Businesses in the north of Scotland are being encouraged to sign up for a residential 'Strategic Thinking' week to ensure their organisations continue to be profitable in an increasingly dynamic and competitive market place.

Funding for the event has come from Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise (CASE) and HIE's European funded and area-wide Management and Leadership Skills programme. The week-long event is designed especially for owners or managing directors of SMEs (small to medium sized enterprises) and aims to equip senior managers with effective techniques for developing and implementing business strategies.

Iain Fraser, Director of the North Highland College's Dornoch Centre, is leading the course which runs from Sunday 21st October to Sunday 28th October at the Dornoch Centre. The former Glasgow University lecturer is a member of the Market Research Society and the Chartered Institute of Marketing and has managed various projects for the UK Government as well as having acted as an advisor on Strategic Management issues to the President and Government of Eritrea in 1997.

Iain has worked with groups of companies sponsored by Glasgow North Enterprise for several years, and has a wealth of case studies that show that the application of strategic thinking in a company can make a measurable difference in performance and profitability.

"One of the best ways of achieving success in any organisation is through training. However, many businesses still see training as expensive and time consuming instead of recognising that increased capability is the corner-stone of future added value, especially from the customer perspective". Said Iain.

The 'Strategic Thinking' week will involve formal lectures, group workshops, case study analysis and video sessions with delegates learning how to adopt a more rounded view of their organisation as well as developing an ability to manage and respond to change. On completing the course, delegates will have a greater understanding of how to think and manage in a strategic way, and should be able to contribute more towards the success of their organisation.

Commenting on the benefits of attending such a course, head of skills development at CASE, Anne Sutherland said: "Many companies in our area are keen to access training such as this and have found that one of the barriers has been the need to travel south, often to London and Manchester, to obtain the benefits of up-to-the-minute management thinking. We are very fortunate to have this course available on our doorstep.

"I appreciate that there is still a major commitment in time from senior managers and company owners to attend - however, experience has shown that making such a commitment does pay off for the business."

For more information on 'Strategic Thinking' or to book a place on the course, contact Anne Sutherland at CASE on tel: 01847 805204.