Methods of Choosing Strategic Alternatives for the Development of a Commercial Enterprise

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze the methods used to substantiate strategic alternatives for the development of a trade enterprise. The importance of choosing and implementing a competitive strategy for trade enterprises is emphasized as a basis for creating, preserving and strengthening competitive positions in the long term. The essence of such tools of strategic analysis as SWOT-analysis, SPACE-analysis, GAP-analysis is considered, the peculiarities of their application, advantages and disadvantages are characterized. It is noted that the most popular tool of strategic management, which allows searching for optimal strategic solutions, is the SWOT-analysis. The method of SWOT-analysis is considered, such shortcomings of this method are pointed out, such as the subjectivity of the selection and ranking of factors, problems with the completeness, relevance and reliability of primary information, insufficient competence of experts. It is emphasized that when conducting a SWOT-analysis, it is necessary to determine not only the opportunities and threats of the organization's external environment, but also to identify the probability of use and the impact of the selected opportunities and threats on the organization's performance, for which opportunities and threats matrices should be built. The methodology and organizational stages of SPACE-analysis are characterized. Emphasis is placed on the necessity of taking into account the specifics of the company's activity when applying SPACE-analysis, which is connected with the formation of a list of key assessment criteria. The essence of GAP-analysis was studied, its advantages and disadvantages were analyzed, a conclusion was drawn about the importance and necessity of assessing the density of the relationship between the actual and estimated values of the indicators studied during the analysis. It was concluded that the general problems of the application of the considered methods at domestic enterprises are the low qualification of managers, their lack of understanding of the meaning of the analysis results, the simplified procedure for its implementation, insufficient information base for the application of matrix analysis methods, insufficient clear understanding by managers of the role of strategic analysis in the enterprise management system.