Strategic Planning Implementation in Jordanian Publicly Quoted Companies

Purpose: This paper aims to identify the problems associated with the implementation of strategic planning in Jordanian publicly quoted companies.

Design/Methodology/Approach: A review of the literature relating to both strategic planning and strategic planning implementation in both developed and less developed countries is provided.

The empirical research was conducted via a questionnaire survey of Jordanian publicly quoted companies in the financial, service and industrial sectors.

Findings: The main findings of this research are that the implementation problems which were identified in earlier studies were experienced by Jordanian companies but that these problems were not noticeably affected by organisational size or age or by sector.

Research limitations: The research and its results focus on “what” and “how”, rather than “why”, questions. Multiple participant, face to face interviews should be used in a subsequent study to explore the latter.

Practical Implications: The results lead to various recommendations about how strategic planning implementation may be improved in Jordan, particularly in relation to an enhanced role for line management.

Originality: It is the first study of the problems associated with the implementation of strategic planning in Jordan or in the Middle East in general. In this context, it provides empirical evidence in relation to the problems associated with the implementation of strategic planning and the nature of their relationship with certain organisational characteristics (size, age, and nature of business).