Top managers and some middle managers tend to implement the operational strategies daily.

The differences between strategic planning and operational planning are primarily:

To his surprise, Jose was recently assigned to an important advertising campaign for the firm’s new client. Although he studied advertising and public relations in college (20+ years ago), he has not engaged in any advertising campaigns or projects since college. Instead, he has been serving as the lead campus recruitment manager, including overseeing the firm’s internship program. Because Jose lacks knowledge on the current trends in advertising, and he does not have time to necessarily get up to speed, he fears he might ruin the advertisement and create a bad name for the company. Considering the major reasons that employees resist change, Jose is seemingly resisting this change due to the prospect of having to learn something new (or having to relearn something). This situation illustrates fear of loss.

Samuel is a computer lab manager. He frequently receives complaints about the condition of the workstations, including the cleanliness of the computer keyboards. He realizes the procedures for maintaining and cleaning the computer lab are no longer adequate. He is currently retraining his staff to correct this problem. Considering Lewin’s change model, Samuel’s computer lab is Unfreezing (Step 1).

A U.S.-based firm sells potato chips. The chips are made exclusively from potatoes grown in Canada. When Canada sells the potatoes to the U.S., this is an example of:

Edwin is a new manager working with a staff that has been in place for nearly 20 years. The staff has resisted many of the new policies that Edwin has tried to put in place. Edwin is growing increasingly frustrated and decides to call a meeting with his staff. He explains to the staff that the new policies are more effective than the old ones because they save time and energy and allow the staff to spend more time serving customers. How is Edwin overcoming resistance with his staff?

Magazines such as Runner’s World, Running Times, and Marathon & Beyond, are aimed at readers interested in running. What type of business-level strategy does this scenario illustrate?

Emma is a manager at a popular frozen yogurt restaurant. She has been in her role for one year and frequently receives complaints from customers about her staff. The overall customer satisfaction is seemingly low. She recognizes that something needs to change but she fears that her staff will be hesitant to embrace any changes, or in the worst case, quit. After all, for most of them, it is simply a part-time job. Considering Lewin’s change model, at what step is Emma’s restaurant?

Helen works in the dining commons on campus. She has worked there for the past two years; she has grown to love her job and her co-workers. Recently, though, there has been talk among the staff that some of the employees in the dining commons may be transferred to another dining commons location. Helen is worried that Lauren, her co-worker who also started with her two years ago, will be one of the employees moving to the other dining commons. She hopes that both she and Lauren will stay at the same dining commons. What is Helen’s reason for resisting change?

Considering the strategic planning process, a multinational consumer goods company primarily engages in a situation analysis for all the following reasons, EXCEPT: