Recently, researchers have argued that strategic planning (SP) can be considered a dynamic capability (DC) in organizations – known as dynamic SP. However, the literature that discusses both SP and DCs supports different comprehensions of how both interact, resulting in different sets of research with contradictory findings. This theoretical effort presents a brief review and argues that SP is one of the microfoundations of DCs because it supports the seizing and continuous alignment of assets and resources. Under this perspective, SP has a role in the development and implementation of all organizational DCs and is not restricted to a DC specifically. It is argued that the interactions between DCs, SP and performance over time can lead to the learning needed for better DCs, SP and performance in a virtuous and mutually reinforcing cycle.

In analysing matters as diverse as state financing, strategic planning, public benefactions and long-term credit in private business transactions, the historian is faced with an underlying problem about the perceptions of time. One aspect of this problem is the manner in which pictures of a complex future are reflected in the behaviour of agents engaged in these activities. The manner in which actions were (or were not) taken by them suggests a peculiar configuration of future time in the Roman world. It is speculatively argued that perspectives on the future had analogies with the different ways in which a sense of depth was created by artists working on a two-dimensional space and with the contextual ways in which spatial perspective was employed.

Is organizational slack good or bad for firm performance? Research addressing this question has obtained mixed results. Such studies have focused mainly on the impact of environmental conditions on the slack–performance relationship. In this study, instead of focusing on the uncontrollable external environment, we consider actions determined by firms internally, in particular strategic planning. Using data from 183 US firms, we explore the connection between organizational slack and firm performance with different levels of strategic planning. The results suggest that at low levels of strategic planning the slack–performance relationship is linear, while at high levels of strategic planning this relationship is inverse U shaped. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

Weed scientists are facing research problems, such as invasive weeds, that may require multidisciplinary approaches to solve. One example is jointed goatgrass, a winter annual grass invading winter wheat fields and not easily managed with conventional control tactics. A national research program was started in 1994 to develop jointed goatgrass management strategies. Involving more than 35 scientists with diverse scientific expertise, this national approach fostered cooperative research projects across 11 states. Research involved entomology, economics, plant breeding, plant physiology, genetics, and weed science, leading to successful management systems for jointed goatgrass. To help other scientists organize regional or national programs, we describe development and performance of the jointed goatgrass program as well as suggest ideas for possible improvement. Pivotal to the success of the program was a Steering Committee, whose role was to establish research priorities and coordinate research across the western United States.

The planning-performance literature suggests that there is a weak positive correlation between strategic planning and financial performance. This study has been undertaken to determine whether this weak positive correlation is true for Australian firms.

Strategic planning for the purposes of this study is arranged in three levels of planning complexity. A sample of 77 listed firms was surveyed to determine their level of planning complexity, and this was correlated with the firm's financial performance over a three year period.

A range of statistical tests did not reveal any significant correlation between strategic planning at any of the three levels and the financial performance of the firm. This negative finding is generally in line with other recent studies conducted in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.

However, positive correlations were found with several subjective performance measures, suggesting that respondents generally believe that strategic planning is helping their company.

In recent years, United States (US) policymakers have instituted quadrennial strategy reviews in several major policy areas. In this article, I examine why policymakers have initiated these large strategic reviews, and why a particular model for them has diffused from the US Defense Department to other government agencies. I find that policymakers have initiated the reviews principally to spur organisational change in agencies and influence the relationship between agencies and the Congress, and that policymakers have replicated the Defense Department’s review model because of that department’s strong political support. My findings suggest more generally that formal strategy activities are often driven more by legislative-executive and bureaucratic politics than by a search for new strategic ideas. Commonalities between the diffusion of quadrennial reviews in the US and the diffusion of other strategy and planning processes internationally underscore the broader applicability and significance of these findings.

There is an increasing focus in today's organization on measuring results and calculating return on investment. Efforts of administrators today to control organizational endeavors are essential and generally aligned with current best practices. Control mechanisms, however, ultimately prove to be only part of the puzzle. Strategic planning, encompassing such activities as planning, performance measurement, program budgeting, and the like, has proven to be very useful but limited. It is a technical fix that gets at only part of the question of organizational effectiveness and only deals with some organizational dilemmas. In the face of such realities, the notion of strategic thinking emerges to fill the gaps and overcome the limitations that experience with strategic planning has proven to exhibit. This paper presents an integration of leadership ideas, strategic thinking and traditional planning activities in an effort to make important connections and important distinctions.

The authors have reviewed over 60 texts on the subject of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). In this paper they set out a summary of ERM based on three of those sources, selected for their relevance and breadth of view. The paper observes that the approaches described vary widely in nature. A separate ‘on-line” source is provided, which summarises key readings from the 60 texts. Combining findings from these texts with the authors' own experiences, the paper suggests some best practice checklists, designed to enable organisations to take stock of their current ERM frameworks. It discusses other aspects of ERM for practitioners, including extreme events, opportunity management and the link with corporate strategy. The paper looks at immediate and longer-term implications for actuaries in the United Kingdom, and then poses questions about future professional development and education. It suggests an emerging role for the ‘ERM actuary’, and, finally, it suggests future work to progress the development of ERM and the actuaries' role.

Strategic preparedness planning is an important new imperative for many hospitals. Strategic preparedness planning goes beyond traditional product/ market strategic planning by focusing on disaster prevention, containment, and response roles. Hospitals, because of their unique mission, size, complexity, the types of materials they handle, and the types of patients they encounter, are especially vulnerable to natural and human-initiated disasters. In addition, when disasters occur, hospitals must develop well-conceived first responder (receiver) strategies. This paper argues the case for strategic preparedness planning for hospitals and proposes a process for this relatively new and much needed type of planning.