Principles and Practices of Strategic Management

Practices and Principles of Strategic Management teaches undergraduate students of management about strategic planning and decision making. Unlike many traditional textbooks that focus on strategy in an overly broad or theoretical manner, this text approaches strategy as results-driven, data-driven, and dynamic. Featuring contemporary topics that are of high interest to students, the book emphasizes the practical, rather than the theoretical.

The book is divided into four sections. The first, "Charting the Direction of the Organization," helps students understand the management process and define a meaningful vision. The second, "Understanding the Organization in Context," addresses governance, social responsibility, corporate and resource sustainability, and the external environment. In the third section, "Considering Strategic Options," the selected readings talk about assessing an organization's capabilities, evaluating the value chain, and examining innovation. The final section, "Managing for Results," offers insight into ensuring that strategies are complete and clear, placing strategies in a global context, and leading strategically.

Vignettes before chapters cover hot topics and the trends companies are currently following. The book features key terms, concept check/mini-quizzes, and end-of-chapter exercises that enhance retention and provide for linkages to computer-based simulations. Throughout the book, global and multinational strategic plans are considered from a results orientation, supported by extensive research and practical experience.

Practices and Principles of Strategic Management is designed for undergraduate strategic management courses. The material has been extensively class-tested, and is also helpful to professionals in both for-profit and non-profit business environments.

Linda L. Brennan is currently a Professor of Management at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in operation management, leadership, international business, and strategy. Her intellectual contributions have been published in both scholarly and practitioner-oriented journals. Her most recent book, Operations Management, was released in 2010. Dr. Brennan's corporate experience includes management positions at The Quaker Oats Company, marketing and systems engineering experiences with IBM Corporation, and extensive management consulting projects. She holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a B.I.E. from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Faye A. Sisk is an Associate Professor of Management at Mercer University, where she directs the Executive and Professional MBA programs. She teaches strategic, international, quality, healthcare, and human resource management. She has consulted globally with for profit and nonprofit entities including BellSouth/AT&T, Alcan Corporation, and the Susan B. Komen Foundation. Dr. Sisk was also an executive with HBO & Company and IMS America. She has published in academic and practitioner journals on strategy, organizational ethics, quality, health care informatics, and human resource issues including diversity and gender. Dr. Sisk was a Kellogg Fellow and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Florida, her MBA from Kennesaw State University, M.Ed. from the University of North Florida, and her BA from Agnes Scott College.