In literature different terms, definitions and descriptions of the “strategic planning” concept can be found (Johnson and Scholes (1999, page 18) describe a basic model of the “strategic management process” that consists of strategic analysis, strategic choice and strategy implementation. Very close to this is the definition of the strategic planning process by Baum et […]

Today I found some interesting tips how important good strategic thinking might be. Of course, the benefits of an excellent strategic mind and / or strategy knowledge are unquestioned. However, according to a recent study, strategic knowledge has become number one criteria for advertising agencies to be invited and number two criteria to be chosen.
Here […]

For the journal of my doctoral thesis supervisor I have prepared an article concerning the practice of strategic planning in German retail banks. Within this article I also focused on the impact of risk management in strategy. Hence I would like t present a small digest.
To discuss further aspects of strategic planning (see this post) […]

Much has been written about the why and how of internal communication in the context of change. So I am not going to repeat all of that. However, due to personal experience one aspect really got my attention. Not surprisingly, the more complex the issue to be communicated, the more difficult it gets to get […]

Due to my professional background I am also very interested in issues of banking in general and of retail banking in particular. Today I found the new research report “Banking online boosts and curbs customer loyalty” by Deutsche Bank Research. In summary most interesting outcomes are:

Online banking customers probably are more loyal. The customer has […]

OK, this is more about economics, but this question really touches the strategies of retailers.
For years I’ve been reading about the difficult situation for German retailers: The economy is struggling, the extensive social security system is subject of ongoing reforms, people are afraid that they won’t bee able to keep up their current living conditions […]

Today we went to Cologne for shopping. Actually Cologne is a very good place for this, since you can find great many retailers in the centre of the city. (I have to explain this in brief: In Germany you will find many retail stores in the centres of cities. Shopping malls do exist, but they […]

Today we had the annual “non trading partnership of building and loan association” (In German=GbR) meeting in Frankfurt. I made a small presentation concerning our ideas for Pillar III reporting.
I guess I have to explain this in detail. There are 15 private building and loan associations (so called “Bausparkassen”) in Germany. A couple of years ago 9 of these firms […]

In Germany we have a saying: “A prophet has no honour in his own country”. (According to a source in the Internet this saying is quite well known; the fundament is: John 4:44). This can be applied to the corporate world: The ideas of others (e.g. external consultants, other companies) will be more considered than internal […]

Today I found an interesting review concerning an economic issue. Well, it is not related to corporate strategy; instead it could be argued that it is more related to an economic strategy. Its title is MINIMUM WAGES AND EMPLOYMENT: A REVIEW OF EVIDENCE FROM THE NEW MINIMUM WAGE RESEARCH by David Neumark (University of California […]