Linking strategic planning to operations management: the competitive histograms approach and an empirical study

A new model is presented aimed at filling the gap between top-down strategic models found in literature and real-life applications in field, where the need for a link between strategic planning and operations management emerges as a key-issue. The model considers that the strategic planning process should be triggered by a bottom-up approach, starting from the product cost structure, the product flow analysis and the supply chain, since strategic plans – in the end – will be implemented by division managers. So, the focus of strategic planning should be shifted from the company's strategic apex to the personnel involved in the supply chain management. After a comparative review of the most popular and recent approaches to strategic planning, the new model is introduced through a six-step methodology and the tool of competitive histograms is presented. Then, the model is tested by applying it to the real-life case study of the European flexible packaging market. Results point out that the power of competitive histograms lies both in the multicriteria approach, which allows to measure qualitative and quantitative impacts, and in the bottom-up inherent structure, which enables division managers–especially manufacturing, sales, distribution and logistic managers–to pass all their knowledge to top managers, by also stimulating interfunctional communications

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