Strategic Management - 2nd Edition

Reviewed by Ravi Chinta, Associate Dean and Professor, Strategic Management, The University of the District of Columbia on 11/21/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Part 6 in the eBook needs to be dropped from the course coverage. This is just one paper by two well-known strategy researchers, but is not well accepted as part of the body of knowledge for an undergraduate capstone strategy course.
I especially like Part 8 in the eBook which can be an overarching framework for the 8-weeks undergraduate capstone course, which also has a business simulation piece that is not covered in this eBook and is from a separate vendor (Business Strategy Game OR Blue Ocean Strategy OR Capsim OR Conscious Capitalism OR any other simulation available to provide the experiential learning part in strategic management of an enterprise).

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Excellent summary and abstracts from extant body of knowledge on strategy. But please drop Part 6. I will drop Part 6 when I adopt this book in my undergraduate capstone strategy course.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Very relevant. Provides not only the concepts (glossary of terms) but also the tools and frameworks used in strategic management (e.g., PESTEL; Porter's five forces; VRIO framework; Corporate Strategy frameworks such as BCG matrix, etc.)

Clarity rating: 5

Excellent.
Very lucid explanations of concepts and tools.

Consistency rating: 4

Part 6 in the eBook makes a 4 out of 5. The rest is coherent and logical.
I am going to drop Part 6 when I adopt this book for my course.

Modularity rating: 5

This modularity is the best part and the main reason for my adoption of this book for my undergraduate capstone strategy course. It is an 8-week course. It has a business simulation game. The theory part with learning activities and assignments can be directly drawn from each of the parts in this eBook (except Part 6) and can be the curricular content poured into the 8 Modules in the Blackboard course design which is QM (Quality Matters)-certified.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

See comment above. The eBook is well organized. I rate the content structure to be very high, if you drop Part 6 from the whole.

Interface rating: 5

Yes. It is straightforward.
No display issues that I have observed.
However, Quality Matters Standard 8 (Accessibility) requires a more thorough review by instructional designers to check if the eBook meets QM-Standard 8 (Accessibility).

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No problem here.
A clear rating of 5 our of 5.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Again, no issues here. A clear rating of 5 our of 5.

Comments

Just one comment. Only 3 parts out of the 7 parts have clear assignment questions at the end of each part.
I can make up the questions for the missing parts, but future editions should encourage the author - John Morris and Tobias Hodges - to add these questions at the end of all parts so that the instructors' job is setting essay exams for assessment would be easier.

Reviewed by Sinbin Wu, Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 11/7/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

The textbook covers majority of the key theories and concepts, eg., five forces. But other key elements for strategic management are missing. For example, organizational structure, culture as resources and decision making for upper echelons. Also more depth should be explored for some of the key concepts. For instance, it would be better to extend PESTEL analysis. For now, it is concise with a table outlining all factors. If an example is provided for each of the factors, students may learn more.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The book borrows a lot from various sources. So no issue on accuracy.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

While the textbook doesn't provide much new topics, e.g., digitalization and strategic management, it does contain established works that have been proven to be useful and long lasting. Those core concepts will stay for a long period of time.

Clarity rating: 5

It is easy reading.

Consistency rating: 5

Absolutely. Each chapter starts with what is in it for me, key takeaway, exercises and essential vocabulary. If the exercises include some scenarios or case analysis, it would be much better.

Modularity rating: 5

The design is pretty simple, not cluttered. Each unit includes a few topics and each topic addresses several issues. It is easy to navigate.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The organization is pretty good. Some improvement would be a plus. For example, a brief introduction may be useful when there are several elements to be presented. When presenting external environment analysis, a start like the following can be helpful. There are two types of environments, general and competitive. General environment refers to external forces that firms can't change much in short term, but need to respond, but competitive environment can be monitored and controlled by well managing the five forces.

Interface rating: 5

Well done here.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Pretty easy to read.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

No issues here.

Reviewed by Larry Clay, Assistant Professor, Marymount University on 1/2/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The book covers a wide range of the concepts in strategy; however, I think a section addressing international strategy would be of value for students to understand. I also liked the definition table, exercises, and case examples in each chapter.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The accuracy of content in this book appears to be error free.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The relevance of content is aligned with what is current being taught in strategy. The text that is already written is arranged in a way that can be easily updated and fit into the chapter's theme.

Clarity rating: 4

The chapters in the book are informative and written with clarity. I though it was interesting and engaging to see the learning objectives in each chapter labeled as "What's in it for me?". This adds a personal touch which may encourage readers to continue reading the section/chapter.

Consistency rating: 4

Consistency within the book is adequate. There was one area of improvement I would like to address, as it relates to a specific framework. The book covers the VRIO framework, however, there should be an update to this framework to include the most recent context, which is the VRINA framework for understanding internal resources that Valuable, Rare, Inimitable, Non-substitutable, and Appropriability.

Modularity rating: 5

The modularity of sections and chapters is organized well.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

There is a consistent, logical flow of content from beginning to end of the book.

Interface rating: 5

I didn't recognize any interface issues, such as glitchy images, text, features, etc. No noticeable navigation problems, thus, the interface and user experience should be free of any issues..

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No noticeable grammatical errors in the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The book has an appropriate level of cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. The cases and real-world examples showed no offensive or insensitive information about any ethnic group or any persons of diverse backgrounds.

Comments

would like to see the addition of a section addressing international strategies, as well as different contextual settings for strategy such as strategy in innovation, multi-strategic approaches, and a section on the relevance of the dynamic capabilities framework.