Covid-19 has upended the world of work and the need to think differently, plan differently and execute differently is paramount for today’s organisations. Added to this, African countries in general and South Africa in particular are faced with other challenges – infrastructure, corruption, service delivery and an uncertain political environment. Business is increasingly confronted with challenges from external environmental forces and the internal nuances of the southern African context. Our environment is characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, and strategy is of the utmost importance for any organisation to survive and thrive. Strategic management explains the principles and application of the strategic management process that are vital for sustaining successful organisations.

This fifth edition of Strategic management emphasises various relevant and topical strategic challenges (such as corporate governance) and appropriate southern African examples and case studies are used throughout the text to illustrate the latest trends and to support the theory. A cohesion case study of Shoprite Checkers and its strategic choices (such as the Sixty60 concept) runs throughout this book. Key terms, summary questions and answers, relevant websites and recommended reading lists are also provided.

Strategic management: Southern African concepts and cases will be invaluable not only to students of business management, but also to organisations, from corporate organisations with management training programmes to small business ventures struggling to hold their ground in a competitive environment.

In a South African business environment characterised by change, turbulence and competitiveness, strategy is even more crucial today than ever before. Many people's lives and jobs are affected by strategic decisions, and far too often top management develops a strategy that is never communicated to or fully understood by other levels of management and employees, or is not even relevant to the future survival of the company. Strategic management explains the principles and application of the strategic management process, vital to the continued success of every organisation. This is the third edition of Strategic management, the first specifically southern African handbook on this subject. It emphasises the important role of corporate governance, with specific reference to the King III Report. Appropriate South African examples and case studies are used to illustrate the latest trends, particularly the history, development and strategy of South African Breweries (SAB Limited). Theory is applied to this cohesion case after every chapter of the book. Key terms, summary questions and answers, relevant websites and recommended reading lists are also provided. Strategic management will be invaluable not only to students of business management but also to organisations, from corporate companies with management training programmes to small business ventures struggling to hold their ground in a competitive environment.