Business: An Integrative Approach

"Business: An Integrative Approach, 3e", by Fry, Stoner, and Hattwick is the most integrative introduction to business book on the market. It is built around how business works. The authors start with the mission and vision, look at indicators of success, the assessment of environmental influences, the decisions business leaders must make, and the evaluation of those decisions. Thus, the book parallels how people think in business. The topics covered in the text are contemporary: cross-functional teams, customer-centered thinking, the use of technology both inside the company and between the company and its customers, the role of stakeholders in business decision-making, the need for quality. The authors have added a discussion of crisis decision-making - a compelling need in the current business and social environment. They look at the environment that business faces but treat them from the perspective of how they really affect businesses rather than from an isolated view that is unrelated to other chapters in the text. "Business: An Integrative Approach, 3e" is as integrative as possible. While the functional areas of business are discussed, they have been de-emphasized. The focus then is rather on how business leaders use those resources and the information around them to make decisions leading to successful strategies. Rather than talk about finance, human resources, and production for example, the authors discuss the acquisition of resources that allow the company to function efficiently and effectively. The entire text (its content and pedagogy) is oriented around the big picture for the company - the authors ask readers to look a business as a system that is bound together into inter-related activities.

Fred L. Fry is Professor and Chair of the Business Management and Administration Department in the Foster College of Business Administration at Bradley University. His B.S., M.B.A., and Ph.D. are from Oklahoma State University. His teaching and research interests are in Entrepreneurship , Small Business Management, Strategic Management, and Introduction to Business. He has written or co-authored three books (two with Chuck Stoner) and has written more than forty papers and articles. He serves on the Editorial Review Boards of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Small Business Strategy, and Journal of Socio-Economics. He serves on the board of the Illinois Business Hall of Fame and the Peoria Affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International.

Charles L. Stoner is the Robert A. McCord Professor of Executive Management Development in the Foster College of Business Administration at Bradley University. His B.S., M.B.A, and D.B.A. are from Florida State University. His areas of interest include Leadership, Team Building, Diversity, and Ethics. He currently teaches BMA 102, Bradley’s Introduction to Business course which is the underlying impetus for this book. He has co-authored two books (with Fred Fry) and has written numerous articles and papers. He is a much requested speaker and consultant among businesses in the Peoria area.

Richard E. Hattwick is a Professor at Western Illinois University. His B.A. is from Ohio Wesleyan University and his Ph.D. is from Vanderbilt University. His primary area of interest is Public Policy Economics. He is the founder and President of the Illinois Business Hall of Fame and American National Business Hall of Fame, Founder of the Journal of Behavioral Economics (now Journal of Socio-Economics) and Founder of the Journal of Business Leadership. In his role of president of the Illinois and American National Business Halls of Fame, he has presented scores of lectures throughout Illinois and the country based on business leaders who have made major impacts on the history of their own business and society in general.