Highly focused text – Based on a major market survey, Strategy 08/09 is written in an engaging writing style free of unnecessary jargon and free of superfluous detail, allowing instructors and students time to opt for a more flexible format either by further discussing relevant selected case studies or taking advantage of using a simulation like BSG or GLO-BUS in the classroom.

A wealth of examples – Examples are important to the student learning process. Therefore, despite the relative brevity of the chapters, each chapter includes a wide variety of intriguing examples to illustrate ideas, providing ample raw material for stimulating classroom discussions.

Unique focus on international & ethical dimensions of strategy – Chapter 2 focuses on the two key contextual features that today’s managers must keep in mind as they make strategic decisions: the international dimensions of strategy and the ethical dimensions of strategy. In Chapters 3 through 8, this idea is reinforced through tying the topics presented (such as internal analysis, external analysis, and strategy selection) to globalization and ethics.

Traditional Organizing Framework – The traditional organizing framework includes crisply-written chapters that address contemporary topics. Strategic Management is divided into chapters in the traditional sequence: analysis, formulation, and implementation.

Clear, Concise, and Timely– Key strategic concepts are introduced in clear and concise chapters and are followed by timely and interesting examples from business practice. These concepts include Porter’s Five-Forces, the Value Chain, the resource based view of the firm, competitive advantage, boundary-less organizations, digital strategies, ethics, corporate governance, and entrepreneurship, just to name a few.

Learning from Mistakes – Unlike any competing text on the market, Ketchen/Eisner’s opening vignettes of every chapter feature an example of where things went wrong. Failures are interesting and easier to learn from, and students realize strategy is not just about “right or wrong” answers, but requires critical thinking.

Exceptional case selection – Based on instructor feedback, Ketchen/Eisner provides a pedagogically solid set of 10 medium-length cases closely tied to the issues covered in a strategy course. Drawing on his vast experience as a case author, Alan Eisner has assembled an outstanding set of cases profiling well-known companies that will enrich the classroom experience including Enron, QVC, JetBlue Airways, Johnson & Johnson, Yahoo!, World Wrestling Entertainment, The Casino Industry, Claire’s Stores, Nintendo’s Wii, and Ford Motor Company.

Author-Prepared, Prep-Time Reducing Instructor Manual and Test Bank – Unique in this market, the authors have prepared their own Instructor Manual and Test Bank to support their comprehensive text. These important resources were adapted to this brief text by two experienced strategy instructors with the primary goal to save instructors prep time! While many books outline or summarize the text materials, Ketchen/Eisner focuses on “value added” materials. Each chapter includes many suggested questions to spur in-class discussion as well as three teaching tips for each chapter to further stimulate debate and practical applications of course concepts. In addition, there are many examples and “war stories” to provide illustrations of key concepts—that are not found in the text.