From the Inside Flap
The ultimate goal for all managers is to enable their organization to thrive in the marketplace-to produce offerings that customers value highly and to outperform the competition according to key metrics. The Portable MBA in Strategy, Second Edition arms you with the critical knowledge you need to make the choices that will attract and retain the most valuable customers, to experiment and adapt rapidly in continuously changing markets, and to position your organization advantageously for the future.
Featuring contributions from internationally recognized leaders in strategic thought and practice, this fully updated Second Edition reflects the remarkable impact of e-business on all commercial activity, reveals the new opportunities and risks facing small business, and presents the latest methods of strategic analysis and implementation for domestic and global businesses. This unique resource offers a clear, practical guide to leading-edge strategic management practices, explains the strategic manager's tasks and objectives, and shows how management techniques such as scenario planning can be used to develop the foresight and insight necessary for short- and long-term wealth creation in a competitive, unpredictable business environment.
Formulating inventive, effective strategy requires careful analysis of customers, markets, competitors, and the organization. This comprehensive tutorial leads you through the process of internal and external analysis, showing you how to use the results to identify, develop, and assess strategic alternatives.
You'll learn how to translate bold strategy into action while operating at full speed-realigning the organization, reconfiguring operational processes, planning and administering a strategic shift, and customizing a strategy that fits your organization's strengths and provides competitive advantage in your marketplace. You'll also see how to integrate strategies that are seemingly opposites-low cost vs. high quality, sales growth vs. cost control, and investing for the long term vs. maximizing short-term profits.
Enlivened with insightful examples, revealing case studies, and best practices from many of today's dominant, adaptive organizations, The Portable MBA in Strategy, Second Edition is the most authoritative source for managers or students seeking explanations of state-of-the art analytical tools and effective guidance on strategy issues. No matter what type of business you are in, you can follow these practical guidelines to create an inventive, winning strategy for your organization.
LIAM FAHEY, an Adjunct Professor of Strategic Management at Babson College and Visiting Professor of Strategic Management at the Cranfield School of Management, consults for leading North American and European firms on competitive strategy and analysis. A frequent speaker in executive education programs and business management conferences, he is the author of Competitors (Wiley, 1999).
ROBERT M. RANDALL heads a New York-based publishing business and writes strategy articles, books, and white papers. He has held management positions in several Fortune 500 companies and edited several magazines for corporate decision-makers. He and Liam Fahey also collaborated on Learning from the Future (Wiley, 1998), a guide to scenario planning for managers.
