General Managers in Action: Policies and Strategies [Hardcover]

Francis Joseph Aguilar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 1992 | ISBN-10: 0195073673 | ISBN-13: 978-0195073676 | Edition: 2

Revised and expanded to incorporate suggestions from MBA and executive education courses nationwide, the second edition of this remarkably successful textbook features new chapters on financial management, global management and Boards of Directors. Other chapters have been revised to include ethics, strategic alliances, and Europe 1992. Ten new cases for classroom discussion reflect the concerns of the revised text, exploring real situations where concepts can be tested and where the discovery of new ideas can take place. The popular set of videotapes included with the first edition have also been revised and updated. An essential textbook for business policy courses and general management programs, this volume also serves as a comprehensive reference for the active general manager.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A clear, concise, common sense approach to the general manager in international business."--Henry A. Barber, III, Azusa Pacific University

"New cases are appealing; old cases were excellent and remain so. The text's three new chapters are distinctive extensions of the first edition and open for the students three consequential vistas in general management."--J.C. Thompson, University of Connecticut

"A very good book with excellent cases."--Wallace G. Lonergan, Albertson College of Idaho

Praise for the first edition:

"A first-class package, universally well-received by my students. The book is a first-rate piece of work. The chapters on the general manager are excellent, and my MBA and executive MBA students have found that they strike a very responsive chord. The collection of cases is outstanding--the prime reason I decided to change strategy after eight years of using my own 'set.' These cases really make it possible to cover a wide range of issues during a strategy course. The tapes are also first-rate and all the students found them to be extremely helpful in understanding process and outcome."--Peter Smith Ring, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

"An excellent book on the general management perspective [on] the complex issue of strategic management."--N. Venkatraman, Sloan School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"The chapter 'Managing the Quality of Strategic Thinking' is a major contribution to the field not found in any competing text. That and the videos of CEOs commenting on the cases in a free exchange with Harvard students are unique and distinctive advantages that convinced me to adopt."--Jack Young, University of Colorado

"An extraordinarily helpful book, integrating concepts, principles and cases."--Joseph C. Bentley, University of Utah

"An excellent text utilizing current cases. Well-presented, easy to read, excellent."--Walter W. Smock, Rutgers University

"Excellent cases covering the critical managerial junctions with videotape support."--Harry E. Stucke, Long Island University School of Business and Public Administration

About the Author

Francis Joseph Aguilar is at Harvard Business School.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 736 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 2 edition (April 30, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195073673
• ISBN-13: 978-0195073676
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,401,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent field guide to general management!, March 27, 2007

By 

Lee Say Keng "KNOWLEDGE ADVENTURER/TECHNOLOGY... (Ho Chi Minh City/Singapore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: General Managers in Action: Policies and Strategies (Hardcover)

THE GENERAL MANAGERS

By John Kotter (JK)

GENERAL MANAGERS IN ACTION: POLICIES & STRATEGIES

by Francis Aguilar (FA)

While re-sorting/re-organising my personal library recently, these two books happened to pop out right in front of me. I had owned & read them during the mid-eighties when I had just been promoted to General Manager. In fact, they were my constant companions - field guides to be exact - during the nine years when I had held this position with three different firms across three different industries (chemicals manufacturing in Thailand, software development in Singapore, & metals trading in Singapore with manufacturing interests in Indonesia).

Both authors were known to me as I had read John Kotter (JK)'s 'Power & Influence: Beyond Formal Authority' & Francis Aguilar (FA)'s 'Scanning the Business Environment' in earlier years.

While JK's book was more specific in terms of the vital tasks & responsibilities of a GM, particularly from a typical American landscape, FA's book was more broad-based & intellectually more stimulating with an added international flavour. Nevertheless, both books were very well-written & easy to read. Both my own copies were earlier or first editions. I am gratified to know that newer editions of both books are now available from amazon website.

JK's book was based on the author's first-hand observations of fifteen top GMs from nine major companies. He described a typical day in the life of a successful GM. On the basis of his research into the daily behavior of GMs, he identified a dozen of typical patterns, discussed their implications & concluded that it was hard to fit the GM's behavior into categories like planning, organizing, controlling, directing, or staffing.

He argued that, in order to understand the GM' behavior it is fundamental to recognize the two fundamental challenges & dilemmas in their jobs:

1) Figuring out what to do in the light of uncertainty & information anxiety;

2) Getting things done through a diverse group of people in spite of having little control over them;

Accordingly, GMs used agenda setting & network building to tackle these two challenges. The author further discussed both these tools in detail. He also explained how GMs use their entire networking relationships to implement their agendas.

With the author's fascinating portrait of the day-to-day activities of top GMs, I was really glad that I was able to piece together some workable composite ideas for my own career accomplishments.

There was, however, only one intriguing point from JK's book. He persuasively argued that the best manager was actually a specialist who had spent most of his career in one industry, learning its intricacies & establishing cooperative working relationships.

For readers' convenience, I append below the book's table of contents:

1. INTRODUCTION

2. THE GENERAL MANAGMENT JOBS: KEYS CHALLENGES & DILEMMAS

3. THE GM: PERSONAL & BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS

4. THE GMS IN ACTION PART II: SIMILARITIES IN BEHAVIOUR

5. THE GMS IN ACTIONS PART I: DIFFERENCES IN BEHAVIOUR

6. SUMMARY DISCUSSIONS & IMPLICATIONS FOR INCREASING GM PERFORMANCE

APPENDIX: INTERVIEW GUIDES, QUESTIONNAIRES, RESUMES, APPRAISING GM

PERFORMANCE

As for FA's book, which was originally intended as a case-study book for advanced management courses, I was able to use it as companion reading to JK's book.

Content-wise, it had eighteen classic case studies from a variety of international businesses that illuminate the major decisions of business life & the strategies for dealing with specific situations. The author also painstakingly discussed the critical issues faced by most GMs.

From this book, I had obtained very clear perspectives on the complex issues of strategic management. The chapter on 'Formulating Strategy', in which the author touched on managing the quality of strategic thinking, was my favourite.

For readers' convenience, I append below the table of contents of the book as follows:

PART I: THE GENERAL MANAGER

1. THE GM'S JOB

2. STRATEGY & THE GM

3. FORMULATING STRATEGY

4. IMPLEMENTING STRATEGY

5. THE GM AS LEADER

6. MEETING THE GLOBAL BUSINESS CHALLENGE

7. CORPORATE FINANCE & THE GM

8. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE & THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PART II: CASES ON GENERAL MANAGEMENT, CORPORATE STRATEGY & BUSINESS POLICY

To conclude this review, I had derived tremendous pleasure from reading both books during the mid-eighties just as they had also provided me with stimulating insights as well as practical guidance about the complexities of general management. That really made my life easier as a GM during those tough nine years.

Although the case studies may be dated in today's context, I believe the strategies & tools for general management as outlined in the two books are still highly relevant & readily applicable.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars smooth transaction, exact product, nice&easy supplier, May 13, 2007

By 

M. Ipsirli "mags34" (boston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: General Managers in Action: Policies and Strategies (Hardcover)

exact product at an affordable price w a smooth transaction