Strategic Thinking Assignment - Business Research Design - Week 1

This assignment delves into strategic thinking within the context of business research and marketing management. It begins by differentiating between general research and business research, highlighting the importance of data collection, analysis, and interpretation for effective decision-making. The assignment then explores the student's professional discipline of marketing management, identifying wicked marketing problems such as rapid growth and turnaround strategies. A model for addressing these problems, involving scenario analysis and strategy modification, is presented. Finally, the assignment proposes an action plan to enhance strategic thinking skills within an organization, focusing on improving listening, questioning, and conflict resolution abilities through specific skill development timelines. The references cited provide further context and support the concepts discussed.

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

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Response to question 1: Key difference between research and business
research
The main difference between research and business research is that research refers to
investigation into a situation or problem systematically (Bell, Bryman and Harley 2018). The
main aim of the research is to identify the opinions and others in order to deal with problems or
to help in solving problems. Business research refers to the process of collecting information,
analyzing the same, interpreting it and reporting the same for the purpose of helping the decision
makers become effective in their work. The second point on which the two concepts can be
distinguished is that of the business research design. There are two main things that can be
understood from the term business research design and the first means the way in which
businesses design their data use in order to inform the ways in which the business concerns are
researched by the researchers. This can include various forms of information such as
identification of the potential and current customers, the innovation opportunities for the
products and services by the organization and identification of the current trends that will affect
the future. The another meaning of business research design refers to how the organizational
managers will design the research that is supposed to affect the organizational performance
positively. The third main point of difference that needs to be considered is the fact that why
businesses needs to conduct business research. Business is facing complex problems because of
the fact that there are continuous changes taking place in the environment and others and to cope
up with the same and to solve the problems, business adopt business research. By doing the
same, the organization can have a better understanding of the customers, can understand the
opportunities for future innovations and this can sometimes also lead to reinvention of business
models.

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Response to question 2a: What is my academic or professional Discipline?
Marketing management is my professional discipline as I have studied management with
Marketing major and I have worked in the same field for some time.
Response to question 2b: What kind of problems is faced in the same?
There are many wicked marketing strategies problems that are presently being faced by
different organization across the entire world. Some of them are the problems of growing faster
and turnaround strategy. When an organization decides to grow faster it may lead to further
problems such as conflict between the organization and its stakeholders because they may not
support the same. In case of turnaround strategies also, there can be various consequences of the
same leading to other major problems (Camillus 2008). A wicked problem is one that is that
cannot easily be defined, there is no definite solution to the same as it continuously keeps
increasing and mutating, these problems are basically unique and new to the organization
because it is all the stakeholders have different viewpoints on the problems, their objectives and
others.
Response to question 2c: What methods are used for solving the same?
These problems cannot completely be solved but these can be delayed and for the same
purpose the following model can be used.

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Figure 1: model for solving the wicked problems
Source: (Parrott 2017)
From the above analysis it can be understood that in order to delay the wicked problems,
scenario analysis needs to be conducted to understand the problem’s and formulate options,
Evaluate the options and choose the priorities and continuously scan the environment in order to
understand the changes that needs to be made to the strategy and finally modification of the
strategy after discussing the same with others.

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Response to question 3: Action plan for improving strategic thinking skills in
the organization.
The strategic thinking can be improved in the organization by improving listening skills,
questioning skills and improve conflict resolution skills. In order to improve the questioning
skills, the employees should be motivated to ask more questions in any sessions and meeting that
they attend (O'Shannassy 2003). The employees should feel free to ask questions then they will
be able to think strategically. The employees need to improve their listening skills and that can
be measured through time to time feedbacks from them after the meeting and sessions to
understand if they have properly heard the issues discussed at the meeting and sessions. When an
employee has good listening power they will ask more questions automatically. Conflict
resolution skills refer to the ability to resolve conflicts between different parties. Employees need
to develop the same by improving listening and communication skills and maintaining a positive
attitude towards things.
Skills How to gain the skills Time period in which
the skills will be
gained
Listening skills Through asking
questions and giving
feedback
2-3months
Questioning skills By asking more
questions
2-3months

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Conflict resolution
skills
By improving
communication skills
4-5months

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References
Bell, E., Bryman, A. and Harley, B., 2018. Business research methods. Oxford university press.
Camillus, J.C., 2008. Strategy as a wicked problem. Harvard business review, 86(5), p.98.
O'Shannassy, T., 2003. Modern strategic management: Balancing strategic thinking and strategic
planning for internal and external stakeholders. Singapore Management Review, 25(1), p.53.
Parrott, L., 2017. The modelling spiral for solving ‘wicked’environmental problems: Guidance
for stakeholder involvement and collaborative model development. Methods in Ecology and
Evolution, 8(8), pp.1005-1011.