Judgment and Decision Making in Accounting

　　For professors who want students to see connections between big ideas in strategy (thus understanding vs. memorizing), Barney/Hesterly provides an organizing framework (VRIO) as the foundation of the text.

　　The VRIO Framework - a theory-based, multi-chapter organizing mechanism that provides a decision-making framework for students to use in analyzing case and business situations. “VRIO” integrates two existing theoretical frameworks: the positioning perspective and the resource-based view. It stands for four questions one must ask about a resource or capability to determine its competitive potential.

　　Included in the second edition are many new cases; cases that provide students an opportunity to apply the ideas they learn to business situations. The new cases include a variety of contexts such as entrepreneurial, service, manufacturing and international settings.

PART I THE TOOLS OF STRATEGIC ANALYSIS
Ch.1 What Is Strategy and the Strategic Management Process?
Ch.2 Evaluating a Firm’s External Environment
Ch.3 Evaluating a Firm’s Internal Capabilities
Cases:
Bill Drayton's Ashoka, Apple Computer Inc.: iPod and iTunes, Swatch and the Global Watch Industry, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Harlequin Enterprises: The Mira Decision, Nucor in 2005

PART II BUSINESS LEVEL STRATEGIES
Ch.4 Cost Leadership
Ch.5 Product Differentiation
Cases:
Samsung Electronics, JetBlue: Too Much Turbulence, Bang & Olufsen: The Electronics Entertainment Industry in 2003, The Levi's Personal Pair Proposal, Hong Kong's Ocean Park: Taking on Disney

PART III Corporate Strategies
Ch.6 Vertical Integration
Ch.7 Corporate Diversification
Ch.8 Organizing to Implement Corporate Diversification
Ch.9 Strategic Alliances
Ch.10 Mergers and Acquisitions
Cases:
eBay: To Drop Off or Not, Nucleon, Inc., British Sky Broadcasting, L'Oreal- Body Shop Acquisition, Extending the "easy" Business Model: What Should easyGroup do Next?, Hallmark Cards in 2006, Cooper Industries (A), Ben & Jerry's Japan, Toyota's Strategies and Initiatives in Europe, Hewlett Packard in 2001, Vodafone: Out of Many One