After a long tenure at Ford, Krafcik joined Hyundai in 2004 as vice president of product development and strategic planning.

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For me, what is noteworthy about this story is that these governmental entities have the feel of public-private partnerships, effectively mixing the strategic planning of entrepreneurial government agencies with aggressive economic development and a healthy orientation toward profit and efficiency.

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"We don't build cars in research labs, " Larry Burns, GM's vice president of research, development and strategic planning, told the Free Press.

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The story also illustrates the key advantages of planning for the long term versus short-term strategic development.

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Up until May 2013, twelve 5-day workshops will be held to train professionals on several themes such as organizational development, change processes, learning, sustainability, institutional diagnostics, strategic planning, and elaboration of projects.

UNESCO: Joint UNESCO and TV GLOBO initiative offers management training for NGOs and institutions | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization