ESSENCE, PRINCIPLES, AND STAGES OF STRATEGIC PLANNING AT THE ENTERPRISE

Abstract

The article investigates theoretical and methodological fundamentals of strategic planning at the enterprise. Concepts of “strategy” and “planning” that compose category “strategic planning” are analysed. It is determined that among scholars, the following definitions of the concept “strategy” are widespread – plan, behaviour, position, perspective, method. It is revealed that in modern theories, concepts, and approaches of management science, the concept of “planning” is first of all considered as a general function of the system of management, which precedes other managerial functions (organization, motivation, control etc.) and determines their essence and content. Existing theoretical approaches of foreign and domestic scholars to the understanding and interpretation of the concept of “strategic planning” are disclosed, which show that this scientific definition has various interpretations – a process (continuous, system, adaptive, managerial), a set of actions and decisions, long-term program, planned work etc. The use of strategic planning principles that determine the nature and content of planned activities in the economic organization is substantiated. It is found out that proper observance of the principles of strategic planning creates preconditions for the efficient operation of the enterprise and reduces the possibility of negative planning results. It is determined that four general principles of management system are key for strategic planning (the principle of unity of the economy and politics with priority given to politics; the principle of unity of centralism and independence; the principle of scientific validity and efficiency of managerial decisions; the principle of combining general and local interests with priority given to higher-ranking interests and stimulating personal and collective interest in the implementation of managerial decisions). The main approaches of researchers to the classification of successive stages of enterprise strategic planning are characterized. It is established that thorough and comprehensive development of stages of strategic planning was done by scholars of the planning school (I. Ansoff, P. Lorange, G. Steiner, R. Ackoff, and others). Representatives of this school distinguish strategic planning stages as follows: goal-setting, external audit, internal audit, evaluating organization strategy, the operationalization of the strategy.