Strategic Planning: A Critical Analysis of Research & Application

This essay provides a summary and synopsis of strategic planning research, drawing from Wolf and Floyd's (2017) article, which analyzes strategic planning research over 30 years. The research focuses on factors presented in classical and contemporary strategic planning models, aiming to develop concepts relevant to strategic planning activities and identify areas for further research. The author suggests that strategic planning and cataloging practices may pose challenges for empirical research. The essay further discusses the potential practical implementation of these strategic planning theories within Subway, a global food chain, to address issues hindering organizational progress. It also notes the importance of strategic planning in educating and motivating staff to improve overall performance and competitive advantage. Finally, it acknowledges the limitations of the discussed article, specifically the lack of focused discussion on areas needing more attention and future research directions.

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

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Table of Contents
Summary..............................................................................................................................2
Synopsis...............................................................................................................................2
Limitations...........................................................................................................................3
References............................................................................................................................4

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Summary
Wolf and Floyd (2017) in their article entitled Strategic planning research: Toward a
theory-driven agenda attempts a discussion on the researches in terms of the strategic planning
that has been conducted over the span of 30 years. The researches that are conducted on the
strategic planning tends to discuss the factors that have been presented in the classical models of
strategic planning as well as in the recent pieces of the work as is found in the present times. The
authors of the article aim at the development of the concepts that bear relevance to the strategic
planning activities as well as helps the present researchers in the identification of the areas
wherein there is a scope of further research on the given matter. The authors further suggest that
the strategic planning as well as the practices of cataloguing planning might result in several
challenges in terms of the empirical researches that are conducted within the concerned
discipline. The authors further suggest that the researches in the discipline of the strategic
planning have been aptly validated through the implementation of the several; analytical
approaches towards the subject thereby leading to the conditions of the betterment of planning as
well as communicating the process and its working mechanisms to the concerned organizational
department.
Synopsis
The strategic planning as discussed by Wolf and Floyd (2017) might find a practical
implementation in one of the most famous privately held food chains active in the international
market, Subway. The major issues that are faced by the company in terms of the strategic
planning might be taken care of on the implementation of the various theoretical models that are
presented within the given journal article. The article would help the concerned management of
the organization to develop a proper discussion as well as a development in the strategic

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planning processes that are practiced within the given organization. The implementation of the
theories of strategic planning as discussed within the article in discussion might help the
company to deal with the issues that had been hindering the progress of the organizational
activities. The strategic planning within the organization as discussed by Sirén and Kohtamäki
(2016) would help in educating as well as motivating the concerned staff of the organization
thereby leading to the improvement in the overall performance of the food chain in discussion,
Subway. The implementation of the strategic planning within the operations of the organization
would further assist in the increase in the competitive advantage of the company in the
international market as well.
Limitations
The article has put forth a discussion on the various researches that have been conducted
over the past 30 years. The article has put forth a discussion of the models of strategic planning.
However, the article also has some major limitations. One of the major limitations of the article
is the lack in the proper discussion on the area that needs to be shed major light on. The article
also lacks a proper discussion on the major area that should be focused on in the future
researches.

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References
Sirén, C., & Kohtamäki, M. (2016). Stretching strategic learning to the limit: The interaction
between strategic planning and learning. Journal of Business Research, 69(2), 653-663.
Subway.com. (2019). Retrieved 03 February 2019 from https://www.subway.com/en-US
Wolf, C., & Floyd, S. W. (2017). Strategic planning research: Toward a theory-driven
agenda. Journal of Management, 43(6), 1754-1788.