The Strategic Manager: Understanding Strategy in Practice

The Strategic Manager provides a comprehensive, logical, and applied insight in strategic management. Unlike some more theory-heavy texts, this book focuses on how strategy works in everyday practice, taking readers’ expectations and understanding beyond that of strategy as a matter of planning only. It enables the reader to learn and reflect upon their practical skills and knowledge, and critically evaluate the strategy process and their own strategic decision-making.

The book is based around six different strategy theories, individually presented and supplemented with useful lists of questions that encourage readers to become competent strategic thinkers. This third edition has been fully updated throughout, including fresh case studies and examples from across Asia, Africa, and South America that bridge theory with practice, new strategy practice boxes considering the importance of cooperation and strategic alliances, and reflective questions to aid understanding.

Essential reading for postgraduate students of strategic management, MBA students, and those in executive education, this text will also be a useful tool for reflective managers trying to develop a better understanding.

Online resources include chapter-by-chapter PowerPoint slides.

Harry Sminia is Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Strathclyde, UK.