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Aligning for Advantage

Competitive Strategies for the Political and Social Arenas

Jonathan P Doh author Thomas C Lawton author Tazeeb Rajwani author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:27th Feb '14

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

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Aligning for Advantage cover

In today's multipolar world economy, strategic alignment is a key determinant of competitive advantage. Coca-Cola, Danone, Diageo, DuPont, Lufthansa and Tata are some of the companies that strive for a pragmatic approach to balancing competitive strategies with political and social obligations. Aligning for Advantage argues that to build and sustain corporate success, companies must synchronize business objectives and market positions with political and regulatory activism and social and environmental engagement. Moreover, to be credible and realizable, these external market and nonmarket strategies need to be equally attuned with corporate vision, values, and culture. The book advances a managerial process and conceptual framework for aligning corporate strategy. In some cases alignment may mean deep, strategically embedded partnerships with governments, NGOs, or other stakeholders. In others, alignment may take the form of looser, temporary collaborations with outside organizations. No matter the approach, the relationship between nonmarket and market strategies should be deliberate and genuine, not accidental or artificial. Truly aligned strategies should reconcile and modulate sometimes conflicting external demands in a way that is appropriate for the corporation's geographic and market positions. In the end, companies must leverage their overall nonmarket strategy as a source of competitive advantage.

Together, the authors represent an impressive level of expertise with regard to corporate strategy and the non-market environment ... The balance they seem to strike between their academic and practical work is clearly reflected by the book: scientific theories have been illustrated by practical examples and vice versa. It is obviously written by three experts and I believe their ability to combine theory and practice is a major strength of the book. * Stefan Breet, Stratnotes.com, *
What a timely book! In an era where no company is immune to political and social forces, Aligning for Advantage gives managers a blueprint of what to look out for, how to craft a proactive strategy in the face of these forces, and even how to make nonmarket strategy a key driver of business performance results. * Sydney Finkelstein, Steven Roth Professor of Management, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College and author of Why Smart Executives Fail *
The social and political environment of business is of increasing importance to firm success, and Aligning for Advantage is an important advancement, providing frameworks and guidance for nonmarket strategy formulation and its alignment with the market strategy of a firm. The book is well grounded in management and social science research and is wide-ranging in its scope yet specific to companies and industries operating in global markets. * David P. Baron, David S. and Ann M. Barlow Professor of Political Economy and Strategy, Emeritus, Stanford University and author of Business and its Environment *
This book is an invaluable resource for corporate managers who constantly struggle with, and are often frustrated by, the challenges involved in successfully growing their business while navigating an increasingly complex social and political environment. Managers who all too often simply think about getting 'rid' of non-market obstacles, will gain precious insight and acquire tools for strategically engaging with stakeholders as an important tactic for competitive advantage. * Jumbi Edulbehram, Director of Business Development, Samsung Techwin America *
Management skills will prove of little value unless managers are culturally wise and aware of the nuances of nonmarket settings. Aligning for Advantage is a provocative and superbly written book on today's global management. * Ricaurte Catín Vasquez, PhD, Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policies-Latin American, General Electric and Former Minister of Finance, Government of Panama *
A useful and accessible collection of frameworks highlighting the link between corporate social responsibility, corporate political activity and corporate strategy with insights drawn from an engaging mix of historical and current cases. * Witold Henisz, Deloitte & Touche Professor of Management, Wharton School of Business, The University of Pennsylvania *
The authors convey in a practical way how to link political and social strategies to business objectives and market performance. A great book, not only for business and opinion leaders but also for regulators and legislators, educated citizens, and demanding consumers. * Carlos Piedrahita, CEO, Grupo Nutresa *

ISBN: 9780199604746

Dimensions: 240mm x 162mm x 25mm

Weight: 528g

256 pages