Corporate planning and the engineer

The concepts of corporate planning are explored and the emphasis is placed on the possibility of achieving a rational systematic method of management. The mechanism of corporate planning can be described as a feedback ioop between the setting of objectives and the monitoring of performance, with several intermediate stages. Corporate planning is essentially a philosophy of change, indeed the introduction of this technique is frequently accompanied by a change in the senior management team. The rapidly changing environment both within and outside the organisation places dynamic demands on management. Technological innovation is one of the more significant aspects of this change, and the paper argues that corporate planning can assist any organisation not only to cope with but also exploit these changes.