Introduction
Strategic management has been one of the most effective tools of strengthening the performance of organizations, decision making and implementation of processes. Although the concept has been common in the private sector, it has continued to gain widespread use in the public sector (Smith, 7). Since 1980s, the public sector in UAE has been undergoing reforms, a factor that has led to increased awareness on the importance of quality service provision in the public sector. Strategic management has been found to be an effective tool that transforms bureaucratic public sector into a more innovative and responsive one (Joyce and Adrian 25). This study therefore intends to find out the extent to which strategic management has been adopted and practiced by local authorities in UAE.
Topics to Choose From
- The importance of strategic management in UAE.
- Strategic management practices in the local authorities in UAE.
- Factors influencing implementation of strategic management in UAE.
- Comparison between strategic management and other forms of management in UAE.
- Ways in which strategic management transforms organizations in UAE.
Importance of the Study
This topic is an area of interest because the findings from the study will enhance the knowledge and understanding of strategic management and how it is applied by local authorities in UAE. The study is significant in the sense that it will:
- Identify the framework and concept of strategic management that considers the nature of work and the environment of local authorities.
- Enhance and boost theory and model of strategic management in public institutions that exhibit similarities in their nature of service with local authorities.
- Give rise to increased awareness among public organizations on the need to have a practical and proper strategic management framework as a tool for increasing the effectiveness of organizations.
- Provide important knowledge on factors that influence the successful incorporation of strategic management in public organizations.
Research Methodology
Research Population
The study will target local authorities in UAE. It will focus on all local authorities in UAE in order to achieve uniformity and homogeneity since all local authorities are constituted and operated by the same law. The local authorities are categorized into city councils, district councils and municipal councils.
Data Collection
In order to collect data, a perception survey will be carried out to measure variables through a structured questionnaire. The questionnaires will be distributed to all local authorities via post. In addition, interviews will be conducted in chosen local authorities to get the views of particular respondents, especially the upper management in local authorities. Additional information will be collected from government sources, departments, records, files and other documents. Secondary data will be derived from relevant seminar and research papers, statistical abstracts, relevant parliamentary acts, journals, magazines and newspapers (Besley and Noble 30).
How the Project Relates to other Works
Strategic management is the systematic process of managing an organization and its future direction in a manner that ensures continuous success. It entails the process of determining the goals and mission of an organization, managing formulation of strategies and implementing them (Morden 5).
Strategic management can be regarded as a series of steps that cover the tasks of analyzing the threats and opportunities that exist in the external environment, analyzing the weaknesses and strengths of an organization within the internal environment, establishing the mission and goals of an organization, developing strategies by matching the strengths and weaknesses of the organization with the threats and opportunities of the environment and finally, getting involved in activities of strategy control to measure the process of implementation and ensuring the stated goals are achieved (Saddler and Craig 45).
This proposed project relates to other works in the field of strategic management in various ways. For instance, the project is closely related to strategic formulation. Strategic formulation started in 1950s when firms began to invent systematic approaches to decide on how and where firms were to conduct their future business. The progress of strategy formulation by managers was referred to as strategic planning (Igor 84). The term strategic management was introduced later to include strategy implementation and environmental assessment. Therefore, strategic management is closely related to the studies that were carried out on strategic formulation since it is regarded as a combination of strategic implementation and strategic planning.
Importance of the Project in Understanding the Subject
This project will provide vital information that will help in understanding the subject of strategic management in UAE. To begin with, the project will attempt to give elaborate definition of strategic management and what it entails. Some organizations attempt to apply the concepts of strategic management without first understanding what it really means, hence, they end up failing (Strategic Management : A Complete Study Guide 4). The project will therefore be very important in enhancing the understanding of strategic management in companies. The second way in which the project will enhance the understanding of the subject is that it will highlight how strategic management is practically applied in organizations (Strategic Management 5).
Outline of Knowledge gained in the topic
Strategic management is one of the strategies that many companies have adopted in order to improve performance. The concept was associated with private companies but since 1950s, public companies have also embraced the whole idea (Nutt 56). Detailed knowledge has been obtained in this topic in order to successfully complete the project. For instance, research has proved that strategic management improves the performance of companies (Thompson and Martin 15).It is also important in the identification of weaknesses and strengths of an organization. Finally, it plays a crucial role in developing the mission and goals of organizations.
Research Timeline
- Week 1 -Developing the research topic.
- Week 2 – Meeting with tutor to discuss topic.
- Week 3 – Identifying requirements for research.
- Week 4 – Developing outline for the proposal.
- Week 5 – Conducting a pre-visit in places where research will take place.
- Week 6 and 7 – Completing literature review.
- Week 8 and 9 – conducting actual research.
- Week 10 – Data analysis and compilation.
- Week 11 – Preparation of the final project.
- Week 12 – Submission of research.
Works Cited
Besley, Russel and Ian Noble. Visual Research:An Introduction to Research Methodologies, AVA Publishing: New York, 2004. Print.
Igor, Ansof. Implanting Strategic Management, Prentice Hall: New York, 1984. Print.
Joyce, Paul and Woods Adrian. Strategic Management: A Fresh Approach to Developing Skills, Knowledge and Creativity. Kogan Page: Washington, 2001. Print.
Morden, Tony. Principles of Strategic Management. Ashgate Publishing ltd: New York, 2007. Print.
Nutt, Paul. Strategic Management of Public and Third Sector Organizations. Jossey-Bass Publishers: San Francisco, 1992. Print.
Saddler, Philip and James Craig. Strategic Management, Kogan Page Publishers: New York, 2003. Print.
Smith, Robert. Strategic Management and Planning in the Public Sector,Longman: Harlow, 1994. Print.
Strategic Management n.d. Web.
Strategic Management : A Complete Study Guide. 2012. Web.
Thompson, John and Frank Martin. Strategic Managemen, Cengage Learning: New York, 2010. Print.