Author: Charles Hull - Gareth Jones
The book "Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach" is considered one of the most distinguished references on strategic management. The authors have ensured that the ideas, opinions, and concepts are supported by examples and practical case studies from the real world. Additionally, the book is rich with questions and practical exercises at the end of each chapter.
The book is divided into two parts: The first part provides a comprehensive framework for the concept of strategic management, including how to formulate strategies at the business level, organizational level, and functional level. It covers external analysis of opportunities and threats, internal analysis of capabilities, resources, and competitive advantages, and offers detailed insights into the structural and control preparations necessary for strategy formulation and practical implementation. The second part includes a variety of case studies, some from small to medium-sized companies, providing the reader with a view of strategy formulation, implementation, review, and control in real-world scenarios.
One of the notable features of this edition of "Strategic Management" is the inclusion of the latest developments in the field, training the reader on how to use modern information technologies, especially the Internet, to achieve a more comprehensive and integrated understanding of strategic management.
The book poses a question:
Why do some organizations succeed while others fail? It provides examples such as the toy industry, distinguishing between the success of Mattel and the failure of Coleco, which led to the Cabbage Patch Kids scandal, where sales plummeted and the brand lost its appeal among American children. In the retail industry, it contrasts the success of Walmart with the failures of its competitors like Kmart. Despite challenging years like 1996, Walmart continued to perform steadily, while Kmart faced bankruptcy. Similar comparisons are made in the computer industry.
The book also asks why companies like Apple and DEC, once among the most successful in the world, found it difficult to maintain profits in the 1990s, whereas competitors like Compaq and Dell managed to sustain their success.
"Strategic Management" argues that the strategies adopted by any organization have a significant and primary impact on its performance compared to its competitors. Strategy is a set of decisions and actions taken by managers to achieve organizational goals, with the ultimate aim of superior performance for most organizations. Strategy can be more precisely defined as a pattern of actions and decisions undertaken by managers to achieve superior performance levels for the organization. For instance, Mattel's ultimate goal is to achieve a 15% annual income growth rate, a challenging objective linked to achieving revenues of approximately $4 billion. Mattel's strategies to achieve this goal include expanding existing brands, developing new products, expanding into foreign markets, and reducing costs.
The book "Strategic Management" is dedicated to describing various strategies that companies can adopt to achieve superior performance. Many strategies are general and comprehensive, applicable to all organizations, whether large or small, manufacturing or service-oriented, profit-oriented or not. The primary goal of the book is to provide an overarching understanding of the analytical techniques and skills necessary to formulate and successfully implement strategies. The first step towards this goal is to give an overview of the strategic management process—the process by which managers choose appropriate strategies for their organizations. By the end of this chapter, readers will understand the process managers use to select strategies for their companies, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of those processes.
What is the Relationship Between the DocSuite HR System and the Book "Strategic Management"?
The DocSuite HR system is used for human resource management, including tracking employee personal data, managing salaries and benefits, recruitment, training, performance evaluation, and more. Meanwhile, the book "Strategic Management" focuses on developing and implementing company strategies to achieve specific goals.
The relationship between them lies in using the DocSuite HR system to apply strategic management principles by tracking and analyzing employee data, performance, and contributions towards achieving company goals. It also involves guiding recruitment, training, and skill development strategies according to the company’s strategic objectives.
You can download the book "Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach" directly from [here].