Diagnosing Strategic Problems

It is impossible to be everything to everyone. Straying too far away from your original focus may derail your plan. Problems soon arise. They are inevitable. Although, we assess and try to manage expected problems, it is impossible to predict the future. How efficiently and effectively we handle the problem can make or break the firm.
Strategic problems show their ugly faces in many ways. Too many customer clients can mean that the company is producing a bad product. More investment in quality control may be needed. Management may have forgone Q.C. for their salaries. Many symptoms of strategic problems have a domino effect. Too many customer complaints can lead to a deteriorating company image. A bad image can happen for many reasons. Rats found in a fast food spot is not good for its image. Using overseas sweatshops and child labor can hurt an image. For some though, getting into trouble can be good for business. Going to jail, for some, can really help business. A company should try to outweigh the negative perception in the consumers mind, with positive messages about the firm through advertising. A firms product may also be seen as substandard compared to their competitors because the firm has not convinced their consumer that this is otherwise, also through advertising and proper branding.
Another problem facing many firms can be the retention of quality employees. A company may face high absenteeism and turnover, or they may be short of the critical personnel needed. I believe this is a sign of bad management, because the management has not fostered an environment where top employees want to come and stay. Employees have to want to belong. Some are motivated through money, and others by a way of life. What a company should do is foster an environment that allows for the firm and the employees to grow together. A firm needs to match its employees with its goal. Any deviation can hurt the firm.