Strategic Management (color)
Strategic Management (color)

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2020-08-18

Total Pages: 325

ISBN-13: 9781949373943

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Strategic Management (2020) is a 325-page open educational resource designed as an introduction to the key topics and themes of strategic management. The open textbook is intended for a senior capstone course in an undergraduate business program and suitable for a wide range of undergraduate business students including those majoring in marketing, management, business administration, accounting, finance, real estate, business information technology, and hospitality and tourism. The text presents examples of familiar companies and personalities to illustrate the different strategies used by today's firms and how they go about implementing those strategies. It includes case studies, end of section key takeaways, exercises, and links to external videos, and an end-of-book glossary. The text is ideal for courses which focus on how organizations operate at the strategic level to be successful. Students will learn how to conduct case analyses, measure organizational performance, and conduct external and internal analyses.

Diversification Strategy
Diversification Strategy

Author: Graham Kenny

Publisher: Kogan Page Publishers

Published: 2009-08-03

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 074945833X

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Diversified organizations are everywhere - in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. With diversification comes complication, and if the varied activities of these organizations are not carried out effectively, their very diversity can lead to major inefficiency at best and corporate failure at worst. Diversification Strategy challenges conventional wisdom and establishes a blueprint for successfully managing diversification. Using illuminating case studies such as General Electric, Wesfarmers, Bidvest, ITC and Burns Philip - it analyses the whole process in detail, and describes the seven characteristics of successful diversifiers. Through examining what successful and unsuccessful diversifiers do, as well as the effective practices of focused firms, it provides best-practice guidance for successfully managing diversified organizations and the business units within them. Whether private sector, public sector or not-for-profit, all organizations will all benefit from understanding and applying the principles outlined in this indispensible guide to diversification strategy.

Diversification, Refocusing, and Economic Performance
Diversification, Refocusing, and Economic Performance

Author: Constantinos Markides

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 9780262133111

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This work examines the causes and consequences of the "refocusing" phenomenon, where companies have stopped diversifying and begun focusing once more on their core product lines. Coverage includes a discussion of the effects of refocusing on market value, profitability and organizational structure.

Downscoping
Downscoping

Author: Robert E. Hoskisson

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 1994-09-01

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 0195360117

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Large, diversified firms face unique challenges as they compete worldwide, and corporate restructuring is one way multinationals strive for competitive advantage. Weighing the pros and cons of a variety of approaches to restructuring, Downscoping offers executives a clear, strategic path through the maze. The authors show that when a multinational conglomerate fails to compete effectively, too much diversification may be the culprit. Whether the result of weak corporate governance or poor corporate strategy, over-diversification can make managers, unfamiliar with some of the markets in which they compete, opt for safety over innovation. This risk-aversion and lack of long-range commitment to innovation lead inevitably to stagnation over the longer term. The answer is not downsizing--closing offices and laying off personnel--but downscoping: a strategic approach to restructuring. The options include incentive and compensation adjustments for executives, leveraged buy-outs and capital structure changes, focusing on core skills, diversifying internationally while focusing on businesses in which a firm has strong competencies, and buying and selling mature businesses where product development is not a great concern. Regardless of the approach, executives must exercise strategic leadership during and after restructuring, including providing strategic direction, exploiting core competencies, developing human capital, and sustaining the corporate culture. Based on systematic research rather than casual observation, Downscoping provides a strong description of restructuring alternatives and their resulting tradeoffs. Its specific guidelines for maintaining competitiveness will be essential reading for managers involved in corporate restructuring.

Competitive Advantage
Competitive Advantage

Author: Michael E. Porter

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2008-06-30

Total Pages: 474

ISBN-13: 1416595848

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Now beyond its eleventh printing and translated into twelve languages, Michael Porter’s The Competitive Advantage of Nations has changed completely our conception of how prosperity is created and sustained in the modern global economy. Porter’s groundbreaking study of international competitiveness has shaped national policy in countries around the world. It has also transformed thinking and action in states, cities, companies, and even entire regions such as Central America. Based on research in ten leading trading nations, The Competitive Advantage of Nations offers the first theory of competitiveness based on the causes of the productivity with which companies compete. Porter shows how traditional comparative advantages such as natural resources and pools of labor have been superseded as sources of prosperity, and how broad macroeconomic accounts of competitiveness are insufficient. The book introduces Porter’s “diamond,” a whole new way to understand the competitive position of a nation (or other locations) in global competition that is now an integral part of international business thinking. Porter's concept of “clusters,” or groups of interconnected firms, suppliers, related industries, and institutions that arise in particular locations, has become a new way for companies and governments to think about economies, assess the competitive advantage of locations, and set public policy. Even before publication of the book, Porter’s theory had guided national reassessments in New Zealand and elsewhere. His ideas and personal involvement have shaped strategy in countries as diverse as the Netherlands, Portugal, Taiwan, Costa Rica, and India, and regions such as Massachusetts, California, and the Basque country. Hundreds of cluster initiatives have flourished throughout the world. In an era of intensifying global competition, this pathbreaking book on the new wealth of nations has become the standard by which all future work must be measured.

Strategic Planning Kit For Dummies
Strategic Planning Kit For Dummies

Author: Erica Olsen

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-11-15

Total Pages: 387

ISBN-13: 1118077776

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Think and act strategically every time In today's business environment, strategic planning stresses the importance of making decisions that will ensure an organization's ability to successfully respond to changes in the environment and plan for sustainable viability. Providing practical, field-tested techniques and a complete 6-phase plan, Strategic Planning Kit For Dummies shows you how to make strategy a habit for all organizations, no matter the size, type, or resource constraints. Strategic Planning Kit For Dummies is for companies of all types and sizes looking to build and sustain a competitive edge, set up an ongoing process for market assessment and trend analysis, and develop a vision for future growth. This revised edition includes: new and updated content on planning for both the short and the long-term; crucial information on succession planning; help preparing for the unexpected using scenario planning and agile strategy; strategies for implementing change and integrating strategic plans successfully by involving all staff members; and more. The supplementary CD lays out a comprehensive, 6-phase, step-by-step program, complete with downloadable spreadsheets, charts, checklists, video links, and more Provides value for any business or entrepreneur looking to improve efficiency, focus, and competitive edge Includes practical, field-tested techniques Strategic Planning Kit For Dummies gives today's business owners and upper-level management the tools and information they need to think and act strategically in order to more effectively weather current economic storms while planning for future growth.