Strategic planning outlines the path between the current status of the business and the desired status. It requires the business to identify its objectives and goals, and then make the correct decisions to achieve these objectives and goals. This book provides a complete set of practical strategic planning techniques and tools. It explains how and

This guide to the entire business planning process from start to finish provides a framework for: conceiving the vision of the firm; defining the purpose of the firm; setting business goals and strategies for achieving them; establishing operating plans for functions; and executing the plan.

In this publication a framework for parallel planning agents is developed and applied to planning problems ranging from domain independent planning to planning for autonomous vehicle systems. The framework contains both logic-based and cost-based planning approaches.

This report recommends that a default answer of 'yes' to development should be removed from the National Planning Policy Framework (NPFF). The phrase 'significantly and demonstrably' must also be removed from the presumption that all planning applications should be approved unless the adverse effects 'significantly and demonstrably' outweigh the benefits, because it adds a further barrier to the achievement of truly sustainable development. The definition of 'sustainable development' is inadequate and often conflated with 'sustainable economic growth'. The framework gives the impression that greater emphasis should be given in planning decisions to economic growth, undermining the equally important environmental and social elements of the planning system. The NPPF should require local planning decisions to be taken in accordance with the presumption in favour of sustainable development consistent with Local Plans. It is unacceptable that so many parts of England have yet to develop and adopt a new Local Plan. Clarity within the NPPF has suffered in the pursuit of brevity. Inconsistent drafting could create gaps in planning policy or guidance that could lead to a huge expansion in the size of Local Plans - as local authorities attempt to plug those gaps. The test for 'viability', as currently worded, risks allowing unsustainable developments to go ahead if measures to make them sustainable are deemed to make them unviable for the developer. MPs also call for a sensible transition period to give local authorities time to put Local Plans in place where they have not already done so.

Supply chain management (SCM) has been stressed as a remedy to many of the underlying issues in the construction industry. However, the positive examples where SCM has been successfully utilised and diminished the lingering issues in construction is scarce. The question is why. Previous studies have stressed the importance of planning both the construction project as such but also the supply chain and the logistics. As an important part of SCM, supply chain planning (SCP) focuses on planning different aspects of the supply chain through involving different members of the supply chain in the planning process. SCP in construction is scarce as the planning of the logistics in general. Failing to plan the supply chain, involving supply chain members in the planning, and integrating the processes of planning the supply chains and the construction project can be one reason for the low numbers of successful SCM adoption in construction. In improving the SCP in construction, this thesis develops a SCP framework for construction that involves the main contractor, subcontractors, and suppliers. The aim is to improve SCP, collaboration, and eliminate many of the common problems in construction through a SCM and SCP perspective. The developed framework is based on an existing planning framework for sales and operations planning. This framework is generic and synthesises planning in general. It consists of identifying/developing: outcomes, input, organisation, process, key performance measurements, and IT-tools. It is thus necessary to investigate what these aspects means in a construction context. Four research objects will be fulfilled: Objective 1. Identify common logistical problems and linkages between them Objective 2. Develop a SCP process Objective 3. Develop a SCP organisation Objective 4. Identify performance measurements

Interpreting the NPPF: the New National Planning Policy Framework aims to explain the revised NPPF to planners, developers and legal advisers throughout England. The book seeks to summarise the most important case law interpreting the previous NPPF, so far as is relevant to the new version. It provides an explanation of the legal status and nature of national planning policy law, as well as consideration of how the new NPPF should be interpreted. --from back cover.