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Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Arlo Biere / In the world of fast paced competition with a focus on profits, small businesses are always looking for ways to stay ahead of their competition. One way to maintain the competitive advantage is to join forces with another small business that sells and services similar products. Mergers and acquisitions have been very common in agribusiness since the farm economy collapse in the early 1980s. Farms have been increasing in size, equipment has been growing in complexity with new technologies and size to keep up with growing farm size and equipment manufacturers are merging to create larger corporations that offer more solutions to the end user. Additionally, fewer machines are being purchased by growers and producers each year and the machines that are being purchased are able to do more than previous models. The new complexities require highly trained and skilled technicians to make repairs and service these machines. Farming practices continue to evolve with more limited- and no-till crop production. These factors are contributing to dealers forming larger multi-store operations with trade areas large enough to provide an adequate return on investment to attract the resources required to sell and support technologically advanced agricultural equipment. Large multi-store organizations support the requirement of customers by providing higher levels of customer service. As these large organizations increase in size they ensure a more sustainable business model with reduced fixed expenses leading to higher returns on sales and increased total sales. This study will examine two multi-store farm equipment farm equipment dealerships with a total of a total of eleven locations and make recommendations to create a merger of equals. The analysis will include a review of current sales data at each location and make recommendations for any new locations strategy using industry data as well. This information will help determine which locations should be eliminated or combined into single locations to reduce expenses. The study will also provide data to support implementing standard job pricing in the new organization. A new functional management structure will also be recommended to guide the new company towards increased sales revenues and position the organization for long term growth and sustainability.

This thesis is an empirical exploration of supply strategy content and process. The investigation uses a single-sector case study methodology to explore the scope of supply strategy content, the interaction between supply strategy content and context, and supply strategy process within four aerospace sector companies. The research also uses an extant Integrative Framework to subsequently identify the ‘modes’ of supply strategy process that best describe supply strategy process in the case studies. While the scope of supply strategy content suggested by the supply management literature is theoretically broad, supply strategy process is represented in the literature as chiefly derived from business / corporate strategy. Recognising that details of the processes / practices that create supply strategy and the scope of content within supply strategies have been under-explored empirically, this investigation seeks to contribute to a developing understanding of supply strategy content and process ‘in practice’ and in particular, the role of actors in supply strategy process - which is largely absent in related studies. The research contributes to existing knowledge by finding that the opportunity / autonomy actors have to enact supply strategy process is broadly determined by contextual factors. Furthermore, the investigation finds that supply strategy process, actors and context all have a moderating effect on the scope of supply strategy content. It is also shown that different actors engage in the formulation and implementation stages of strategy process. Finally, the investigation identifies one dominant ‘mode’ of supply strategy process and distinctive combinations of ‘secondary’ modes in each case study. For practitioners, this investigation illustrates that the opportunity and facility to think / act strategically in supply is dependant upon more than just resolve and motivation; it is the product of a complex interaction of strategy context, content, process and actors. The thesis concludes by making a number of recommendations for practice and by identifying opportunities for further research in this field.

Strategy tools have mainly been conceptualised through a functional perspective, which views tools as passive instruments that aid managerial decision-making. Studies within strategy-as-practice provide an alternative view to this, by arguing that in practice, strategy tools are devices that enable actors to achieve a variety of purposes that transcend the instrumental purposes that dominate mainstream strategy studies. In this thesis, I argue that both views still portray tools as being used instrumentally. In both cases actors are seen to use tools as a conduit through which they may achieve either analytical purposes or more socially related purposes. The common factor across both views is the focus on the intentionality of the managers in using the tools to achieve a certain purpose. Rather than focus on what strategy tools are used for, this thesis explores the other side of the coin by focusing on what strategy tools do. I do so by exploring how the materiality of strategy tools may impact on the strategizing practices of managers during the strategy development process. The aim of the study is to explore the possible performative roles that strategy tools may play during the strategy process and the implications of these roles for the work of strategizing. In this study, tools are viewed as non-human actors – that is, they are not simply conduits that are utilised instrumentally for achieving a variety of purposes in organisations, rather they actively influence the actions and interactions of managers and therefore contribute to the formation of strategy. This inquiry is based on a longitudinal study (2012 – 2015) of the process of strategy making within a large UK financial institution. Focusing on what the members of the Strategy department do during the development and use of a strategy tool referred to as the Horizon scan and tracing the developmental trajectory of the tool throughout the process. The thesis draws on theoretical insights situated at the intersection of economic sociology, the sociology of financial markets and the sociology of technology, more specifically: the notions of performativity and affordances. The methodological approach is qualitative and is based on in-depth semi-structured interviews, direct observations of meetings and workshops and documentary data. The analysis reveals that the strategy tool performed four main interconnected roles which include: enlist participants, reorient temporally, consolidate and persuade. Through performing these roles, the tool shaped the strategizing practices of the strategists in a patterned way, such that the actions and interactions of the strategists reflected the underlying theory within the tool. The findings also reveals that the four roles performed by the tool were underpinned by two main affordances – modular and temporal affordances. Based on the findings, the thesis introduces the concept of an Activation device which refers to strategy tools that instigate or trigger certain actions that result in a co-evolution of the strategy theory within the tool and strategizing practices, where the ‘doing’ of strategy comes to resemble the theory within the tool. The study concludes by presenting a theoretical model of how strategy tools as activation devices shape how strategy is practiced. It therefore contributes to the recent materiality turn in strategy and the nascent literature on performativity in strategy, by reconceptualising the roles of strategy tools and demonstrating empirically, how strategy tools influence strategizing practices through the performative effects they generate.

This thesis explores the process by which Chinese universities carry out strategy formation. It aims to provide an insight into the lives of the managers of Chinese universities in the period 2002-2003 which was a time of transition from the regime of President Jiang Zemin to that of President Hu Jintao. Chinese refer to this period as the transition from the third to the fourth generation of leaders. Strategy was defined as a course of action aimed at achieving an organization's purpose and strategy formation was defined as including strategy development and implementation. Answers were sought to the following questions based on data from a small number of universities using stakeholder theory to inform the data collection process: · What is the process by which strategy development and implementation takes place in Chinese universities? · How is the process applied in different universities? · How can an understanding of strategy formation in Chinese universities assist in the development of joint ventures in China by foreign educational institutions? The method of data collection involved interviewing three levels of management in six different universities drawn from three major cities in China. In order to guarantee confidentiality, the identities of the instutions and the individuals involved has been concealed. Background information collected included the history of Chinese universities to 2002 and important features of Chinese culture, society and politics. Stakeholder theory was found to provide a useful framework for analysing the process of strategy formation. It was found that assumptions based on the operations of Australian universities did not apply in China, particularly in the areas of work relationships, reporting and performance management and in the conduct of research. Findings included: · Three approaches to strategy emerged, including the President making unilateral decisions, a consultative approach including stakeholders, and an approach involving consultation with staff. · The process varies between universities depending on factors such as the guanxi relationships of the President. · The learnings from this project can be applied to other joint ventures in education in China.

Today the e-commerce market has become a bigger part of both organizations’ and consumers’ everyday-life. Earlier established strategies within retail can't be relied upon. The online-based organizations don’t act on the same conditions as traditional shops in terms of location, customer service and personal interaction to name a few. These are factors generally important to the traditional strategy formation within retail. E-commerce is an emerging market and to survive a well-formulated strategy formation is crucial in order to endure the environment. The aim of this research is to create an understanding of how strategy is formed in e-commerce organizations. In order to answer the research questions, a qualitative research, including a case study, have been performed. Empirical material has been conducted mainly through semi-structured interviews, with one of Sweden’s largest internet retailers, regarding their ink- and beauty supply segment. Whittington’s (2001) two perspectives; evolutionary and classical, have been used to get different viewpoints on the organization studied. We came to the conclusion that the key factors in strategy formation within e-commerce are experience in combination with available information about the environment they act within. When making recommendations for future studies, a suggestion has been made to examine the whole strategic process and review successful strategies as a consequence of well-analyzed formation. Finally, to examine the impact of maturity of organizations in relation to their strategic processes, would create an understanding of how the relationship between experience within the organization and the data accessible is constructed.

This thesis examines the United States policy for establishing overseas military bases particularly in Central Asia. The major transformational trends in improving United States military capabilities over the past two decades, and the changing international security environment, have shaped the way American leaders focus on their global military posture strategy. Immediately following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, the United States moved quickly to establish a presence in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and after the defeat of the Taliban, several bases became available in Afghanistan. Soviet military influence in Central Asia will be examined and compared to current United States policies and procedures. While military bases still maintain several strategic advantages in terms of response times and maneuver, there needs to be an equally sized effort to explore how these bases can provide stability. Achieving stability in Central Asia will require the United States to move away from the conventional ideology of basing, which it has used for many years, and to embrace policies and procedures that can meet the military mission and gain the trust of the host country. / US Air Force (USAF) author.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / The military is developing new doctrine, such as Ship to Objective Maneuver (STOM), to take advantage of emerging technology. The problem is that new command and control organizations are not being developed to execute this new doctrine. The insistence that the tried and true Commander, Amphibious Task Force/Commander, Landing Force (CATF/CLF) organization or similar structure will do the job hinders the full effectiveness of this new doctrine. STOM removes the need for massive build up ashore in an amphibious operation. Instead, using naval forces as a sea base, the assault force moves sufficient military strength directly to a point at which it can accomplish the mission. This allows the landing force commander to stay on board, thus negating the need for two commanders. The Expeditionary Battle Staff (EBS) is a possible solution to this problem. A combination of the Amphibious Squadron and Marine Expeditionary Unit staffs, EBS has one commander. Using emerging C2 technology, the commander directs the assault from the sea. EBS is designed to have a commander from either the Navy or Marine Corps, with the staff providing the tactical expertise to support him in his mission. / Lieutenant, United States Navy

<p>strategies that supermarkets are doing in their places to attract attention to consumers</p>

<p>packaging as a strategic tool</p>