Formulation, Implementation and Control of Competitive Strategy with PowerWeb and Business Week card [Paperback]

John Pearce (Author), Richard Robinson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0072831553 | ISBN-13: 978-0072831559 | Publication Date: July 19, 2002 | Edition: 8

Contemporary research in strategic management, with an emphasis on conceptual tools and skills created by scholars and practitioners in the field are evident throughout this 11-chapter book. Pearce and Robinson’s Formulation, Implementation and Control, 8e, retains its high level of academic credibility and its market-leading emphasis on Strategic Practice. The material presented here is the text material that can be found in Strategic Management, 8e. It continues to have strong support from longtime adopters and growing support in schools with a desire to provide straightforward treatment of strategic management with a practical, systematic approach. Pearce and Robinson will continue to use a unique pedagogical model created by the authors to provide logic and structure to its treatment of strategic management which in turn makes the material more easily organized by the instructor and learned by the student.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Pearce (Wayne, PA) teaches at Villanova University.

Richard Robinson (Columbia, SC) is a member of the faculty at the University of South Carolina.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Irwin; 8 edition (July 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072831553
• ISBN-13: 978-0072831559
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,696,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An Unpleasant Overview, November 12, 2003

By 

Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Formulation, Implementation and Control of Competitive Strategy with PowerWeb and Business Week card (Paperback)

I used this book in a graduate business class, and found it to be generally unpalatable, as did the rest of my class. My problem is largely in the self important, stilted writing style which is particularly notable in Chapter 3 under ecological factors (in which some popular, but scientifically questionable, theories seemingly influence the author's thinking detrimentally). As an aside, but a very distracting one, the layout of the book is absolutely horrid. There are numerous inserts, fact boxes, exhibits, and case studies scattershot throughout the book seemingly at random, which substantially breaks up the text. Additionally, many of the text boxes and examples involve copious texts and backgrounds in blue ink, which I am sure raised the production costs of this already very expensive book needlessly (not providing increased value to the end user...you would think they would read their own book).

Largely the chapters are enormous lists with overly wordy jingoistic explanations. The section on "SWOT Analysis" is particularly annoying. It tries to sound like it is based on highly scientific principles, whereas, in reality, it is still a bunch of subjective value judgments. (Guesses, mostly, in actuality.) The terminology rarely cuts through to the central point, making the book enormously long and unwieldily. Likewise, it is very difficult to look up things as much of the information is scattered in seemingly illogical places.

Overall, I obviously did not like this book, but gave it two stars despite it's faults due to some of the interesting case studies it contains. There are some excellent, thought-provoking cases examined. Unfortunately, there is insufficient discussion of these cases, which would have proven beneficial. The case studies aren't totally unbiased, either, as they largely are lifted directly from 'Business Week' (whose name and logo even appear on the cover) so is 'Business Week' didn't think it important, there is probably a dearth of information in the book on that subject.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for a Class, November 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Formulation, Implementation, and Control of Competitive Strategy (Paperback)

This book is a good general overview of strategic management but lacks well thought out insight into what makes a strategy successful. For example in class Dr Pearce calls SWAT analysis worthless. If that is the case then why doesn't he say that in this book? Furthermore, chapter 7 is the only worthwhile chapter in the book. But even then it lacks sufficient depth to be useful to a student or practitioner of strategic management.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Great Class...........NOT, June 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Formulation, Implementation, and Control of Competitive Strategy (Paperback)

This book is as jaded and contrived as Dr Peirce's class. There is only one chapter worth reading #7, the rest of the book serves absolutely no value. Furthermore, I agree with the previous reviewer that Dr. Peirce makes some very strong statements in his class. However, why didn't the put them in his book? I guess other professors in the field would have laughed at him. Do not buy this book..........and save yourself 15 weeks of torture by not taking his class at Nova............MBA99