[Ebook PDF] Strategic Management in Action, 6th Edition

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Strategic Management in Action, 6th Edition

ISBN-13: 978-0132620673
ISBN-10: 0132620677

Author: Mary A. Coulter (Author)

Strategic Management in Action presents current strategic management theories and practice in an engaging and easy-to-read format. Coulter effectively blends theory with plenty of opportunity to practice throughout the text, providing readers with the ideologies, ethical dilemmas, and unique strategies of today’s real managers and organizations in action.

PREFACE
Strategy Theory + Strategy Practice = Strategic
Management in Action, Sixth Edition
Competitive advantage. It’s a concept that’s fundamental to the study of strategic management—and one you’ll be quite familiar with after reading this text. What is competitive advantage?
It refers to what sets something (an organization, a team, a job applicant, a book, etc.) apart. And what sets this text apart? What is its competitive advantage? This is a strategic management text that effectively integrates strategy theory and strategy practice. As one professor who uses the text so clearly said, “It’s the right stuff compactly and clearly presented.” The sixth edition of Strategic Management in Action continues to do what it does best—presenting current strategic management theories and practices in an interesting, engaging, and easy-to-read format. And now, we’ve added color and photos—making it even more fun to read!
New to the Sixth Edition
Here is a chapter-by-chapter list of the changes in the sixth edition.
Chapter 1
• New opening case on Zynga
• Today’s economic climate
• Boxed material includes Think About or To Do assignments
• Updated and new boxes, examples, and cases
Chapter 2
• New opening case on Kodak
• New case on Gap
• Boxed material includes Think About or To Do assignments
• Updated and new boxes, examples, and cases
Chapter 3
• Boxed material includes Think About or To Do assignments
• Updated and new boxes, examples, and cases
Chapter 4
• New opening case on Avon
• Boxed material includes Think About or To Do assignments
• New case on Coca-Cola
• Updated and new boxes, examples, and cases
Chapter 5
• Condensed material on functional strategies combined with competitive strategies
• Boxed material includes Think About or To Do assignments
• Updated and new boxes, examples, and cases
xi
xii Preface
Chapter 6
• New opening case on Under Armour
• New box on “thinking small”
• Boxed material includes Think About or To Do assignments
• Updated and new boxes, examples, and cases
Chapter 7
• New chapter devoted to international strategies
• New case on Nokia
• New case on Nomura Holdings
• Updated and new boxes, examples, and cases
Module
• New module devoted to strategies for entrepreneurial ventures and not-for-profits
• Updated and new information on job creation, start-ups, and Global Entrepreneurship
Monitor
Finally, this edition continues to discuss contemporary strategic management theories and practices including, for example, corporate reputations, the ethics of profits, global corporate governance, offshoring versus outsourcing, employee layoff strategies, the hourglass phenomenon, workers’ rights, and global trade. Of course, traditional strategy concepts such as competitive advantage, SWOT analysis, corporate growth, and strategy implementation are covered as well.
Emphasizes Strategy in Action
This text illustrates strategic managers and strategic management in action. How? By describing real managers and real organizations using strategic management. These strategy in action examples are featured throughout the chapters in the various boxed features. For instance, the Strategic Management in Action boxes describe organizations (all types and all sizes) and the unique strategies they’re using. The Strategic Management in Action—Global Perspective boxes describe global organizations and the unique challenges they’re facing and the unique strategies they’re using. Additionally, strategic management concepts discussed throughout the various chapters are “brought to life” through descriptions of organizations using those concepts as they do what they’re in business to do.
Opportunities to Practice Strategic Management I believe everyone in an organization—not just the top management team—deals with strategy and as such needs to know what’s involved with strategic management. What better way to do that than by “practicing” it? And this text provides several opportunities for students to do that.
Case analysis is an important part of most strategy courses, but not every case assignment needs to be a comprehensive case for students to learn something from it. At the beginning of each chapter, there’s a Strategic Management in Action mini-case, which describes a company facing a strategic decision. (Some of these companies are Zynga, Zara, Under Armour, Kodak, and Avon.) Using the discussion questions posed at the end of the chapter, students can analyze this company. It’s a way for them to “practice” strategic management by evaluating what these companies have done, as well as a way to practice different parts of the strategic management process. In addition, two or three other mini-cases and discussion questions are found at the end of each chapter. With these mini-cases at the end of every chapter, there’s ample opportunity for students to work with the concepts and theories that are presented in each chapter and to apply them to an organizational situation.
In addition, all chapter boxes have suggestions for further research, review, or discussion.
Another chapter feature—The Grey Zone—emphasizes the ethical dilemmas that strategic decision makers often face and asks students to come up with suggestions about how they would handle that dilemma. Finally, at the end of each chapter, there are several “You As Strategic Decision Maker:
Building Your Skills” exercises that provide students with opportunities to practice strategic management by doing additional research, analysis, and writing.
Discussion of Strategies
When strategic decision makers must change the strategic direction of an organization and choose a different strategy, making that decision isn’t enough. There are more steps to the process. That
strategy also needs to be put into action (implemented) and the results of the strategy evaluated. This strategy text discusses that process of formulation, implementation, and evaluation as each strategy level (functional, competitive, and corporate) is presented. So, for instance, when discussing competitive strategies, you’ll find information on what strategies strategic decision makers can choose from (for instance, cost leadership, differentiation, etc.), how those strategies are implemented (by using the organization’s resources and capabilities and by using offensive and defensive moves), and how results are evaluated (what performance measures might be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the competitive strategies). This approach makes sense because students need to see all the aspects of a strategy from start to finish—from formulation to implementation to evaluation.
Writing Style
An academic text doesn’t have to be boring. This text is unique in the market because it isn’t boring. Its conversational and highly readable writing style makes learning about strategic management interesting and fun. Although an author’s writing style is difficult to describe (especially your own!), I did write this text in a way that I hope makes the concepts and theories of strategy and strategic management clear and understandable—yet enjoyable! My teaching philosophy—and I taught for over 30 years, won teaching awards at my university, and was consistently ranked toward the top of my department based on student evaluations—has been that learning can be fun. So, I write like I teach. But only you, the reader, can ultimately judge how well I’ve written the material.
Instructor Supplements
Instructor Resource Center
At http://www.pearsonhighered.com/irc, instructors can access a variety of print, digital, and presentation resources available with this text in downloadable format. Registration is simple and gives you immediate access to new titles and new editions. As a registered faculty member, you can download resource files and receive immediate access to and instructions for installing course management content on your campus server. In case you ever need assistance, our dedicated technical support team is ready to help with the media supplements that accompany this text. Visit http://247.pearsoned.com for answers to frequently asked questions and toll-free user support phone numbers. The following supplements are available for download to adopting instructors:
• Instructor’s Resource Manual
• Test Bank
• TestGen® Computerized Test Bank (test-generating program)
• PowerPoint Presentations