Strategic Theory for the 21st Century: The Little Book on Big Strategy


Book Description

The word "strategy" pervades American conversation and is most often used as a general term for a plan, a concept, a course of action, or a "vision" of the direction in which to proceed. Such casual use of the term to describe nothing more than "what we would like to do next" is inappropriate and belies the complexity of true strategy and strategic thinking. This "little book" talks about big strategy, strategy at the highest levels of the nation-state. It is applicable to grand strategy, national security strategy, national military strategy, and regional or theater strategy. The monograph does not propose a strategy for the United States; rather, it provides a framework for considering strategy at any of the levels mentioned above. It is an examination of theory, exploring those aspects of strategy that appear to have universal application. The theory also may have application to the strategy of nonstate actors, institutions, and businesses, but the perspective offered here focuses on the nation-state.




Strategy


Book Description

What does strategy mean to the founder and CEO of a coaching and consulting company whose mission is to create inclusive and values-driven cultures where people can achieve their full potential while positively impacting society?How is sustainable strategic decision-making viewed by a former Member of the European Parliament?Developed in consultation with lecturers, students, and professionals, the research-driven process-practice model of strategy in Strategy: Theory, Practice, Implementation places implementation at its core, enabling students to develop a crystal-clear understanding of how strategy operates in aculture of dynamism, adaptability, and change.The authors' wealth of teaching, research, and practitioner experience shines through in their writing as they strike the perfect balance between clarity and rigour. They expertly cover all the core areas of strategy, using carefully paced, step-by-step guidance to apply theories and models ofstrategy to a diverse range of examples, making the text the most practical of its kind.Moving beyond the limits of traditional texts, Strategy offers unique Practitioner Insights (and accompanying video interviews) gathered from professionals engaged in a range of strategic roles, across multiple industries and sectors worldwide, to help students grasp the complex reality of strategicmanagement in practice.Strategy ultimately provides students with an empowering, critical, and highly practical approach to thinking, talking, and acting like a strategist.Online resources accompanying the textbook include:For registered adopters:- A test bank- PowerPoint slides- Answers to, or guidance on, the 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 classFor students:- Practitioner insight video interviews, 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- MCQs- Guidance on how to analyse a case study- Flashcard glossary- Two additional chapters: Chapter 15 Designing effective strategy activities; Chapter 16 Strategy in practice: learning, reflecting, thinking




Theory of Strategy


Book Description

This book provides a short and accessible introduction to the theory of strategy, examines the general theory of strategy in accordance with 23 key Principles and explains its nature, functions, and intended consequences. Theory of Strategy makes the radical argument that the familiar structure of strategy's general theory (political ends, strategic ways, military means - and assumptions) holds as sound for security at all times and in all places, of human necessity. Strategy is ever-varying in its character, but not in its nature, which is unchanging.




Strategy


Book Description

Lecturers - save time by clicking here to request an e-inspection copy of this textbook - no waiting for the post to arrive! Written by a team of leading academics, this groundbreaking new text is an invaluable guide to the core elements of strategy courses, that will challenge conventional thinking about the field. Key features: - Provides a coherent and engaging overview of the established 'classics' of strategy, while taking an innovative approach to contemporary issues such as power and politics, ethics, branding, globalisation, collaboration, and the global financial crisis. - A unique critical perspective that encourages you to reflect on the strategy process and strategic decision-making. - Packed with learning features, including a wealth of international case studies and accompanying discussion questions. - A website offering a full Instructors' Manual, video cases, podcasts and full-text journal articles. Visit the Companion Website at www.sagepub.co.uk/cleggstrategy Read the authors’ research paper ‘Re-Framing Strategy: Power, Politics and Accounting’ in which they make the case for a critically informed approach to studying strategy in the special issue of Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal (Vol 23, Issue 5) Praise for Strategy: Theory and Practice "Finally, something different in a strategy text! This new volume provides a broad view of strategy covering the conventional as well as less mainstream alternatives like the growing strategy-as-practice perspective. It also does a great job of providing balanced critiques of the existing orthodoxy and provides explicit connections to some of the more accessible academic articles providing more depth to the arguments presented. All in all, it is an excellent break from the unfortunate tendency to make strategy a narrow economic enterprise in a world that is far more complex and social than that. Strategy: Theory and Practice is a welcome addition to the available texts on strategy" - Nelson Phillips, Professor of Strategy and Organizational Behaviour Co-Editor, Journal of Management Inquiry "A super and overdue book. It embraces the central importance of organization theory and, especially, the play of power and politics both inside and outside the organization. This erudite, almost polemical book promises to redraw how we approach the study of strategy - and not before time!" - Royston Greenwood, Associate Dean, School of Business, University of Alberta "It explains where strategy originates from and how contemporary ideas and practices facilitate or constrain decision-making and action. In particular, this book illuminates the role of power and politics in strategy - an issue that has been overlooked in most textbooks in this area. Enjoyable and inspiring reading for students, researchers and practitioners" - Eero Vaara, Professor of Management and Organization Dean of Research Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki "The authors have managed to produce a unique and admirable combination of critical external engagement with 'strategy', understood as a complex object of organizational and political construction, and a useable insiders text book rich in illustrative cases. As such it is essential reading for academics, students and practitioners - all of whom will discover how theory and practice are more intertwined than they ever imagined" - Michael Power, Professor of Accounting, London School of Economics and Political Science




Science, Strategy and War


Book Description

John Boyd is often known exclusively for the so-called ‘OODA’ loop model he developed. This model refers to a decision-making process and to the idea that military victory goes to the side that can complete the cycle from observation to action the fastest. This book aims to redress this state of affairs and re-examines John Boyd’s original contribution to strategic theory. By highlighting diverse sources that shaped Boyd’s thinking, and by offering a comprehensive overview of Boyd’s work, this volume demonstrates that the common interpretation of the meaning of Boyd’s OODA loop concept is incomplete. It also shows that Boyd’s work is much more comprehensive, richer and deeper than is generally thought. With his ideas featuring in the literature on Network Centric Warfare, a key element of the US and NATO’s so-called ‘military transformation’ programmes, as well as in the debate on Fourth Generation Warfare, Boyd continues to exert a strong influence on Western military thinking. Dr Osinga demonstrates how Boyd’s work can helps us to understand the new strategic threats in the post- 9/11 world, and establishes why John Boyd should be regarded as one of the most important (post)modern strategic theorists.




Game Theory and Strategy


Book Description

This book is an introduction to mathematical game theory, which might better be called the mathematical theory of conflict and cooperation. It is applicable whenever two individuals—or companies, or political parties, or nations—confront situations where the outcome for each depends on the behavior of all. What are the best strategies in such situations? If there are chances of cooperation, with whom should you cooperate, and how should you share the proceeds of cooperation? Since its creation by John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern in 1944, game theory has shed new light on business, politics, economics, social psychology, philosophy, and evolutionary biology. In this book, its fundamental ideas are developed with mathematics at the level of high school algebra and applied to many of these fields (see the table of contents). Ideas like “fairness” are presented via axioms that fair allocations should satisfy; thus the reader is introduced to axiomatic thinking as well as to mathematical modeling of actual situations.




Military Strategy


Book Description

“No military service can long remain effective without searching self-criticism and continuous re-examination of its own ideas. Wylie, well known in the Navy, is a refreshingly and outspoken individual, thoroughly at home on the bridge of a ship, but equally at home in the semantics of dialectical discussion. He has produced a simple but relevant little work in an attempt to promote order in the discussion of strategy. . . . To the traditional theories of strategy-the maritime theory, the air theory, the continental theory-Wylie adds the ‘Mao theory’ of wars of national liberation. . . . [This book is] easier to read and understand and basically sounder than the great majority of the involved and tortuous rationalizations of the academic strategists.”- New York Times Book Review




The Strategy of Conflict


Book Description

Analyzes the nature of international disagreements and conflict resolution in terms of game theory and non-zero-sum games.




Unified Theory of Business Strategy


Book Description

Unified Theory of Business Strategy (UTBS) Successful businesses require strategic thinking, well-formulated goals and a clear approach to implementation. These are widely accepted as essential to business success. But describing these factors is not the same as making them happen. What corporate executives and business owners increasingly need is a practical, workable approach to business strategy that is supported by theory (but not drowned in it). That is where this book comes in. In Unified Theory of Business Strategy, Dr Rod Samimi combines theory and practice to give readers a solid understanding of how to formulate and implement a pragmatic business strategy. It includes a theoretical framework and applied interpretations, plus a detailed guide for compiling business plans. Using the Sentinel 9 multidisciplinary approach, the book configures an innovative way to look at business strategy.