The purpose of this paper is to link theory and empirical evidence to create a critical synthesis. Twinning theory and empirics provides a greater insight and understanding of the context of this thesis. This paper synthesises the issues and strategic factors of the tea plantations and the broader tea industry that are unique to Sri Lanka, and different from the contexts in which Western/Northern business strategy ideology has been developed. Therefore, this paper provides critical interpretation of managerialist perspective on business strategy so as to understand the role of power relations in strategy process in the Sri Lankan tea industry, especially the tea plantations.
This will give clear insight into the reason why plantation companies merely apply and make use of Western/Northern managerialist perspective at only a nominal level to make up their business strategies and plans. This paper therefore addresses research question: How adequate are current business strategies used in the tea plantations and the industry?; and research question: How can the business strategy perspective used by the Sri Lankan tea industry be improved?
The Western/Northern business ideology, mainstream strategy theories and models and previous research have been critically examined (see Wickramasinghe 2004 for research methodology and genealogy of the tea plantations in Sri Lanka) in order to unmask the inadequacy of the mainstream processual managerial approach to the strategy process. Therefore this paper advances the discussion. Therefore, paper consists of five main sections: In/adequacy of Western/Northern managerialist strategy perspectives; Power struggle and relations in strategy process; Contextual reality: Beyond Western/Northern economic rationality – A critical interpretation of strategic issues and factors of the tea industry; Cultural political economy approach to business strategy; and Addressing critical strategic issues and factors.
