Customer Reviews

The Strategy Process: Concepts, Context, Cases (4th Edition)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The authors of "The Strategy Process..", produced a high quality textbook on strategic planning and management. The authors show the complexity of the subject and the need for managers to exercise caution in using prescriptive systems in the highly dynamic, uncertain and complex operating environment. The book avoids taking a simplistic view to the subject but take a realistic approach of presenting various approaches that managers can use depending on their peculiar circumstances. Having grasped the various concepts, leaders of organisations can then use their judgement to come up with appropriate decisions and actions. The book focuses on developing the ability of managers to make informed judgements based on analysis, synthesis, experience and intuition and harnessing the collective skills and expertise of their organisations.

The book shows how strategy formulation and implementation are intimately intertwined as complex interactive processes in which politics, values and organisational cultures and management styles determine or constrain particular strategic decisions.

Top managers have to make judgements on various unknown and difficult to predict factors and integrate external considerations about technologies, limited resources, competitions, markets, societal attitudes, cultural differences, government regulations and environmental issues. Internally, they have to make judgements on organisational structures, systems, staff, physical resources, existing and potential power bases and bureaucracies.

The chief executive officer has the challenging task of mediating between the various aspects of the internal and external environment and exercises his skills, judicious exercise of power and often make highly qualitative (rather than quantitative) choices from a wide range of possible options.

The book will enable the reader to understand the wide range of issues involved in strategy.

The book has a wide range of cases and articles that give the reader the opportunity to develop and exercise judgements on strategic issues. Although experience is the best teacher, these case studies and articles shorten the training time of managers. The cases cover a wide range of issues and perspectives. The reader can practice their judgement that should develop an awareness of the complex and subtle issues typical in the business world. The cases should highlight the limitations and the reasoning behind various theories and the limitations of standard answers based on conventional wisdom.

The book is recommended reading for those seeking a more in-depth insight into both the theory and practice of strategic management. For students embarking on advanced strategic planning, say at MBA or doctoral level, this is required reading and important reference material.

This book is really a manual of strategies and strategy process. It has lots of cases and articles that give the readers the opportunity to understand different strategic issues arising in different companies.

The book is recommended reading for MBA students and also in many business schools. It is excellent reading for those readers who are looking for more detailed information of strategy process, theory and planning.

This book is for an MBA class. Its a Hardcover and in good condition. I am very pleased with this purchase. Delivery was timely.

This book is an ok book. The cases are very interesting and they were the best part of the book. The readings in the first half of the book were random at times and generally not that good. Mintzberg has a great grasp of the concepts, but the book does not do well at conveying them.

This is the kind of book that everyone who wants to be a business administrator should read. It is a compilation of diferents articles most of them from HBR and each unit has some real cases which explain the theme better.

I have been buying from Amazon since last one year and have been satisfied. But this particular order was a very unpleasant buying experience. I ordered the book on July 6, 2010 and have not received the order till today (August 3rd). A week ago I sent an email to the seller for cancelling the order but have not received any reply so far.

Hope this matter is resolved soon and I get a refund.

Thanks,
Payal

excellent text. Purchase was straight forward and seemless with no delays. Received text ontime for immediate use.

I managed to read it throughly and study most of the cases presented on this book. This book is a very actual source of information to learn and expand existing knowledge. I give 5-stars due to the fact that it is rich in its contents.