AN EXPLORATION OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS’ (CEOs) PERCEPTION OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PROCESS: THE CASE OF BRITISH HIGH TECH SMES

The past decade of organizational research has moved from an investigation of organizational static to an investigation of organizational dynamics, much of it focused on strategy and its formulation and implementation. This research is an attempt to shed light on the business owner managers and Chief Executive Officers’ (CEOs) perception of the importance of strategic management process in Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the UK. The data gathered from a sample of 132 CEOs of high tech firms and a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed for data analysis. In this research it has been found that firms which employ strategic management techniques, whether formal or informal, exhibit enhanced levels of success in formulation and implementation of business strategies than those firms which do not employ such procedures. Employing strategic management process in SMEs significantly helps in solving organizational problems, and reducing organizational conflicts. It significantly impacts on employees’ satisfaction and changing organizational culture.

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