At last – a systematic critique of the scientific discourse of strategic management. This fantastic book uncovers scholars' unquestioned assumptions and shows that by upholding these assumptions researchers obscure the paradoxical nature of strategic reasoning. To uncover the paradoxes of strategic management the author refers to the philosophy of Jacques Derrida. He delves into the internal contradictions that inevitably occur when theorizing about corporate strategy along the dimensions strategy context, process, and content and shows how these paradoxes can enrich future thinking about strategic problems.

Paradoxes emerge everywhere in organizational theory and management practice. This book is a theoretically grounded presentation of the strategic and historical context of organizational paradoxes, exploring the paradoxes in organizational management and the available tactics to manage them. Based on 700 academic sources in the paradox literature, it presents paradox management as a nuanced and coherent perspective. In presenting and integrating the vast literature on the subject, it contributes new knowledge on how and why the paradox concept was introduced into management theory, how and why conflicting ideals of management can produce organizational contradictions, and how paradoxes can be managed.

The notion of paradox dates back to ancient philosophy, yet only recently have scholars started to explore this idea in organizational phenomena. Two decades ago, a handful of provocative theorists urged researchers to take seriously the study of paradox, and thereby deepen our understanding of plurality, tensions, and contradictions in organizational life. Studies of organizational paradox have grown exponentially over the past two decades, canvassing varied phenomena, methods, and levels of analysis. These studies have explored such tensions as today and tomorrow, global integration and local distinctions, collaboration and competition, self and others, mission and markets. Yet even with both the depth and breadth of interest in organizational paradoxes, key issues around definitions and application remain. This Handbook seeks to aid, engage, and fuel the expanding interest in organizational paradox. Contributions to this volume depict how paradox studies inform, and are informed, by other theoretical perspectives, while creating a resource that enables scholars to learn about and apply this lens across varied organizational phenomena. The increasing complexity, volatility, and ambiguity in our world continually surfaces paradoxical dynamics. Thus, this Handbook offers insights to scholars across organizational theory.

The Cambridge Handbook of Strategy as Practice provides a comprehensive overview of an emerging and growing stream of research in strategic management. An international team of scholars has been assembled to produce a systematic introduction to the various epistemological, methodological and theoretical aspects of the strategy-as-practice approach. This perspective explores and explains the contribution that strategizing makes to daily operations at all levels of an organization. Moving away from a disembodied and asocial study of firm assets, technologies and practices, the strategy-as-practice approach breaks down many of the traditional paradigmatic boundaries in strategy to investigate who the strategists are, what strategists do, how they do it, and what the consequences or outcomes of their actions are. Including a number of detailed empirical studies, the handbook will be an essential guide for future research in this vibrant field.

This work examines the factors that drive the success of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in their pursuit of regional strategies. The author develops a comprehensive regional success factor model, by which the effects of regional management autonomy and regional product and service adaptation on the regional success of MNCs as well as the interaction effects of regional orientation and inter-regional distance are investigated. The model is evaluated by means of the partial-least-squares (PLS) method on the basis of a survey-based inquiry of the Fortune Global 500 firms with success indicator data for a period of nine years. The findings highlight the importance of considering the different degrees of contextual influence in the design of regional strategies, where low degrees of regional management autonomy and high levels of regional product/service adaptation are found to be appropriate for MNCs to be regionally successful.

Public Sector Strategy explores how strategic decisions are developed and implemented in the public sector, and examines the psychology underpinning strategic decision-making. Combining knowledge from traditional perspectives with contemporary insights on strategic management, this book considers how managers make their decisions and provides key concepts and practical tools to aid delivery of strategy within highly institutionalised settings. This book provides theoretical grounding, real-life global cases, and practical examples of strategic decisions in an international public-sector context by working through the underpinnings of strategy, the influencing factors of strategic decision-making, strategic implementation, and strategic tools in practice. It should be a core textbook for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students studying public sector strategy and strategic management more broadly. It will also be of benefit for public sector managers, consultants, and private sector organisations who wish to interact with the public sector.

Michael Porter is recognized as one of the top authorities on corporate strategy and business competition. The historical review of strategic management clearly shows that Porter’s research has bridged up two general paradigms (before and after the 1980s) thus helping both researchers and practitioners to better understand unanticipated global changes. His two generic strategies: costs and diversification, the two interdependent strategic options, are key in the context of the competitiveness of orthodox microeconomic theory. This is where Porter went further, constructing a popular value chain concept that provides the ability to disaggregate the key activities of business process in creating products and services in terms of cost analysis and value creation. This book is a collection of seven interconnected chapters that provides a coherent understanding of Michael Porter’s contribution to the field of strategic management. It addresses key changes and challenges in the global business environment. The value chain concept has become highly applicable in both theory and practice. In the book, the authors offer an original interpretation of the Porters’ research on strategic management in order to unravel or simplify his key theoretical concepts. It will be of interest to researchers, academics, practitioners, and students in the fields of strategic management and international business.