Strategy Oversight

Strategy Oversight Practice 

Easton’s Strategy Oversight Services lend credibility to management’s leadership by improving the objectivity of the board’s strategy oversight process.  The Strategy Oversight Services are designed to help directors assess strategic decisions, not plan them, and focus on challenging and confirming important strategic premises.  To respond to the specific needs of directors, the research is designed around management’s proposals, starting with a careful review of the stated plans and using additional data from custom research and internal databases to confirm or challenge the critical strategic premises.  Our approach includes heavy involvement from experienced consultants and a compressed timeframe, and provides directors with independent counseling and support while overseeing strategy.

Strategy Oversight Services are available to support oversight of both ongoing strategy issues and one-time events.

Ongoing Strategy Issues

1. Top-Line Strategic Alignment.  Confirmation that corporate strategy is consistent with the company’s mission, vision, and shareholder interest.
2. Growth Prospects.  A review of basic trends underlying business unit growth prospects in each market segment.
   
3. Competitive Landscape.  A review of how competitors’ growth, profitability, and strategic directions will affect business unit performance.
   
4. Shifts and Discontinuities.  A “red flag” evaluation of whether changing market needs, technologies, regulations, or other factors will cause market changes that will disrupt business unit strategy..

One-Time Events

1. Acquisitions and Mergers.  A review of proposed or recently-executed acquisitions for long-term viability of the acquired properties or new entity.
   
2. Strategic Investments.  A review of plans for large-dollar internal or portfolio investments to help ensure long-term gain.
   
3. New Business Evaluations.  Confirmation of management’s planned strategies to create sustainable competitive advantage in new businesses.