The cursor on your computer screen sits blinking at the end of the scathing email you had just read and to which you were request to reply. The sender of the email was the CEO, Mr. West, who is obviously frustrated and concerned about the upcoming stockholders meeting. In his email he wrote, “I am at my wits end. We continue to perform poorly even though we have increased operational efficiency through the programs we implemented such as benchmarking, outsourcing, TQM, lean manufacturing, and employee empowerment. The board keeps asking for me to outline our strategy. What is strategy?...I thought that’s what all those programs were! Becoming more efficient than our competitors…isn’t that what strategy is? I guess not. I need you to help me think through this and for you to respond to this email by telling me, in your own words, what strategy is and how it relates to operational efficiency and the activities of our organization. Also, tell me how the whole strategic planning process works - how does a company do strategic planning?"