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Latest Trends and New Tools Being Used in Strategic Management
73-85Views:1000In today’s rapidly changing world, there is an increased need for excellent strategic planning. A firm’s survival may indeed hinge on the firm’s planning process being exemplary. Various aspects of the strategic planning process are under review today as organizations wrestle to compete more effectively in an ever-changing world. This paper reveals and describes five new trends or tools being utilized today by firms to more effectively engage in strategic planning. Specifically, the new trends and tools to be discussed in this paper are as follows: increased need to follow a strategic planning model; increased need to develop quality vision and mission statements; a new improved method for incorporating SWOT analysis into practice. Utilizing two matrices one internal and one external to provide a less biased way to access the current strategy fit with conditions facing the firm. Explain the use of a decision matrix commonly called the QSPM (Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix) for assessing the relative attractiveness of various strategies being considered for implementation. The purpose of this paper is to familiarize readers with basic new tools and techniques being used by organizations to effectively develop an improved strategic plan for the firm.
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Practical Application of Methods in Strategy-Based Analyzes
59-72Views:632Increasing environmental volatility is a growing challenge for companies and businesses. The speed of economic events is changing, and the risk of uncertainty is increasing, requiring business to take a new approach to strategic planning. In the design and forming of their strategy, both the factors of the external and internal environment and the analysis of their competitors can be based on well-chosen methods. We consider the review of these methods, their application in planning and educational practice. The aim of our work, in which we present the methods that underpin the strategy applied in both domestic and international practice. The analysis of the external environment illustrates the construction and applicability of an external factor analysis matrix based on traditional PEST analysis and the Porter's five-factor model. In the case of internal factor analysis matrix, we focus on the approach of method choice, and on the applicable methods, the importance of the resource-based approach, the analysis of key factors and the Porter value chain analysis matrix. The third pillar of the analysis that underpins the strategy is the matrix-based assessment of competitors. The applicability of the methods depends on the form of the enterprise, the field of activity and the nature of its activities, which is complicated by the emergence of new economic spheres (e.g.: sharing) and transformed power relations.
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Food Industry 4.0 Readiness in Hungary
1-12Views:439In terms of production value, the food industry is the third-largest in Hungary, the first in Hungary in terms of the number of employees, and the first in Europe in the processing industry, as well as a significant user of resources. The research examined the state of art of digitalization readiness, focusing on I4.0 technologies, which supports the management to operate more efficiently the enterprise and to make better decisions. So the focus was on integrated enterprise information systems, management support systems, business intelligence systems, industry 4.0 technologies, and issues related to their application. The analysis based on an online questionnaire survey the request sent to 4.600 enterprises, the response rate was 5% which was representative of the branches of production, covered the Hungarian food and beverage manufacturing sectors in 2019. The companies were asked the most critical technologies in development, going towards Industry 4.0. The research tools were LimeSurvey, Mailing List Server, Excel, Power BI (Desktop, Publishing Server to distribute the results). The used analysing methods were making calculations, pivot tables, models, dasboards. We found that a significant portion of businesses, 78 %, use mobile devices in the manufacturing process. The three most relevant digital technologies are geolocating (GPS, GNSS), cloud computing, and sensor technology. The current level of digitalization and integration cannot be said to be high, but respondents are very optimistic about expectations. Improvements are expected in all areas in the next 2-3 years in terms of digitalisation and integration. Vertical integration involves, first and foremost, cooperation with partners in the supply chain. Horizontal integration means close, real-time connectivity and collaboration within the company. Unfortunately, between 6% and 15% of SMEs (approximately 9% on average) and large enterprises, 36% have a digital strategy. According to the survey, the sector needs significant improvement and creating a digitalization strategy.
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The Situation of Digitization in the Hungarian Food Processing Industry
196-209Views:497Thanks to various technologies, such as nanotechnology, the next decades will completely transform the individual production processes and sectors. With the rapid advancement of information technology, the digitalization and automation of industrial processes pose new challenges for food business operators. Hungarian food companies will be able to keep up with their competitors and be the winners for the next decades if they can successfully adopt these technologies. However, this requires a strong focus on digitization, digital strategy, and directing investment, technology change and R&D activities in this direction. Digitization is one of the decisive directions of the future, which is why I felt it essential to study the level of digitization of Hungarian food companies, IT infrastructure and Internet usage, the use, and role of enterprise management systems, decision support and business analysis tools, and business readiness, Industry 4.0 technology change. Based on the 205 evaluable responses to the questionnaire, it can be said that only a tiny proportion of Hungarian food companies have a digital strategy and only a few have digital transformation.
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Analysis of Social Media Activities - Through the Examination of Handball Clubs Competing at Different Levels
39-53Views:525In Hungary, handball enjoys special attention and support, this is true not only for our country, but also for Europe, and the sport is gaining more and more space worldwide. One of the biggest innovations of the last two decades is certainly social media, which has reformed the basic strategies related to information transfer and traditional marketing activities. The processes of content production on these platforms have radically changed, which every sports club should pay attention to, as they can gain significant advantages in terms of economics, marketing and community building if they are able to communicate well. Three sports clubs competing at different levels were compared during a qualitative study in terms of their social media marketing strategy activities, namely PICK Szeged, Balatonfüredi KSE – BFKA Balatonfüred and DEAC handball team. The basic concept of this research model was built on how the online marketing communication activities of club teams fighting for different professional goals at different levels differ from each other, as well as what are the development opportunities and aspects that can be used as effectively as possible on social media platforms. The handball club teams agreed on several research questions, but a significant difference could also be discovered in one area, in which the professionals responsible for social media disagreed or represented a different point of view. Looking at my results, it can be concluded that behind a successful online marketing strategy there is always serious preparation and planning work, as well as the diversification of content production on different platforms, because the consumer communities of the platforms are also different from each other.
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Staying Employed and Employing Others: Leadership Styles and Management Strategies of Proprietors of Micro Enterprises in Developing Countries
408-419Views:326This study sought to find out the leadership style and management strategies of the proprietors of micro enterprises that have enabled them to stay in business this long and offering employment to several others in the midst of unfavourable economic conditions in developing countries. Management strategy and leadership style are complementary in pursuing organizational goal. Though, literature on the subject reveals that not much research has been done on the survival of micro business on the African’s continent regarding owners’ management strategies and the leadership style. We used mix methods in data collection and purposive samplings of thirty (30) micro enterprises’ proprietors were interviewed. The result reveals that owners of micro business practice multistrategies in their organizations. The Study found out that the Laissez Faire or Free Rein Leadership and the Bureaucratic Leadership were not practiced by any of the research participants. However, Authoritarian Leadership with strict instructions dominated Democratic Leadership and appeared to have been very effective and yielded result in most micro businesses.
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Strategic Role of Environmental Factors in the Operation of a Manufacturing Company: A Synthesis of Three Analytical Models
56-74Views:271Nowadays, the operations of companies are influenced by increasingly complex internal and external factors, the systematic examination of which is essential for conscious strategy-making. The relevance of this study lies in the context of global economic instability, rapid technological advancement, and intensifying market competition, all of which present new challenges for organizations. The aim of the research is to demonstrate how the analysis of environmental factors can support strategic decision-making, with particular emphasis on a specific company case. The analysis was based on three established methods—PESTEL analysis, Porter’s Five Forces model, and the SWOT framework—which together enabled an integrated examination of macro- and micro-environmental factors as well as internal resources. The results highlighted several key strengths of the company, such as professional expertise, international presence, and the quality of customer relationships, while also identifying several areas in need of improvement, particularly in terms of pricing strategy, digital information accessibility, and internal communication. The novelty of the study lies in the combined application of the three analytical tools, which revealed interrelated insights and served as the basis for well-founded recommendations aimed at enhancing strategic flexibility and strengthening competitiveness.
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An Overview of the Situation of SMEs in Hungary in Catching up to Industry 4.0
72-80Views:323Since I have been working I have been in contact with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies in various ways. I have thus been confronted with the disadvantages of the former in terms of the introduction and use of 4IF technologies. Yet most of them are aware that to remain competitive in the market, they cannot avoid digitising their operational processes to some extent. I have also found that this mainly depends on the characteristics of the organisation; for example, its orientation. Domestic SMEs are therefore currently at a competitive disadvantage in the market. However, there is no information on whether there is a trend towards development and where they themselves should develop. This would help them to develop the right, achievable vision for the future, coupled with a feasible business strategy.
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Business Strategy in the Model of Linear Activity Analysis of Production
1-14Views:250It was analyzed how the methodology of linear activity analysis of production model supports the implementation of different business strategies at a company level. Aspects of analysis are focusing on openness for markets, lean management and environmental protection strategies. The study reveals that the linear activity analysis of production – mainly due to its efficient process optimization problem solving ability – is capable supporting lean management decisions and implementing additional objectives in business strategies. Such objectives can be sustaining specific production patterns for further development or following strategies for limiting market competition. It will be shown how to quantify the costs of strategic objectives in linear activity analyzing model.
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Efficiency Analysis of Production Management System
401-415Views:280Due to the continuously evolving technology, even more escalating market competition has emerged between the companies. This competition is not only about the logistics related processes, it also appears to be significant for the production since the manufacturing companies form the center of global sale streams and without them the items found in logistical processes cannot be created. The role of production’s optimization and efficiency in the supply chain continuously grows since this is the part where a company’s most cost is produced. Our research objective was the examination of a company that applies various manufacturing, assembly technologies, and the used tools and softwares for this purpose were the SAP Business One ERP system and it’s add-on, called PPS One, the latter originated in Switzerland. We used these softwares to provide solutions to companies, especially to those that are dealing with manufacturing and production, for the optimization of their workflows, operations, supervising and controlling of their material. We also monitored from production technology’s elements the capacity planning, production orders, schedules, production tracking and cost accounting. We have made proposals during the analysis that might improve the company's strategy, competitiveness and increase it’s efficiency in business, and at the same time they can facilitate the company's pricing and inventory management activities.
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The Middle East perspective of Corporate Social Responsibility
282-291Views:366Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the Middle East is gaining more importance than in the past. Although it still remains more about philanthropy and charity, it moves towards a more strategic approach which includes formalizing ways of giving, as a set of non-random actions, and focuses more on addressing social ills and environment, economic challenges, that are hindering development. However, the business in the region has not yet taken the step to fully integrate the CSR into their core business operations. The most common challenges that facing the CSR implementation are the lack of government requirements and incentives, spreading awareness, building CSR partnership model, going beyond the marketing and PR campaigns, and full integration of CSR into the business strategy. In this paper, we aim to introduce the current state of the CSR in the Middle East and its perspectives, besides reviewing its evaluation stages, motivations, and current challenges. Moreover, we aim to examine CSR common practices through examples from the financial sector. The research method applied in this research is based on secondary data sources and we have used desk research to illustrate most important points and findings on the topic.
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Examining Used and Sportswear Supply Chain Strategy and Indicators
86-98Views:302The following study presents the supply chain strategy of a second-hand and sportswear company in Hungary. The study discusses the main tasks of supply logistics, the level of logistics service, the main determining elements of the level of logistics service, and the measurement of customer satisfaction. From the first step of the process, we can fully follow the processes until the last activity. We can learn in detail about the sub-processes, such as: types of clothing collection, sourcing, warehousing, selection, disassembly, processing, receipt of goods and sales. The aim of the study is to make the processes more transparent for everyone.
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Case Study of Unilever's Zero-Emission Target Realization
16-36Views:603This paper presents a detailed case study of Unilever’s strategy and progress toward achieving zero carbon emissions, focusing on Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. The study analyzes a 10-year time series of both financial and non-financial data to assess the relationship between sustainability indicators, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, total and renewable energy use, and the company’s operating profit. Forecasting techniques were applied to project future emission levels based on historical data, while correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationships between key variables. The results show a strong positive correlation between total energy use and CO₂ emissions, highlighting the importance of energy efficiency in emission reduction efforts. However, no significant correlation was found between operating profit and CO₂ emissions or energy use, suggesting that sustainability initiatives have not yet had a measurable direct impact on profitability. Despite this, Unilever has demonstrated substantial progress toward its climate targets, including a 91% reduction in CO₂ emissions per ton of production (compared to a 2008 baseline) and the transition to 100% renewable electricity in many of its facilities. The study concludes that while sustainability measures may not immediately influence profit margins, they are essential for long-term competitiveness and corporate responsibility. This case provides valuable insights for firms aiming to integrate environmental performance into strategic decision-making.
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Dual Focus of Supply Chain Resilience and Sustainability: A Size-based Comparison between SMEs and Large Organizational Approaches
1-15Views:214The research investigates how organizational size influences the implementation of supply chain resilience and sustainability practices. While resilience and sustainability are increasingly recognized as interrelated priorities, existing literature often overlooks how firm size conditions strategic behaviour, particularly the distinct constraints faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). To address this gap, the study employs a two-phase, mixed-methods approach. First, a structured literature review identifying the current state of academic research on the field. Second, a global survey of 252 supply chain professionals captures quantitative data across SMEs and large organizations. Statistical analysis tests three hypotheses regarding core aspects of driving resilience and sustainability outcomes. Findings show that large firms tend to formalize strategies more thoroughly, especially in risk detection and sustainability goal setting. However, SMEs demonstrate comparable resilience through informal, agile approaches and supplier collaboration. Overall, strategic effectiveness does not vary by firm size, but implementation pathways do. This study contributes original empirical evidence to the limited comparative literature on organizational size in supply chain strategy. By introducing size as a moderating variable, the research advances theoretical models and highlights the need for differentiated tools, policies, and partnerships. The findings aim to hold practical value for managers, and support businesses seeking to design scalable, inclusive approaches that enhance resilience and sustainability across the entire supply chain spectrum.
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Employment Challenges in the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Virus from a Corporate Perspective
152-163Views:732The changed market conditions caused by the Covid-19 virus forced companies to rethink their strategy and structure and to optimize their processes. The aim of my research is to shed light on the changes in the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic that have had a significant impact on the operation of businesses and presented them with significant challenges. For the study, I used the results of a previous questionnaire survey (Pirohov-Tóth 2020; Pirohov-Tóth, Kiss 2021), which were supplemented with a literature analysis and statistical data from the database of the Central Statistical Office. Furthermore, compared to the first wave of the virus, I examined how job productivity changed in the second wave of the virus. Finally, corporate crisis management options have been presented in my analysis, the practical application of which can contribute to re-emerging from the crisis. It can be stated that the acceleration of digitization and the widespread expansion of advanced technological tools and methods can be considered as one of the biggest positives of the viral situation, which can also mean survival for companies in this pandemic situation.
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Green Sports Products – Environmentally Friendly Efforts of some Sports Equipment and Sportswear Manufacturers.
45-61Views:336In today's world, the issue of sustainability has become a cardinal problem on a global scale. The question of sustainability affects society, health, the economy, and the environment to a large extent. The examination of the environmental aspects of sustainability at the points where the sports sector interacts with the environment is considered a basis for research, and an increasing number of international studies and literature deal with this topic. Sports equipment and sportswear manufacturers operate through high numbers of multi-level global supply chains. They constantly strive to meet sudden changes in consumer demand, which results in high demand for raw materials and resources, waste and greenhouse gas emissions, and water consumption, all of which contribute to the most harmful environmental effects.
The aim of this study is to present the environmental protection measures of Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour, multinational manufacturers of sports equipment and sportswear, aimed at raw material usage, waste management, minimizing water consumption, and reducing their carbon footprint, which they are increasingly applying as part of their business strategy.
