This research was carried out at the CIMEX Branch in Granma Province, subordinate to the CIMEX Corporation, with the purpose of proposing an integrated control system that harmonizes the operational control with the strategic one that allows taking into account the strategic variables in the business management process and that contributes to systematize the evaluation of the fulfillment of the operational objectives that contribute to the fulfillment of the mission.
Introduction
The synergistic congruence of the structural hierarchical levels, the management of the organization focused on processes and the control system in the dimensions of today and tomorrow is very important, so that by involving all the members of the entity, the manager can lead his goals in a harmonically integrated system towards the future.
Synergy is the general goal of the design of an organization, generally these have several units or departments, each with its own strategy; For the organization's activity to be more than the sum of its parts, individual strategies must be connected and integrated. The company defines the connections or links that it expects to create synergy and ensures that these connections actually take place.
Strategy-based organizations use a different approach to develop the management process by integrating tactical management with strategic management in a seamless and continuous process with the goal of driving change and achieving better results. This process defines, demonstrates and reinforces new cultural values in the organization with the creation of strategy teams, meetings and open communications.
“… By integrating strategy and culture into the management system, companies create a barrier to future progress, the competitive landscape is continually changing to reflect changes in opportunities and threats, the strategy must be a continuous process, the art of leading is delicately balancing the tension between stability and change… "
A first attempt to bring operational objectives closer to strategic ones is through a new way of appreciating control, taking into account the integration of operational and strategic control, offering a new quality of the same, integrated control.
In most companies today there is no control system that contemplates this new quality of control conception, in the CIMEX Granma branch the established control system covers different analytical moments that allow directing day-to-day tasks, but without taking into account the implications of this in the strategy, losing the conduction of this systematically.
The complexity of maintaining a cohesive line of work in the internal management processes is evident in this entity due to the fact that the environment is very changeable and guidance is received with high priorities that do not always respond to the strategy, the most difficult thing is that it is not managers have a notion that the strategic objectives are not being met, since the control system designed so far only evaluates deviations and loses sight of the strategic vision.
In the current process of implementing the guidelines of the country's economic policy, this issue receives special attention and in this sense, several of the guidelines could be cited: «To ensure that the country's business system is made up of efficient, well-organized companies and structures are created and higher forms of management… control over the management of activities will be based mainly on economic-financial mechanisms…. the elevation of responsibility and powers makes it essential to strengthen their control systems… »
From the above, the following research problem is defined:
Shortcomings of the current control system by not taking into account the strategic variables in the management process for the fulfillment of the mission of the CIMEX Branch.
Since control is a basic function of management, it should allow evaluating the results obtained in relation to those planned, making it possible to identify the factors that will allow reaching future goals, for this reason it is identified as an object: The control process in business management.
The objective of this research is the following:
Design a proposal for an integrated control system in the CIMEX Granma Branch
Being the field: The integrated control system
Finally, the hypothesis is defined as follows:
If an integrated control system is designed that harmonizes operational control with the strategic one, a control system will be achieved in the CIMEX Granma branch that allows taking into account the strategic variables in the business management process.
Practical contribution: An integrated control system that will allow systematizing the evaluation of the fulfillment of the operational objectives that contribute to the fulfillment of the mission.
Development
In October 1993, with the antecedents of a consolidated organization in the Cuban and international market, which had had the possibility of responding to the tasks entrusted by the Revolution with commendable efforts and the satisfaction of the duty fulfilled, Granma joined. to the CIMEX SA Corporation The representation of CIMEX in the province more than fifteen years ago, began with the opening in the Bayamo municipality of a retail trade unit, belonging to the Pan-American Chain of Stores, “Las Novedades”. From this moment on, distinguishing the commercial activity with the provision of an excellent service was a paradigm of action for CIMEX workers in Granma.
The year 2002 marked a significant moment in the history of CIMEX in the province. The Granma Branch is created as an independent entity. Without neglecting the inheritance bequeathed, by those who accompanied us in our first steps, the consolidation of a culture of our own begins, which overlaps the best "doings" of CIMEX and the people of Granma. Since then, the workers of the Granma Branch demonstrate that they have apprehended the values of the new man that characterize a modern, socialist Cuban organization. It is confirmed by the sustained and ascending economic results and in all orders that have led the organization and its workers to occupy, since 2003, the first places in the fraternal Emulation for July 26.
The new model of Business Direction and Management has been applied in the Granma Branch since 2004, when the Business Improvement process was approved, by agreement No. 5215 of July 28, 2004 of the Executive Committee of the Council of State and Ministers.
The fundamental activity of the Granma Branch is the provision of Retail Trade services; These are concentrated in three Complexes: “Las Novedades”, “La Violeta”, located in the provincial capital and “Guacanayabo”, based in the coastal city of Manzanillo. This is represented in all the municipalities of the Granma province and an example of our social responsibility is the opening of small establishments in intricate localities of the territory: Cieneguilla, Cabo Cruz, Las Mercedes, among others. The Granma Branch has a total of 88 retail service establishments, belonging to four large National Chains. The most significant are the Pan American Stores.
In its commercial management, the Granma Branch offers other services through the UEB - Wholesale Store that increasingly satisfies its customers, a Management of Generating Sets, emerged within the framework of the Battle of Ideas, UEB-FINCIMEX that provides services of financial intermediation, Advertising Images, which provides promotion and advertising services, Telecable for the management of satellite signals and a Technology Management, which is linked to electronic and electromechanical equipment, among other benefits.
The Comprehensive Management of the Granma Branch is carried out by a General Management and six Provincial Managements, which are in charge of directing, advising and supervising the activities of: Economy, HR, Commerce, Technology, Assurance and Generating Groups.
At present we are a Perfected Company, which applies the new business management and management model, which shows its responsibility to the people, with its committed participation in the most dissimilar tasks entrusted to us by the Revolution. We are leaders in the market for the provision of services in foreign currency in the province, we over fulfill the economic plans, providing income for the maintenance of our Social Socialist Project. We are a mature organization due to the life history of its people, the vast majority of which are over 30 years old, and due to its own history that has already accumulated three decades.
First, it was necessary to carry out a characterization of the process map and the information flow of the entity, which are explained below:
The CIMEX Branch in Granma, being purely commercial, has as its fundamental objective, the full satisfaction of the clients' needs, so its process begins with their entry, the commercialization of the products and services and the satisfied consumer as the exit. Its process is summarized in three fundamental activities: management, financial and human resources management, as well as the maintenance of equipment and facilities, monitoring and measuring compliance with each of them.
Direction management
Its objective is to ensure that the Quality Management System maintains its continuous consistency, adequacy and permanent effectiveness, for which its specific responsibilities are:
• Direct the process of preparing strategic planning and management by objectives, taking into consideration the policies established by higher management levels.
• Direct, coordinate and control the process of preparing the plan, the business plan and the budgets of the Branch, Complexes, Workshops, and Units, in correspondence with the guidelines issued by the higher corporate management body.
• Establish adequate communication between the management, the other structural subdivisions and with the workers in general.
• Direct and guide the actions of the different areas: Complexes, Workshops, and Units for the effective and efficient fulfillment of the assigned missions.
• Respond for the quality of services, guaranteeing the level of competitiveness and presence in the economic scenario.
• Organize and guarantee the training processes of workers and cadres, through the determination of their learning needs.
• Plan, organize and control the measures that guarantee the satisfaction of the workers for the work they carry out, also approving the payment systems for results.
• Supervise and carry out internal audits to the complexes, workshops, and units.
• Lead and participate in conducting the QMS review.
• Ensure the effectiveness of the improvement actions approved in the management review process.
• Respond to the Corporation for the results of the Branch.
Financial management
Its objective is the planning, allocation and control of the resources of the Branch. To achieve this, it has the following responsibilities:
Accounting and System Group
• Consolidate and process the economic information derived from the retail activity of the Complexes, as well as the rest of the Branch Management, according to the accounting and financial standards and procedures approved by the Corporation.
• Advise and control compliance with the provisions of Accounting Standards and Procedures by the base and territorial accounting centers of the Branch.
• Supervise and advise on the application of internal controls and periodic physical checks of fixed assets, merchandise inventory and cash.
Finance and Pricing Group
• Coordinate with the General Directorate of Treasury of the Corporation, the allocation and breakdown of the Working Capital of the Branch and carry out the control of its use.
• Register, reconcile, control and account and / or carry out the activity of collections and payments to third parties and among the entities affiliated to the Corporation, based on the rules and procedures approved for this activity in the Branch.
• Controlling the rational use of the financial and material resources of the Branch.
Management of human resources
The objective of this process is to obtain, train, develop, motivate and reward the Human Resources required by the Branch.
Among its fundamental responsibilities are:
Staff Group:
• Study and propose the new jobs that are considered to be included in the Branch's staff.
• Control compliance with the requirements of the Labor Legislation and Corporate regulations regarding the selection and recruitment of personnel.
• Control the correct application of the salary policy approved by the Corporation for the facilities located in the territory, as well as the payment and stimulation systems that are used. Systematically evaluate the validity and effectiveness of these.
• Control the efficient use of the workforce, guaranteeing that there are no excess personnel and that their technical professional qualification is in accordance with the position they occupy in each case.
• Organize and register the additions, cancellations, internal movements, increases or reductions of salary in order to make the corresponding payments.
Training and Charts Specialist
• Prepare the Branch Training Plan, according to the indications of the Corporation and the General Management.
• Organize and coordinate the courses, seminars and trainings approved for execution in the Complexes and Branch Entities, ensuring their quality.
• Manage the resources and the study material base that allows compliance with the approved Training Plan.
• Organize and control the process of selection, movement, evaluation, stimulation, of the paintings and their reserves.
Occupational Protection and Hygiene Specialist:
• Apply and control compliance with Law No. 13, and the Organizational Regulations, as well as any other indication that may arise in terms of Protection, Safety and Hygiene at Work.
Commercial Management (Marketing)
Its objective is to manage the Wholesale and Retail marketing of the Branch ensuring:
• The development of commercial activity, through market studies and customer satisfaction research.
• Guarantee the satisfaction of the demand through the replenishment of merchandise, complying with the required quality parameters and with the established regulations.
• The assortment of merchandise that allows increasing sales, with adequate inventory management.
• The quality of the goods purchased, as well as the evaluation and re-evaluation of the suppliers.
• Satisfy customer needs through sales of quality products and services.
As responsibility it has: Organize and execute the commercialization of approved products and services, always on the basis of achieving full customer satisfaction, ensuring the quality of the merchandise sold, evaluating the quality of the service, and satisfaction the client's.
To comply with this process are: Commercial Manager, Complex Managers and Unit Administrators.
• Procedures applicable to your job, and other indications.
Management of equipment and facilities maintenance.
This process integrates the Administrative Manager and the Technological Manager as responsible, since the activity is divided into two managements, so in the case of the Administrative Manager, it must:
• Organize and carry out maintenance and repair work on buildings, air conditioning equipment, refrigeration equipment, generators, communications media and other services associated with the Branch's facilities.
• Organize and carry out remodeling, waterproofing and other works at the Branch's facilities.
• Control the use and movement of the communication, radio and telephone media available to the Branch.
• Guarantee the existence of resources that guarantee maintenance work, avoiding unnecessary inventories.
• Control and propose the replacement of the necessary means of its brigades.
Among the functions of the Technology Manager are:
• Execute the installation and assembly of the technological equipment available to the Branch.
• Provide maintenance and repair services to the technological equipment that guarantees the operation of the Branch.
• Project and execute the plans, budgets, objectives and goals to be achieved in each period.
• Monitoring and measurement of the system.
• The objective of this process is to achieve the effectiveness of the System and identify opportunities for improvement of the processes, by measuring, monitoring and analyzing their effectiveness.
• Among the fundamental responsibilities are among others: Establish mechanisms for measuring and monitoring processes; plan, organize and carry out internal quality audits; verify compliance with what is established in the Manuals of Retail Trade Standards and Procedures.
• So that all the designed processes could be completed, an information flow was drawn up that was capable of integrating them.
• To achieve this, the different means of communication that the Corporation has were used, which are: automated systems, NETWORK Services and Data Transmission, E-mails, Telephone and Personal Services.
• In this flow, the integration that must exist between all its components was taken into account: Corporation, Municipal and Provincial CAP, Customers, Suppliers, Civil Defense CTC, CIM, BAT Warehouses, all the UEB that make up the structure, among others.
Then a general operation proposal was made for the three areas of the company, shown below:
1. Compliance with Social Responsibility. Referring to matters related to the Defense of the principles of the Revolution and the fight against any manifestation of corruption or illegality.
2. Economic Management. Referring to all economic and financial aspects, managing to increase the contributions to the Reserve, as well as improving profitability, efficiency and productivity.
3. Continuous Improvement. Which represents all the commercial activity, human and technological resources to achieve the consolidation of a quality culture in the organization
The proposal to achieve an integration of the operational and strategic control system was identified in four steps that were the following:
1. Integration of strategic objectives with key result areas.
2. Identification of work objectives to comply with the strategic objectives.
3. Identification of strategic objectives with leading indicators.
4. Finally, the leading indicators were related to the organization's management processes.
Conclusions
1. The control system designed in the entity is not supported at different analytical moments and does not achieve the comprehensiveness that allows monitoring the designed strategy with the required frequency
2. A system in which operational and strategic control are conjugated and coexist in mutual complementarity, provides the manager with a powerful weapon to perfect the management work, make more accurate decisions and really control what is vital in the organization to To fulfill its strategic mission, the methodological proposal designed allowed to relate the individual objectives of the different structures with those of the organization.
3. The results obtained in some lines of the sales indicator show that these are not fully met, which leads to low customer satisfaction; This situation, together with the trend of high costs, is an element that puts the economic position at risk.
4. The low level of own capital that manifests as a trend in the entity jeopardizes its ability to maintain an adequate ratio between its two sources of financing and consequently its long-term economic and financial stability.
5. The level of customer dissatisfaction due to merchandise quality and assortment problems is significant, which does not allow us to affirm that the entity can achieve a growing degree of efficiency and effectiveness in customer satisfaction.
6. The form and system of indicators proposed will allow the management to delimit the shortcomings that limit the fulfillment of the objectives and with them to trace the path for improvement in the different key result areas of the entity.
recommendations
1. Continue using the proposed system to monitor the situation in each of the organizational structures of the entity, systematizing the individual accountability in weekly and monthly tips on the transformation of the different indicators.
2. Teach improvement courses on the topic addressed to guarantee the culture and full understanding of the same in the technical and managerial staff that enables its conscious implementation.
3. Carry out the analysis taking into account the different analytical moments and with a comprehensive approach that allows monitoring the designed strategy with the required frequency, complying with the designed information flow and the system of leading indicators that must be used.
4. Attention should be paid to improving the quality of automatic orders and leveling inventories, achieving systematic communication with territorial warehouses to guarantee the required supply and improve customer satisfaction rates.
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