Company Strategy: The Resources and Scope of the Enterprise

Author: (USA) Colis et al. / Wang Yonggui et al.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: This book primarily elaborates on and discusses corporate strategy issues, but the strategic perspectives presented here are dynamic and integrate analyses at both the corporate and business levels. On one hand, it acknowledges the differences between these two levels; on the other hand, it also recognizes significant overlaps between them. The book follows the thread of corporate growth and development, starting from a single-business company and gradually transitioning to a large-scale, diversified, vertically integrated corporate structure. This developmental approach deepens the natural connection between corporate strategy and business strategy, thereby enriching the traditional understanding of these two levels of strategy. Additionally, the book argues that corporate advantages are often realized at the business level through continuous improvement of individual business unit performance. Many of the book's insights are derived from two distinct research domains: one is the Resource-Based View of the firm, which has already garnered widespread attention in the field of strategic management; the other is organizational economics, particularly transaction cost analysis and agency theory. Both have made significant contributions to the book's arguments. The book consists of 8 chapters and 12 cases. Each chapter is self-contained and includes two components: principles and practice. In the principles section, a topic is introduced by describing relevant theories and supporting empirical research. In the practice section, the aforementioned concepts are integrated into practical frameworks and tools applicable to case studies and strategic analysis.