The Origin, History, and Meaning of Planning

Planning is a broad term that carries entirely different meanings in different fields. Therefore, we divide the meaning of planning into two categories: broad and narrow. In a broad sense, planning refers to all planning activities—a way of thinking or a process in which people, to achieve specific goals, employ certain scientific methods and artistry to conceive and design solutions for decision-making and planning.

In a narrow sense, planning refers to modern corporate planning. Corporate planning involves pre-established visions and the process of deliberation, design, and creative thinking carried out according to scientific planning procedures to ensure the rationality, efficiency, and scientific nature of corporate decisions and plans, in order to achieve the company's strategic development goals and market objectives.

I. Planning in China

Chinese planning thought has a long history, as ancient as human society itself. The collective hunting behaviors of primitive societies already showed the germination of planning thought. In the Shang Dynasty, Jiang Ziya, with his exceptional wisdom and strategic actions, assisted King Wu in overthrowing the Shang tyrant and conquering the realm. By the Warring States period, planning thought had become even more developed and enriched. In the Lüshi Chunqiu, the character "策" in the phrase "此胜之一策也" (this is one strategy for victory); in the Analects (Shu Er), the character "谋" in "好谋而成者也" (one who is fond of planning succeeds); and in the Book of Han (Annals of Emperor Gao), the character "筹" in "运筹帷幄之中，决胜千里之外" (strategizing within a command tent to secure victory a thousand miles away) all convey the meanings of planning, arranging, offering ideas, finding solutions, and devising strategies. The famous Chinese military classic The Art of War by Sun Tzu states in its "Calculations" chapter: "Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat; how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose."

As society progressed and developed, the meaning of planning evolved from the superficial level of offering advice to a deeper level. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Xin Qiji wrote in his "Memorial on Training Militia and Defending the Huai River": "事不前定不可以猝，兵不预谋不可以制胜" (If affairs are not decided in advance, one cannot cope with sudden changes; if troops are not planned beforehand, one cannot achieve victory). This shows that the ancients already recognized the importance of planning before decision-making and the crucial role of planning in decision-making.

II. Classification of Corporate Planning

Corporate planning is also a very broad concept. Any corporate management activity that requires decision-making and plan formulation involves a pre-planning operational procedure. Therefore, from different perspectives and based on different criteria, it can be divided into various types.

According to its position in corporate management, we can classify all planning into two types: "strategic-level planning" and "tactical-level planning." Strategic-level planning involves the conception and design of the overall strategic goals and general policies for a company's development over a certain period. It is broad in scope, holistic, and overarching. It occupies the highest level of corporate planning, holding a position of overall planning and governing all corporate planning activities. It generally focuses on the research, conception, and design of the company's strategic thinking, strategic goals, and strategic priorities. Tactical-level planning is planning conducted by a company to achieve its strategic thinking, strategic goals, and strategic tasks, targeting a specific aspect or a specific issue. Examples include brand planning, promotional planning, advertising planning, corporate image planning, public relations planning, and event planning.