Lecture on Strategy

Introduction to Strategy

Definition: Strategy involves defining goals and then choosing and implementing the means to achieve them.
Contexts: Applies to individuals, businesses, and states.
- Individuals: E.g., obtaining a job by earning a diploma.
- Businesses: E.g., Microsoft increasing users by making Office available on iOS devices.
- States: E.g., France reducing road violence by increasing radar use.

Tools, Methods, and Concepts: Utilize various variables such as action and representation variables.
Types of Variables:
1. Technico-Economic Variables: Core functioning of the business, e.g., results, growth, positioning, competition.
2. Social Variables: Consider the company as a social fabric, focus on motivation, social climate, employee involvement.
3. Political Variables: Internal power dynamics and management issues, not related to political science.

Systemic Process:
- Multiple interacting actors, including managers, employees, external stakeholders (e.g., suppliers, clients, shareholders).
- Competitors influence the company's strategy.
Dynamic Process:
- Continuous evolution due to interactions of various actors.
- Changes in objectives, means, and external demands (e.g., client requests, competitive strategies).

Technico-Economic Variables:
- Increasing complexity due to a global network of numerous actors.
- Global competition from various regions like Europe, USA, Asia, and emerging markets (e.g., China, Brazil, Vietnam).
Social Variables:
- Evolution in the significance of work amidst other social structures (e.g., family, social networks, leisure activities).
Political Variables:
- Shift in authority dynamics; need for better explanation and perspective to ensure long-term employee engagement.

The strategy is a complex, dynamic, and systemic process with numerous interacting variables and actors.
Contemporary challenges include increased unpredictability, evolving social norms, and changing authority relations.