Strategic Management and Planning

This document provides an overview of strategic management and planning in organizations. It explains the relationship between vision, mission, strategy, and business plans. It also discusses the impact of external factors on organizations' strategies and evaluates the ways in which stakeholder expectations and influence affect organizations. Additionally, it analyzes the mission and vision of Vista UK and its impact on strategies. Finally, it explains the structure of a plan required to deliver strategy and the involvement of stakeholders in its formulation.

Running head: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
Table of Contents
Task 1.............................................................................................................................2
Explanation based on vision, mission, strategy and business plans and relationships
between them.........................................................................................................................2
Effect of external factors on organizations’ strategies...............................................3
Evaluation of ways by which stakeholder expectations and influence on
organizations..........................................................................................................................5
Task 2.............................................................................................................................6
Analysis of mission and vision of Vista UK..............................................................6
Evaluation of the impact on mission and vision of Vista on the strategies................7
External influences on the strategy of Vista..............................................................8
Task 3...........................................................................................................................10
Importance of review in development of organizational strategies and business
plans.....................................................................................................................................10
Evaluation of tools that can be used to review organizational strategies and business
plans.....................................................................................................................................12
Reviews of current position of Vista........................................................................15
Competitive strengths and weaknesses of current business strategy and business
plans of Vista........................................................................................................................16
Task 4...........................................................................................................................16
Strategy options for Vista.........................................................................................16
Criteria based on review of potential strategy options.............................................17
Task 5...........................................................................................................................18
Explanation of the structure of a plan required to deliver strategy..........................18
Explanation based on the ways by which stakeholders are involved in formulation
of the plan.............................................................................................................................19
Process of providing information to the stakeholders..............................................19
Creation of monitoring system to implement the plan successfully........................20
Conclusion....................................................................................................................20
References....................................................................................................................21

2STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
Task 1
Explanation based on vision, mission, strategy and business plans and relationships
between them
A mission statement is considered to be an explanation that is based on the reasons
behind the effective existence of the organization in the industry. The overall intention and
purpose of the organization is explained with the help of a mission statement. Mission
statement is able to provide support to the vision that is developed by the organization. The
vision statement is helpful in communicating the direction and purpose to the employees,
vendors, customers and other different stakeholders who are a part of the operations 1.
The focus of vision statement is on the future strategies and operations of an
organization. Mission statement on the other hand is only based on the present operating
procedures that have been developed by the company. The mission and vision statements that
are developed by the organizations are able to play a major role in the effective development
of different strategies that are implemented 2.
The business plans that are developed by organizations are considered to be important
for the ways by which they are able to continue their successful operations in the respective
industries. The plans that are developed by the organizations can play a major role in the
fulfilment of overall organizational objectives. The structure of an organization is able to play
a major role in the proper development of business plans which can play a major role in
development of business operations 3.
1 Afrifa, Godfred Adjapong. "Net working capital, cash flow and performance of UK SMEs." Review
of Accounting and Finance 15.1 (2016): 21-44.
2 Bailey, Catherine, et al. Strategic human resource management. Oxford University Press, 2018.
3 Barney, Jay B. "Resources, capabilities, core competencies, invisible assets, and knowledge assets:
Label proliferation and theory development in the field of strategic management." The SMS Blackwell handbook
of organizational capabilities (2017): 422-426.

3STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
The objectives and goals of the organization are mainly considered for the proper
formation of business plans. Implementation of proper changes in the organizational
processes is considered to be an important part of the business plans of companies that are
formed. The current business processes are also implemented effectively within the business
plans that are formed by the organizations 4.
The proper implementation of business plans is based on the proper consideration of
mission and vision statement that has been developed in an effective manner. The vision
statement of the organization has an impact on the strategies that are implemented and the
ways by which it is able to gain high levels of profitability as well. The organization is able to
maintain its operations in a sustainable manner with the proper implementation of the
business plans that are developed with respect to the mission and vision statement 5.
Effect of external factors on organizations’ strategies
As discussed by Bernon , Cullen and Gorst 6, the external and internal factors have an
impact on the organizational strategies and plans. The environmental factors are sometimes
controllable and sometimes cannot be controlled by the organization. Various operations of
the modern organizations that range from goal setting to the daily operations are affected by
the factors related to external environment. External factors are considered to be highly
important for the development of strategies for implementing in various organizational
operations in an effective manner.
4 Bassano, Clara, Paolo Piciocchi, and Maria Cristina Pietronudo. "Managing value co-creation in
consumer service systems within smart retail settings." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 45 (2018):
190-197.
5 Baumgartner, Rupert J., and Romana Rauter. "Strategic perspectives of corporate sustainability
management to develop a sustainable organization." Journal of Cleaner Production 140 (2017): 81-92.
6 Bernon, Michael, John Cullen, and Jonathan Gorst. "Online retail returns management: Integration
within an omni-channel distribution context." International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics
Management 46.6/7 (2016): 584-605.

4STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
As opined by Blackley, Resnick and Cassidy 7, the profitability and stability of the
organizations is affected by changes that take place in the external environment. Policies
developed by the government have an impact on the ways by which organizations develop
their strategies and business plans. Legislations and laws in different countries also affect
strategies implemented by the organizations and business plans that are implemented as well.
The tax policies are considered to be the most important part of legislations that have an
impact on the operations of the modern organizations 8.
Tax policies have an impact on the costs that are related to production in the
organizations and the ways by which they are able to maintain the levels of profits as well.
The environment of the country in which an organization operates is considered to be an
important part of the external factors that have an impact on the strategies and business plans
as well 9. According to Chernev 10, the different external environment based factors that can
affect the strategies and business plans of the organizations include, political factors,
economic factors, social factors, technological factors, legal factors and environmental
factors. The PESTEL analysis is considered to be an important factor that is able to affect the
ways by which strategies are developed by the organizations. The analysis of environment
with the help of this framework is able to affect the ways by which the organization can form
the business plans in order to operate in a successful manner 11.
7 Blackley, Nelson, Sheilagh Mary Resnick, and Kim Cassidy. "Improving UK retail academic-
practitioner research: insights from relationship marketing." International Journal of retail & distribution
management 45.1 (2017): 4-19.
8 Bogomolova, Svetlana, et al. "Price promotion landscape in the US and UK: Depicting retail practice
to inform future research agenda." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 25 (2015): 1-11.
9 Carmichael, George, Yu-Wang Chen, and Cheng Luo. "Data-driven segmentation of consumers'
purchase behaviour in the retail industry." 2018 4th International Conference on Information Management
(ICIM). IEEE, 2018.
10 Chernev, Alexander. Strategic marketing management. Cerebellum Press, 2018.
11 Colicev, Anatoli, Ashwin Malshe, and Koen Pauwels. "Social Media and Customer-Based Brand
Equity: An Empirical Investigation in Retail Industry." Administrative Sciences 8.3 (2018): 55.

5STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
Evaluation of ways by which stakeholder expectations and influence on organizations
As discussed by Dagnino, King and Tienari 12, the stakeholders of an organization can
be defined as the entities that are affected by the operations of different businesses. The
impact of business operations on the stakeholders can be direct or indirect as well. The
suppliers and customers of the organization are considered to be the most significant
stakeholders are able to affect the companies with respect to their demands and needs. The
organizations have to consider the demands and needs of consumers in order to ensure that
they are effectively fulfilled 13.
According to Demir, Wennberrg and McKelvie 14, the stakeholders of modern
organizations are also able to affect the operations and business strategies as well. The
analysis of stakeholders of business is considered to be the most important part of the strategy
development process of the organization. The stakeholders of the organization are listed and
degree or levels of interest are also developed with the help of communication process that is
formed. The business also needs to fulfil the needs of stakeholders and also communicate the
goals of the organization as well 15.
According to Engert, Rauter and Baumgartner 16, the business plans of the
organization are developed with respect to the needs of stakeholders and the ways by which
their expectations can be fulfilled in an effective manner. The profits that are offered to the
12 Dagnino, Giovanni Battista, David R. King, and Janne Tienari. "Strategic management of dynamic
growth." (2017): 427-430.
13 David, Fred R., and Forest R. David. Strategic management: A competitive advantage approach,
concepts and cases. Pearson, 2016.
14 Demir, Robert, Karl Wennberg, and Alexander McKelvie. "The strategic management of high-
growth firms: A review and theoretical conceptualization." Long Range Planning 50.4 (2017): 431-456.
15 Durand, Rodolphe, Robert M. Grant, and Tammy L. Madsen. "The expanding domain of strategic
management research and the quest for integration." Strategic Management Journal38.1 (2017): 4-16.
16 Engert, Sabrina, Romana Rauter, and Rupert J. Baumgartner. "Exploring the integration of corporate
sustainability into strategic management: a literature review." Journal of cleaner production 112 (2016): 2833-
2850.

6STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
investors and owners are an important factor that is able to affect the ways by which
organizations are able to develop their business strategies. The modern business organizations
need to consider the ways by which stakeholders can be satisfied in order to maintain the
operations in a successful manner. The reputation of an organization is also dependent on the
ways by which the demands and needs and stakeholders can be fulfilled with the help of
proper returns that are provided to them 17.
Task 2
Analysis of mission and vision of Vista UK
The vision statement of Vista UK is based on the EPOS maintenance and support
based services that can be provided to the different organizations that belong to various
industries like, leisure, hospitality and retail.
The mission of the organization is related to the support that is provided by the
organization to customers in different parts of Europe, UK and America. The organization
aims at ensuring that the in-store based technology can always be provided to the customers
along with seamless experience 18.
Evaluation of the impact on mission and vision of Vista on the strategies
The strategies of Vista Retail Support are mainly based on the diversification or
expansion of the strategies in order to improve the operations in an effective manner. The
company has started making major investments on the implementation of clever technologies
in order to improve the services and diversify in the new sectors. The organization has aimed
17 Ethiraj, Sendil K., Alfonso Gambardella, and Constance E. Helfat. "Reviews of strategic
management research." Strategic Management Journal 38.1 (2017): 3-3.
18 Vistasupport.com. "Vista - About Us". Vista, 2019, http://www.vistasupport.com/about-us

7STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
at providing effective levels of support to the organization based on providing proper levels
of IT support to the organizations 19.
The diversification based strategy of Vista Retail Support is based on the vision that
has been developed by the organization in order to support the customers who belong to
different parts of the world. The vision of Vista Retail Support also has a major impact on the
development of diversification and investment strategies that have been developed by the
organization. The need based on implementation of innovative activities in the organization is
quite high and this based on the ways by which Vista can aim at staying ahead of the
competitors 20. The fast moving of retail industry of the UK is considered to be a major factor
that has an impact on the operations of an organization like Vista. The organization thereby
aims at providing the required support to the customers in order to help them in satisfying the
customers in an effective manner. Vista has won many different contracts that are based on
the support the company provides to the organizations in an effective manner 21.
A major strength that has been developed by the organization is based on the ways by
which every hardware based platform is supported by its operations. Vista will be able to play
a major role in proper improvement of the services which are offered to the retail based
customers in the United Kingdom 22. The international operation based plans will be the next
step of Vista Retail Support in order to support the retail organizations. The proper business
19 Ethiraj, Sendil K., Alfonso Gambardella, and Constance E. Helfat. "Reviews of strategic
management research." Strategic Management Journal 38.1 (2017): 3-3.
20 Filimonau, Viachaslau, and Adriano Gherbin. "An exploratory study of food waste management
practices in the UK grocery retail sector." Journal of cleaner production 167 (2017): 1184-1194.
21 Gallus, Jana, and Bruno S. Frey. "Awards: A strategic management perspective." Strategic
Management Journal37.8 (2016): 1699-1714.
22 Grimmer, Louise, Martin Grimmer, and Gary Mortimer. "The more things change the more they stay
the same: A replicated study of small retail firm resources." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 44
(2018): 54-63.

8STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
operations of Vista Retail Support are based on the international expansion in order to
support the vision and mission statement of the organization.
External influences on the strategy of Vista
The levels of competition in the retail industry of the United Kingdom are quite high
and are able to affect the ways by which an organization is able to operate. The organizations
need to develop and implement the strategies in such a manner so that they are able to remain
competitive in the industry and provide the best levels of their services as well. The needs for
international expansion in the country are highly important for the improvement of revenues
and maintaining sustainable position in the industry 23.
The strategies that have been implemented by Vista Retail Support are based on the
ways by which the company is able to maintain the vision and the mission statement. The
business based strategies of Vista Retail Support are developed in such a manner that play a
major role in the ways by which new partnerships have been formed by the organization. The
investments that have been made by Vista Retail Support in the industry are based on the
ways by which the company aims at improving the levels of operations 24.
The increase in levels of investments to be made by the company are affected in a
huge manner by the development of operations in the industry. The economic condition of
the United Kingdom is also able to influence the strategies that have been developed by Vista
Retail Support. The organization will be able to operate in the industry in a profitable manner
only if the prices of the services are developed. The competitiveness of the prices and levels
23 Haque, Adnan, Erhan Aydin, and Elif Usyal. "A Comparison of Effectiveness of Global Leaders and
Domestic Leaders in Electronic Retail Industry." (2017).
24 Hitt, Michael A., R. Duane Ireland, and Robert E. Hoskisson. Strategic management: Concepts and
cases: Competitiveness and globalization. Cengage Learning, 2016.

9STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
of services will be able to play a major role in the ways by which Vista Retail Support can
maintain a competitive position 25.
The organization will be able to develop its stocks in other major countries in order to
increase the levels of revenues and profitability as well. The joint ventures that have been
developed as a part of the strategy of Vista Retail Support are based on the formation of its
operations in another country. This will be able to play the most important part in
development of the organization in the retail support based industry. Vista Retail Support is
an IT service provider company that has secured an investment of 14 million Euros from a
mid-market based firm named LDC 26.
The proper acquisition of the organization is also an important part of the strategies
that have been implemented by Vista Retail Support. The in-store technologies that have been
developed by the organization are considered to be highly effective for the ways by which the
investments can be used and managed. The market based opportunity that is provided to
Vista Retail Support is based on the external environment that has been developed in the
United Kingdom. The acquisitions that are implemented by the organization are also based on
the external environment based factors that have been considered by Vista Retail Support 27.
According to Meyer, Neck and Meeks 28, the organization also aims at expanding its
operations into new sectors with the help of effective strategies that have been implemented
by Vista Retail Support. The strategies are related to the ways by which major levels of
25 Kasemsap, Kijpokin. "Strategic innovation management: An integrative framework and causal model
of knowledge management, strategic orientation, organizational innovation, and organizational
performance." Organizational Culture and Behavior: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications. IGI
Global, 2017. 86-101.
26 Lasserre, Philippe. Global strategic management. Macmillan International Higher Education, 2017.
27 Leiblein, Michael J., and Jeffrey J. Reuer. "Foundations and Futures of Strategic
Management." Management Review 1 (2019): 1.
28 Meyer, G. Dale, Heidi M. Neck, and Michael D. Meeks. "The entrepreneurship‐strategic
management interface." Strategic entrepreneurship: Creating a new mindset (2017): 17-44.

10STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
support and investments can be gained by Vista Retail Support from major organizations or
partners like, Octopus Investments, West Bridge Capital and the new partnership that is
formed with LDC. The capital management based team of the organization is considered to
be important for the development of effective strategies that can help in gaining a competitive
position in the industry 29.
Task 3
Importance of review in development of organizational strategies and business plans
According to Misra and Walters 30, strategic planning is able to provide a road map to
the company in order to gain the desired place in the industry. The milestones that need to be
formed by the organization are considered to be highly significant for the methods by which
the objectives can be fulfilled in an effective manner. The objectives which have been formed
by the company need to planned in order to develop a path in order to form a competitive
position. The long term based strategic objectives are helpful in the development a big picture
and visions that are significant for the future operations of the company.
The development of specific goals is important for fulfilment of strategic objectives in
the industry in which the organization operates. The long term objectives are considered to be
highly important for the distant milestones that help in development of the short term based
decisions. Short term objectives are considered to be a significant part of the operations that
have been formed by the company. The steps that have been implemented by the organization
are able to provide a clear strategic direction for the future operations 31. The timeline of
29 Michael, Steven, David Storey, and Howard Thomas. "Discovery and coordination in strategic
management and entrepreneurship." Strategic entrepreneurship: Creating a new mindset (2017): 45-65.
30 Misra, Joya, and Kyla Walters. "All fun and cool clothes? Youth workers’ consumer identity in
clothing retail." Work and Occupations 43.3 (2016): 294-325.
31 Monios, Jason. "Integrating intermodal transport with logistics: a case study of the UK retail
sector." Transportation Planning and Technology 38.3 (2015): 347-374.

11STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
proper fulfilment of the objectives is also an important part of the strategic plans that have
been developed. The teams in an organization are able to develop strategic plans in order to
fulfil the objectives and goals. The staff and managers of the organization are considered to
be the most important part of the proper development of strategic plans 32.
The major purpose of strategic planning is related to the ways by which overall goals
of the business can be formed and effective strategies can be developed in order achieve
them. The process based on strategic planning is considered to be the ways by which the
employees can step back from the daily operations and form major objectives in order to
provide a specific direction to the company. The active decision making process can play a
major role in proper strategic plan development. The complexity levels of operations of the
business are considered to be highly significant for the strategic plan development 33. The
three major elements of strategic plans include, the current position of the business, the future
direction that can be developed for the organization and the requirements that need to be
implemented for developing the objectives 34.
Strategic planning is mainly based on the development of the effective position of a
business in the marketplace. The analysis of the micro and macro environment of the
organization is considered to be highly significant for the methods by which strategic
planning based process can be completed in an effective way. The external environment of a
company can be analysed with the help of PESTLE framework 35. The internal environment
32 Naidoo, Merle, and Alexandros Gasparatos. "Corporate Environmental Sustainability in the retail
sector: Drivers, strategies and performance measurement." Journal of Cleaner Production (2018).
33 Pantano, Eleonora, et al. "Does innovation-orientation lead to retail industry growth? Empirical
evidence from patent analysis." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 34 (2017): 88-94.
34 Peng, Mike W. "Cultures, institutions, and strategic choices: Toward an institutional perspective on
business strategy." The Blackwell handbook of cross‐cultural management (2017): 52-66.
35 Ramanathan, Usha, Nachiappan Subramanian, and Guy Parrott. "Role of social media in retail
network operations and marketing to enhance customer satisfaction." International Journal of Operations &
Production Management 37.1 (2017): 105-123.

12STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
on the other hand can be studied with the proper implemented of SWOT framework. The
Five forces framework is also implemented as a part of the strategic planning based process
of an organization. The industry in which the company operates is analysed effectively with
the help of Porter’s Five Forces framework 36.
Evaluation of tools that can be used to review organizational strategies and business
plans
The major tools that can be used by an organization in order to analyse the internal
and external environment and the industry mainly include, SWOT framework, PESTLE
framework and Porter’s five forces framework. Vista Retail Support has been operating in the
industry for the last few years and development of a proper strategic plan is highly significant
for the proper future operations of the organization 37. The SWOT framework can be
implemented in order to analyse the internal environment in the following manner,
Strengths – The effective implementation of technologies and automation based
processes are able to affect the ways by which the demands based on the services of Vista
Retail Support can be maintained in the industry. The performance that has been depicted by
Vista Retail Support in different new market areas have been highly efficient for the
operations of the organization. The track record that has been formed by the organization is
based on the innovation in products and services which are offered to the consumers 38.
Employees or workforce of Vista are highly efficient and the company has developed a
strong network based on distribution in order to offer its services to the customers. Vista
36 Sadler, Rory, and Richard David Evans. "Social Media Strategies in the Retail Sector: Analysis and
Recommendations for Three Multi-National Retailers." Proceedings of the The 3rd Multidisciplinary
International Social Networks Conference on SocialInformatics 2016, Data Science 2016. ACM, 2016.
37 Sullivan, Rory, and Andy Gouldson. "Comparing the climate change actions, targets and
performance of UK and US retailers." Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management 23.3
(2016): 129-139.
38 Sutton-Brady, Catherine, Patty Kamvounias, and Tom Taylor. "A model of supplier–retailer power
asymmetry in the Australian retail industry." Industrial marketing management51 (2015): 122-130.

13STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
Retail Support has been able to develop its position in the industry with help of high levels of
satisfaction that are provided to the customers 39.
Weaknesses – Vista Retail Support has not been able to develop effective financial
plans in order to plan the investments that are considered to be the most important part of the
operations. The organization has already made some major levels of investments in its
operations. However, more investments are required in order to maintain the operations in an
effective manner and remain competitive in the industry as well. Research and development
also lacks in the organization in order to form the operations effectively 40.
Opportunities – The proper implementation of new technologies have been able to
provide major levels of opportunities to Vista Retail Support in order to expand its operations
in other countries. The new marker areas will be able to provide effective levels of growth
opportunities in order to maintain its operations and improve the revenue levels as well. The
policies that are developed by the organization are also able to provide opportunities based on
growth in the industry 41.
Threats – The lack of skilled workforce is considered to be a key factor that has an
influence on the company in the industry. The support that is provided to the consumers by
the organization is affected by the lack of effective skills of the employees. The development
of its operations in another country is considered to be highly important for the methods by
which the company is able to continue its operations in the future 42.
39 Swaffield, Joanne, David Evans, and Daniel Welch. "Profit, reputation and ‘doing the right thing’:
Convention theory and the problem of food waste in the UK retail sector." Geoforum89 (2018): 43-51.
40 Teece, David J. "A capability theory of the firm: an economics and (strategic) management
perspective." New Zealand Economic Papers 53.1 (2019): 1-43.
41 Wheelen, Thomas L., et al. Strategic management and business policy. Boston: pearson, 2017.
42 Meyer, G. Dale, Heidi M. Neck, and Michael D. Meeks. "The entrepreneurship‐strategic
management interface." Strategic entrepreneurship: Creating a new mindset (2017): 17-44.

14STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
The external environment of Vista Retail Support can be studied with the help of
PEST framework in the following way,
Political factors – The political environment of the UK is able to influence the retail
industry of the country. The supply chain and distribution of retail industry is influenced in a
huge manner by the exit of the UK from European Union and the economic downturn that
had taken place as well. The impact of Brexit is high on the retail market an organization like
Vista Retail Support and its operations as well 43.
Economic factors – Economic factors related to the retail industry of the United
Kingdom will be influenced in a huge manner by the ways by which the economic condition
of the country can be influenced. The economic downturn had a huge impact on the ways by
which Vista Retail Support is able to develop the services that are offered to the customers.
The financial crisis had a major impact on the rates of employment in the United Kingdom,
which in turn influences the operations of various organizations 44.
Social factors – The buying habits and behaviour of the consumers who are a part of
the retail market of the UK have an impact on the retail organizations in the country. This
affects the levels of support that is provided to the companies that are a part of the retail
based industry. The major organizations in the United Kingdom like, M&S, Aldi, Lidl are
influenced in a huge manner by the choice of consumers. The increase in the demands based
on online shopping is considered to be a major factor that affects operations of retail
companies 45.
43 Kasemsap, Kijpokin. "Strategic innovation management: An integrative framework and causal model
of knowledge management, strategic orientation, organizational innovation, and organizational
performance." Organizational Culture and Behavior: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications. IGI
Global, 2017. 86-101.
44 Lasserre, Philippe. Global strategic management. Macmillan International Higher Education, 2017.
45 Misra, Joya, and Kyla Walters. "All fun and cool clothes? Youth workers’ consumer identity in
clothing retail." Work and Occupations 43.3 (2016): 294-325.

15STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
Technological factors – The technological factors are considered to be highly
significant for the methods by which supermarket based industry can implement innovation
in operations. The online trends of consumers are considered to be highly important for the
levels of technological support that is required by retail organizations in the United Kingdom.
The operations and services offered by Vista Retail Support have gained high levels
importance in the recent times 46.
Reviews of current position of Vista
The major competitors of Vista Retail Support in the industry are ARC Services,
Celestra, Barron McCann. Vista Retail Support has developed a leadership position in the
industry of providing technological support and solution to the retail organizations in the
United Kingdom 47.
Competitive strengths and weaknesses of current business strategy and business plans
of Vista
The major competitive strength related to the operations of Vista Retail Support is
based on the investments that are made by the organization. On the other hand, the levels of
technological implementations are also considered to be highly significant for the methods by
which the organization is able to maintain its profitable operations in the industry. The
weakness based on the business plans of Vista Retail Support is related to high levels of
requirement of investments in order to develop effective strategies for performing the
business operations in an effective manner.
46 Ramanathan, Usha, Nachiappan Subramanian, and Guy Parrott. "Role of social media in retail
network operations and marketing to enhance customer satisfaction." International Journal of Operations &
Production Management 37.1 (2017): 105-123.
47 Swaffield, Joanne, David Evans, and Daniel Welch. "Profit, reputation and ‘doing the right thing’:
Convention theory and the problem of food waste in the UK retail sector." Geoforum89 (2018): 43-51.

16STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
Task 4
Strategy options for Vista
The development of effective strategies is considered to be an significant part of the
methods by which the leaders are able to maintain the levels of profitability in the industry in
which it operates. Vista Retail Support has been operating in the industry in a profitable
manner. However, the company can implement new strategies in order to improve its position
in the industry and increasing the profitability levels as well. The business level based
strategies are considered to be important for developing the future operations of Vista Retail
Support in the industry 48.
The maintenance of EPOS and support based services that are provided to the retail
organizations of the United Kingdom is able to influence the ways by which the organizations
can maintain their operations. Vista is currently facing some major levels of competition in
the industry and providing the services at low prices will be able to play a key part in the
development of a competitive position of the organization. The low cost based strategic
option can be applied by the organization in order to uphold a competitive place in the
industry 49.
Another major strategic option that can be implemented by Vista Retail Support in
order to maintain its operations in the industry is the differentiation of the products or brand.
The development of a different type of product is considered to be significant for the methods
by which the organization will be able to maintain its position in the industry. The different
48 Sutton-Brady, Catherine, Patty Kamvounias, and Tom Taylor. "A model of supplier–retailer power
asymmetry in the Australian retail industry." Industrial marketing management51 (2015): 122-130.
49 Teece, David J. "A capability theory of the firm: an economics and (strategic) management
perspective." New Zealand Economic Papers 53.1 (2019): 1-43.

17STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
types of services will be able to play a key part in the methods by which Vista will be able to
face the competition 50.
Criteria based on review of potential strategy options
The business strategy options that have been suggested to the organization are
important for the ways by which Vista Retail Support will be able to develop its effective
position in the industry. The leadership position that has been formed by the organization can
be effectively maintained with the help of any one of the strategic options that have been
suggested earlier. The potential of the strategies is considered to be effective for the proper
development of the organization 51. The Porter’s generic strategy based model can be used for
the proper analysis of the strategy that can be implemented by Vista Retail in order to
maintain the profitability levels and the revenues that have been gained in the industry as
well. The company will be highly successful in developing its effective place in the industry
with the proper implementation of the strategy and development of a huge customer base 52.
Task 5
Explanation of the structure of a plan required to deliver strategy
The five key elements that are a part of the strategic plan that can be developed by
Vista Retail Support in order to develop its revenues include, mission, vision and the
aspirations, the core values, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and
measurement of the funding streams as well. The different components of the strategic plan
are considered to be highly important for the proper formation of the revenues of the
50 Sullivan, Rory, and Andy Gouldson. "Comparing the climate change actions, targets and
performance of UK and US retailers." Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management 23.3
(2016): 129-139.
51 Naidoo, Merle, and Alexandros Gasparatos. "Corporate Environmental Sustainability in the retail
sector: Drivers, strategies and performance measurement." Journal of Cleaner Production (2018).
52 Haque, Adnan, Erhan Aydin, and Elif Usyal. "A Comparison of Effectiveness of Global Leaders and
Domestic Leaders in Electronic Retail Industry." (2017).

18STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
company. The mission and vision of Vista Retail Support are mainly based on the ways by
which the organization can implement the strategies in an effective manner 53. The analysis of
internal environment including the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the
company is able to play a key part in the proper development of strategies. The funds and
investments can be received by Vista Retail Support with the help of proper implementation
of strategies that have developed with the help of appropriate study of the internal
environment based factors 54.
Explanation based on the ways by which stakeholders are involved in formulation of the
plan
The stakeholders of the company are able to affect the methods by which the strategic
plan can be effectively implemented by Vista Retail Support. The mix of cost leadership and
differentiation based strategy can be implemented by Vista in order to improve its operations
in the highly competitive industry. The levels of competitiveness are considered to be the
most important factor that can affect the strategies that have been implemented by Vista
Retail 55. The major stakeholders of Vista Retail Support mainly include, the customers or the
major retail based organizations. The employees are also major stakeholders of the
organization and are able to play a major role in proper implementation of the strategies as
well 56.
53 Grimmer, Louise, Martin Grimmer, and Gary Mortimer. "The more things change the more they stay
the same: A replicated study of small retail firm resources." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 44
(2018): 54-63.
54 Filimonau, Viachaslau, and Adriano Gherbin. "An exploratory study of food waste management
practices in the UK grocery retail sector." Journal of cleaner production 167 (2017): 1184-1194.
55 Haque, Adnan, Erhan Aydin, and Elif Usyal. "A Comparison of Effectiveness of Global Leaders and
Domestic Leaders in Electronic Retail Industry." (2017).
56 Gallus, Jana, and Bruno S. Frey. "Awards: A strategic management perspective." Strategic
Management Journal37.8 (2016): 1699-1714.

19STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
Process of providing information to the stakeholders
The information based on proper implementation of the strategy by Vista can be
provided to the stakeholders with the help of the interactive website of the organization. The
levels of interaction of the website can play a key part in the proper development of the
strategies and providing them with effective information based on new procedures 57. The
organization needs to interact with the customers in order to inform them about the new
strategies. The employees will be informed about the strategies with the help of effective
training that can be offered to the in an effective way. The stakeholders of the plan will
thereby be informed about the progress of plan and its impact on the successful operations of
Vista Retail Support in the industry 58.
Creation of monitoring system to implement the plan successfully
The monitoring system that can be developed by Vista Retail Support is based on the
ways by which the feedback of the customers can be received. The feedback that can be
provided to the customers is considered to be the most important process that is implemented
in order to maintain the proper development of strategies 59. The decision making process of
the employees is considered to be highly significant for the ways by which the organization is
able to function in the industry in an effective way. The customers and employees are
considered to be most significant stakeholders of the organization and are able to affect the
proper implementation of different strategies in order to continue its operations in the
industry 60.
57 Demir, Robert, Karl Wennberg, and Alexander McKelvie. "The strategic management of high-
growth firms: A review and theoretical conceptualization." Long Range Planning 50.4 (2017): 431-456.
58 Dagnino, Giovanni Battista, David R. King, and Janne Tienari. "Strategic management of dynamic
growth." (2017): 427-430.
59 David, Fred R., and Forest R. David. Strategic management: A competitive advantage approach,
concepts and cases. Pearson, 2016.
60 Durand, Rodolphe, Robert M. Grant, and Tammy L. Madsen. "The expanding domain of strategic
management research and the quest for integration." Strategic Management Journal38.1 (2017): 4-16.

20STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
Conclusion
The report can be concluded by stating that Vista Retail Support can improve its
position in the industry with the proper implementation of a strategy that will be effective for
its future operations. The improvement of the strategy is considered to be important for Vista
Retail Support in order to face the competition in the industry. Vista Retail can maintain the
leadership position that has been formed in the market if the developed strategies can be
implemented and further the progress of the organization is also monitored.

21STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
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