Strategic management involves analyzing a firm's internal strengths and weaknesses as well as external opportunities and threats to create and sustain a competitive advantage. It is a top-level management process that guides the overall vision, mission, objectives, and strategies across all functional areas of a business. An effective strategic management process includes environmental scanning, strategy formulation, implementation, and evaluation to ensure the business adapts to changes in the market. Firms that practice strategic planning see financial benefits like increased sales and profits as well as non-financial benefits like improved coordination and ability to adapt to changes.