| dc.description.abstract | The topic of strategic planning and how it influences organizational performance
has been the subject of intense debate over the last five decades. It is
conceptualized that when organizations embrace strategic planning practices in
their operations performance is improved. It is argued that adoption of strategic
planning practices by an organization enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of
its operations. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of
strategic planning practices on the performance of Zimbabwe state corporations.
A census was conducted on Zimbabwe state corporations. The research design
that was used in this study was the descriptive cross sectional survey method. The
target respondents in this study were senior executives, general managers and line
managers of the state corporations. Data was collected using questionnaires and
analysed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. Collected data was
tested for reliability and validity using Cronbach’s alpha and principal factor
analysis. The study established that state corporations adopted a number of
strategic planning practices that had a positive influence on the performance of the
corporations. The findings of this study, therefore, collaborates extant strategic
management literature which states that strategic planning improves
organizational performance. It is therefore recommended that Zimbabwe state
corporations improve their corporate governance structures and internal control
systems so as to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations. It is
further recommended that some of Zimbabwe’s state corporations be restructured
and their operations be exposed to the competitive environment of the open
market economy. It is recommended that the Zimbabwean government chooses a
less interventionist stance on state corporations by providing managers with more
autonomy and correspondingly higher accountability. This study is one of the few
to determine the influence of adopting strategic planning practices by
organizations operating in a closed economy but one which is also in transition. It
is hoped, therefore, that this study provides a basis for further empirical studies,
not only on state corporations but also on private and public sector organizations
with similar contextual backgrounds. | en_US |
