading position in a stable industry. Since sales are relatively stable, this line of business generates more profit than is required to maintain its market share. The strategy aims to maintain the status quo for as long as possible and provide financial support to areas that are developing. However, cash cows that begin to lose their market position may become candidates for the “dog” quadrant if management does not take the necessary actions in time to strengthen their position in the market or does not liquidate it, replacing it with a more promising one.

To "dogs" refer to destinations with limited sales in a shrinking industry. During their stay on the market, they failed to win the sympathy of consumers, and they are inferior to competitors in terms of their characteristics. The strategy is to weaken efforts in the market or liquidate divisions. But it is not always necessary to get rid of such strategic economic zones. Sometimes they can support other activities of the company.

Units that fall into the upper right cell are called "wild cats"("question marks" or "difficult children"). High growth rates make them attractive. However, the low relative market share raises the question of whether these divisions will be able to successfully compete with stronger rivals. They are also resource grabbers, as needs this business in financing are high, and the amount of income is low (due to low market share). According to BCG, there are two strategic opportunities for such units:

  1. close the weakest units that do not have a chance;
  2. heavily invest in "wild cats" with high potential and try to grow them into "stars".

"Wild cats" under certain conditions can become "stars", and "stars" with the advent of inevitable maturity will first turn into "cash cows", and then into "dogs".

The BCG matrix shows the types of financial decisions that must be made and explains why resource allocation priorities differ for different departments. However, this matrix is ​​not analytically complete and has significant drawbacks:

  • the BCG matrix evaluates the criteria only as "high - low". It does not reflect the fact that many divisions operate in medium growth markets;
  • the division of units into only 4 groups is a simplistic approach;
  • in order to correctly define the strategy, strategists must plan for many more indicators, and not just the growth rate of the industry and the relative market share;
  • the model does not take into account the state of the industry where the enterprise operates;
  • there is not always an experience curve effect. This is not typical for all industries (for example, fragmented).

General Electric Matrix

An alternative approach that eliminates some of the shortcomings of the BCG matrix was proposed by General Electric (McKinsey). This is a nine-sector matrix that defines vertically long-term attractiveness and horizontal competitive position. Both elements are characterized by a complex of values, and are not determined by a single indicator.

Long-term attractiveness of the market:

  1. market size and growth rates;
  2. industry profitability (historical and prospective);
  3. intensity of competition;
  4. seasonal fluctuations;
  5. cyclic fluctuations;
  6. needs for;
  7. influence environment, social, legal and demographic factors;
  8. existing opportunities and threats;
  9. barriers to entry and exit from the industry.

To assess long-term attractiveness, each indicator must be assigned a weight corresponding to its importance. The sum of all weights must be equal to one.

The competitive position criterion includes:

  1. relative market share;
  2. margin of profitability relative to competitors;
  3. ability to compete on price and quality;
  4. consumer and market knowledge;
  5. competitive advantages and disadvantages;
  6. technical capabilities;
  7. management level.

Matrix life cycle(proposed by Hofer) is used to better identify emerging businesses. The location of business units in the matrix depends on the stage of development of the industry and the strength of their competitive positions. The size of the circle, as in the previous models, is proportional to the size of the market, and the sector inside the circle shows the market share of this business unit. Unlike previous models, this matrix forces analysis in dynamics and balancing of the life cycles of individual business areas in the company's "portfolio".

The Life Cycle Matrix (LCM) is based on the following principles:

  1. SBAs are distinguished by the configuration of the "life cycle and time parameter" schedule. It takes into account the following stages of the life cycle: formation, the first and second phases of growth, maturity, attenuation.
  2. it is necessary to divide the SBA so that the “failure” in one SBA would not lead to a general failure of the enterprise, that is, to achieve a certain alternation of the stages of the “life cycle” of various SBAs.
  3. Since the profitability at different phases of the life cycle is different in different SBAs, it is necessary to take into account the need to support the total profitability of the enterprise.

The advantage of the life cycle matrix is ​​that it shows the distribution of the business of a diversified corporation, taking into account the stage of evolution of industries.

Matrix decision

It is silly to limit the analysis to only one type of matrix. Each matrix has its advantages and disadvantages and provides information on the strengths and weaknesses organizations. If all the necessary data are available, then it is necessary to build all the matrices to form big picture from different perspectives. This enables managers to find out:

  • a list of industries in which the divisions operate;
  • potential development opportunities;
  • the strategic position of each type of business in a particular industry;
  • options for resource allocation decisions.

It is important that by achieving analytical completeness and accuracy in describing the current situation, it is possible to create a basis for solving a more complex problem - the formation and management of a portfolio in order to obtain the best results from the use of enterprise resources.

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