The Strategic Manager: Understanding Strategy in Practice

The Strategic Manager provides a comprehensive, clear, and applied insight in strategic management. Unlike 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 fourth edition has been fully updated throughout, including fresh case studies and examples ranging across a broader range of regions, as well as additional illustrations and fresh material considering the strategic implications and applications of new technologies, particularly AI. Chapters on industrial organization and institutional theory have been significantly expanded upon, with the final chapter including an updated framework on institutional theory perspective.

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 PowerPoint slides.

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