Page 7 - PRAGMATIC STRATEGY

The book contains several important features. Firstly, full case studies
are used to unify the main themes of the book. Also, elements extracts
will be used in the main text to illustrate a piece of theory, a point or an

issue relevant to the area under examination. Where the case study
has not been included in the main text it will be included in full in the
Cases at the end of the book for lecturers to use in their own way. In

addition, short cameo case studies are used to illustrate and reinforce
the themes explored in the main body of the text. Thirdly, extracts from
newspaper and journal articles reinforce the subject content of the

chapters, where appropriate.

Anticipated readership

The book is aimed at both undergraduate and postgraduate markets.
It specifically targets undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in
Business and Corporate Strategy. At both levels it would serve as a
core text in strategic management as well as a supplementary reading
on business studies degrees and MBA programmes.

Existing books in the field

Although there are similarities in the areas covered by the proposed

book with its major competitors the approach is different. It is more
comprehensive and better structured than any of its competitors. It
assesses the turbulent environment in which businesses must survive,

the approaches to strategy formulation and implementation which can
be adopted and, in addition, the functional and operational
management of such enterprises. All from the perspective of live case

studies. It fuses together the theoretical and empirical aspects of
strategic management while maintaining an academic rigour that is
absent in some of the competing texts.