Strategic management forms the core of any business course. The body of literature available has grown rapidly, leading to a tendency for textbooks on the subject to become very large, with authors seeking ever-expanding coverage. This textbook provides a concise alternative to such volumes. Most business students are hoping to derive some usable knowledge from the time they spend on strategic management, besides the academic knowledge to pass their examinations. This text therefore takes practice into account as well as the academic literature, and gives full weight to the real-life problems of implementing strategy.