The Plans That Failed

The establishment of the Communist social model in one part of Germany was a result of international postwar developments, of the Cold War waged by East and West, and of the resultant partition of Germany. As the author argues, the GDR's 'new' society was deliberately conceived as a counter-model to the liberal and marketregulated system. Although the hopes connected with this alternative system turned out to be misplaced and the planned economy may be thoroughly discredited today, it is important to understand the context in which it developed and failed. This study, a bestseller in its German version, offers an in-depth exploration of the GDR economy's starting conditions and the obstacles to growth it confronted during the consolidation phase. These factors, however, were not decisive in the GDR's lack of growth compared to that of the Federal Republic. As this study convincingly shows, it was the economic model that led to failure.

"The establishment of the Communist social model in one part of Germany was a result of international postwar developments, of the Cold War waged by East and West, and of the resultant partition of Germany." This study offers an in-depth exploration of the GDR economy's starting conditions and the obstacles to growth it confronted during the consolidation phase.--[book cover].

Natural disaster. Virulent disease. Terrorist attack. In almost an instant, the safe world you have known is turned upside down. Such catastrophic events are not restricted to the movies. They are becoming true-life headlines around the world.

Organizations often fail to reach their potential growth. The book identifies the hidden dilemmas and pitfalls of strategic planning. It creates awareness of the planning traps, so companies can create a breakout strategy. This is not another theoretical book. It is written for the Board, CEO and Executives who are responsible for creating the company's future.It is a hands-on book reflecting the practical insights of the author's own experiences conducting strategic planning. It includes process guidelines along with an organizational assessment tool to identify areas that an organization needs to work on to create strategic success. The book emphasizes participative planning, awareness building, reality checks, innovation, differentiation, tactical testing, execution, change management, perfomance planning and strategic controls. Above all the book will enable your firm to come to grips with its organizational capability, enabling it to identify new opportunities for a breakout strategy.

Careful strategic planning is paramount for organizations seeking to establish themselves in our dynamic economy. Still, even the best thought-out strategic plan will falter if employee buy-in is not supported and a thoroughly considered implementation process is not put into effect. This book casts light on these dark corners of entrepreneurship and share with you the kind of knowledge that can save you a lot of time and frustration. But most importantly, it can save you from failing in your venture. A thoroughly prepared strategic plan is vital for reaching objectives and goals; any business depends on careful planning to be successful. Regrettably though, many individuals, groups and organizations, fall short when it comes to executing their plans. The outcome can be wasted time, cash and various missed opportunities. If a strategic plan is to be successfully implemented, one must count for a number of interrelated factors. We will address the most crucial of these in the following chapters of this book. Creative awareness of the pitfalls of strategic planning will help to circumvent organizational failure.

“One of the most profound and illuminating studies of this century to have been published in recent decades.”—John Gray, New York Times Book Review Hailed as “a magisterial critique of top-down social planning” by the New York Times, this essential work analyzes disasters from Russia to Tanzania to uncover why states so often fail—sometimes catastrophically—in grand efforts to engineer their society or their environment, and uncovers the conditions common to all such planning disasters. “Beautifully written, this book calls into sharp relief the nature of the world we now inhabit.”—New Yorker “A tour de force.”— Charles Tilly, Columbia University

FAIL TO PLAN, PLAN TO FAIL is a book which guides Education Technology professionals through a detailed process, called MAPITTM, that illustrates five phases for developing your school's Ed Tech Strategic Plan: Needs Identification, Needs Analysis, Recommendations, Feasibility and Implementation.