Strategy Implementation Readings

The articles in this collection highlight the importance of strategy control and implementation in maintaining a competitive advantage. Partial contents: The eclectic roots of strategy implementation research ; Transformational leadership.

This text contains the same material as in the first part of Strategic Management tenth edition, but with the addition of a section containing 19 topical strategic management readings.

Deals with the strategies that organisations employ to survive in an increasingly unpredictable environment. This compilation consists of a number of articles, written by leaders in the field, that reflect current wisdom and contemporary thought on aligning businesses with their environments.

Business.

Good Strategy/Bad Strategy clarifies the muddled thinking underlying too many strategies and provides a clear way to create and implement a powerful action-oriented strategy for the real world. Developing and implementing a strategy is the central task of a leader. A good strategy is a specific and coherent response to—and approach for—overcoming the obstacles to progress. A good strategy works by harnessing and applying power where it will have the greatest effect. Yet, Rumelt shows that there has been a growing and unfortunate tendency to equate Mom-and-apple-pie values, fluffy packages of buzzwords, motivational slogans, and financial goals with “strategy.” In Good Strategy/Bad Strategy, he debunks these elements of “bad strategy” and awakens an understanding of the power of a “good strategy.” He introduces nine sources of power—ranging from using leverage to effectively focusing on growth—that are eye-opening yet pragmatic tools that can easily be put to work on Monday morning, and uses fascinating examples from business, nonprofit, and military affairs to bring its original and pragmatic ideas to life. The detailed examples range from Apple to General Motors, from the two Iraq wars to Afghanistan, from a small local market to Wal-Mart, from Nvidia to Silicon Graphics, from the Getty Trust to the Los Angeles Unified School District, from Cisco Systems to Paccar, and from Global Crossing to the 2007–08 financial crisis. Reflecting an astonishing grasp and integration of economics, finance, technology, history, and the brilliance and foibles of the human character, Good Strategy/Bad Strategy stems from Rumelt’s decades of digging beyond the superficial to address hard questions with honesty and integrity.

Strategy execution is one of the most important and exciting topics in management. Implementing strategy in today's complex organizations is an enormous challenge but one that all leaders must tackle. This lively book is an essential guide to strategy execution for practicing managers and those in advanced management education. It combines the rigour of advanced research with the accessibility of practical experience and application to lead readers through the subject. Drawing together existing knowledge and reporting findings from his own research, Andrew MacLennan brings this often neglected topic sharply into focus. After introducing and defining strategy execution, the book presents a series of systematic frameworks to help managers and leaders: identify common strategy execution barriers and diagnose performance problems in particular situations translate conceptual strategies into concrete activities align emergent activities and projects with strategic objectives support critical activities by aligning organizational designs and systems Strategy Execution is an insightful, engaging and practical book. The models are supplemented throughout with real world examples, summaries of key issues and signposts to further readings. It is a comprehensive, easy to use book offering students and practitioners a systematic approach to strategy implementation.

Thompson/Strickland READINGS is the softcover readings component of this market-leading strategic management package. The readings reflect current thought in strategic management.

Readymade CVs will help all job hunters to get that crucial interview. After setting out the ground rules for preparing a CV, the author offers a large selection of specimen CVs which readers can personalise to suit their own circumstances.