Exploring Corporate Strategy [antikvár]

PREFACE The four years which have passed since our first edition was published has seen some important and interesting developments which impinge on the subject of Corporate Strategy, and the ways in which it is viewed and practised in both private and public sector organisations. There has been a growing recognition of the importance of the subject in many more educational programmes at undergraduate, postgraduate and professional levels, as well as a major surge of interest in post experience management development in the area. Since we argued in the first edition that a greater strategic awareness was necessary amongst all levels of managers, these are developments which we welcome. In revising this book we have tried to ensure that we reflect the changing views, attitudes and approaches to Corporate Strategy but that we do this within the framework and style of the first edition, which many of you have kindly complimented us on. We hope we have achieved this and that you continue to find Exploring Corporate Strategy a useful and stimulating text. Much of its content has changed - and this is explained more fully below - but the purpose of the book remains the same: to develop a greater capability for strategic thinking amongst managers and potential managers. We began the first edition by quoting the Group Corporate Planner of one of the UK's biggest companies explaining that the main problem he faced was to get managers to understand that it was their responsibiHty to formulate strategy: This is my biggest difficulty. First, becausc they seem to think it's someone else's responsibility and, second, because they think there is some set of techniques which is going to crcatc strategy for the company. 1 try to get them to understand that if the managers of the business aren't responsible for strategy, then no-one is: and that they already have - or can easily get - any techniques that arc necessary. The problem is the inability of managers to think strategically. This book aims to provide readers with an understanding of: • What corporate strategy is. • Why strategic decisions are important. • Approaches to formulating strategy. It is not a book of corporate planning techniques but rather builds on the practice of good strategic management, as researchers and practitioners in the area understand it. It is a book primarily intended for students of strategy on undergraduate, diploma and masters courses in universities and colleges; students on courses with titles such as Corporate Strategy, Business Policy, Strategic Management, Organisational Policy,