Given the common acknowledgement that strategy implementation is the greatest challenge to managers in the 21st century and the greatest reason for strategy failure we decided to focus on strategy implementation. Rather than promoting the unrealistic idea of strategy as a purely rational and deliberate outcome, this book acknowledges and explores the idea that strategy is often emergent, messy and experimental.

The 2nd edition of this book offers five key approaches:

• It focuses on strategy implementation and not just on the thinking and analytical aspects of strategic management.
• It explores the idea that strategy is often emergent, messy and experimental, unlike other strategic management books, which unrealistically portray it as a neat, analytical and rational process.
• It unpacks the recent concept that other strategists, not only just senior management, influence strategic direction.
• It recognises strategy as something people do rather than something an organisation possesses. Since people are building blocks of strategy, it is a cognitive and political activity.
• It uses primary research conducted among southern African top and middle managers and draws on these managerial perspectives to enrich the text with first-hand accounts of strategy experience.

The second edition features a number of new chapters, focusing on strategy implementation and change management, resource allocation and responsible leadership. It also includes a more detailed coverage of managing strategic risk.

There are a number of strategy books, international and local, available in the South African market. Why another one? What makes this book different?

The third edition of the book features a number of new chapters, focusing on strategy implementation and change management, resource allocation and responsible leadership. It also includes a more detailed coverage of managing strategic risk.

Features:

Strategic Management: Towards sustainable strategies in southern Africa covers the key concepts of strategy and shows how these are integrated within the management environment.

The book outlines how South African organisations make use of strategic management principles to make positive and practical changes to their enterprises.

It also provides theory and knowledge that can be applied to the work context to enable career growth and development.

The book is written for senior undergraduate and postgraduate students of management at universities and universities of technology.

Given the common acknowledgement that strategy implementation is the greatest challenge to managers in the 21st century and the greatest reason for strategy failure we decided to focus on strategy implementation. Rather than promoting the unrealistic idea of strategy as a purely rational and deliberate outcome, this book acknowledges and explores the idea that strategy is often emergent, messy and experimental. We focus on strategy as something that people do rather than something that an organisation possesses. Since people are the building blocks of strategy, we recognise the fact that strategy is both a cognitive and a political activity.

Economic and Management Research is a step-by-step guide to doing research. It guides students systematically through the research process by helping them to plan a research project, execute the research by using the best methodology and report on the findings. The book focuses on both quantitative and qualitative research methods, as well as mixed methods.