Strategy

Description

A new breed of strategy textbook for a new generation of strategists, Strategy: Theory, Practice, Implementation puts the implementation of strategy centre stage to help tomorrow's business professionals think, talk, and act like a strategist.

• The only book to put the implementation of strategy centre stage
• Practitioner Insights - one-to-one videos with practitioners filmed specifically for this project - showcase strategy in the real world
• Offers the most diverse range of examples and case studies, including small, medium, and large organizations in a range of sectors and industries over six continents
• Covers all strategic theories, models, and approaches to strategy required at undergraduate and postgraduate levels
• Includes detailed coverage of the latest advancements in reflective strategy, sustainability, digitalization, disruption, and innovation to equip students with the most up-to-date understanding of strategic thinking
• Provides the most dynamic and flexible approach to teaching and learning strategy through a research-supported Process-Practice Model of Strategy, which puts practitioners at its centre
• Also available as an ebook enhanced with self-assessment activities and multi-media content to offer a fully immersive experience and extra learning support

About the Author(s)

Brad MacKay, Professor of Strategy, Senior Vice Principal and Vice Principal (International Strategy and External Relations), the University of St Andrews, Mikko Arevuo, Reader in Strategy and Leadership Practice, Regent's University London, David Mackay, MBA Academic Director & Professor of Strategy, University of Strathclyde, and Maureen Meadows, Professor of Strategic Management, Coventry University

Brad MacKay is Professor of Strategy in the University of St Andrews School of Management, and Senior Vice Principal and Vice Principal (International Strategy and External Relations) on the University senior management team. Brad's research, teaching, and consultancy interests include strategy development, execution and implementation, contingency planning, scenario planning, the political economy of strategy-making, and scaling sustainability. He has published in a range of leading scholarly journals, and his research has been widely covered in the press, including the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal. He is a regular commentator on business related issues in the media.

Dr Mikko Arevuo is Reader in Strategy and Leadership Practice at Regent's University London. His background includes senior business experience in global financial services and management consulting; academic research; and university, graduate, and executive-level teaching. His research and teaching expertise is in strategy as managerial practice, competitive strategy, senior management and group decision-making processes, and the application of visual methods in organizational research. Mikko has also consulted widely in the UK public and private sectors. He worked with Fortune 500 companies as a facilitator providing evidence-based tools and frameworks to support strategic decision-making processes. A native of Finland, Mikko earned his BA in Economics from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and his MBA and PhD from Cranfield University.

David Mackay is Professor of Strategy at the Strathclyde Business School in Glasgow. Previously he held business management roles in multi-national, SME and entrepreneurial start-up organisations in the UK. He has a continuing research interest in developing understanding of effective strategic management and organisational leadership practices and knowledge. As a practitioner, Dave has engaged with a wide range of private, public, and charitable organisations, supporting their strategy work and development of implementable, practical outcomes. Dave has taught and consulted internationally in locations including the USA, India, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, and the UAE.

Maureen Meadows is Professor of Strategic Management at the Centre for Business in Society at Coventry University. Formerly with the Open University Business School and Warwick Business School, Maureen's research interests include the use of strategy tools such as scenario planning and visioning by senior managers, and the post-merger integration phase following M&A deals. With a background in mathematics, statistics, and operational research, Maureen has many years' experience of working with 'big data' and customer analytics, both as a practitioner in the financial services sector and as an academic. She has published on the progress and problems experienced by organisations working on strategic projects such as market segmentation, relationship marketing, and customer relationship management.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Define strategy meaning, process, and outcomes
1:Interpreting strategy
2:A process-practice model of strategy
3:Strategic decision making in organizations
Part 2: Enhance knowledge of context and options
4:Strategic organization: purpose, values, and culture
5:External environment: macro, industry, and competitive settings
6:Internal environment: resources, capabilities, and activities
Part 3: Debate how to scope, compete, and perform
7:Corporate strategy and structure
8:Strategies for achieving competitive advantage
9:Functional strategy and performance
Part 4: Shape strategy to context and objectives
10:Strategies for growth
11:Innovation, disruption, and digitalization
12:Competing in a globalized world
13:Sustainability and strategy
Part 5: Activate strategy and learn from experience
14:Leading strategic change
15:Designing effective strategy activities
16:Strategy-in-practice: learning, reflecting, thinking

Reviews

"I am most impressed by the writing style and tone. It is by far the clearest text I have come across in terms of its approachable, yet still rigorous and academic, style." - Dr Marie Kerr, Leeds Beckett University

"The Practitioner Insights help to bring the book alive, and my students will love them!" - Dr Mark Crowder, Manchester Metropolitan University

"The case studies and examples are more geographically diverse which I like. And I think the professional conversational language of the text combined with the case studies and practitioner perspectives may enable students to better develop both the skill set and vernacular of the strategy professional." - Dr Mark Bailey, Ulster University

"I have never seen the explanations of PESTEL and Five Forces done so well. You have breathed new life into the Five Forces. Michael Porter should thank you for this." - Dr Mark Toon, Cardiff University

"The textbook achieves its purpose - to offer a practitioner-oriented explanation of strategy - very well." - Dr Maria Eranova, University of Greenwich

Additional Resources

Digital formats and resources
Strategy is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats, and is supported by online resources.
- The ebook offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with self-assessment activities, hyperlinked further reading, and links that offer extra learning support: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks
- Online resources accompany the textbook for both students and registered adopters, including:
- A test bank
- PowerPoint slides
- Answers to, or guidance on, the chapter-opening case study questions in the book
- A series of 'Boardroom Challenges' for use in group role play exercises / action learning simulations
- Teaching notes on using the 'Boardroom Challenges' in class
- Video interviews with the practitioners from the Practitioner Insights, and further videos providing advice on how students can enhance their employability.
- Research Insights to broaden students' perspectives of academic research and its impact on strategic thinking
- Links to articles, cases, chapters, or multimedia resources to support students' further reading
- Additional case studies with exercises or discussion questions
- Video interviews with the authors in which they discuss key theories and implementation issues
- MCQs
- Guidance on how to analyse a case study
- Flashcard glossary

Visit our development pages to read exclusive early sample material, hear from the authors, and find out more about the book's key features.