Crafting and executing strategy : the quest for competitive advantage : concepts and cases / Arthur A. Thompson, Margaret A. Peteraf, , John E. Gamble, A. J. Strickland III,

Includes indexes.

Concepts and techniques for crafting and executing strategy -- Section a: introduction and overview -- What is strategy and why is it important? -- Charting a company's direction: its vision, mission, objectives, and strategy -- Evaluating a company?s external environment -- Evaluating a company's resources, capabilities, and competitiveness -- The five generic competitive strategies : which one to employ? -- Strengthening a company's competitive position : strategic moves, timing, and scope of operations -- Strategies for competing in international markets -- Corporate strategy : diversification and the multibusiness company -- Ethics, corporate social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and strategy -- Building an organization capable of good strategy execution : people, capabilities, and structure -- Managing internal operations : actions that promote good strategy execution -- Corporate culture and leadership : keys to good strategy execution -- Cases in crafting and executing strategy -- Section a: crafting strategy in single-business companies -- Mystic monk coffee -- Whole Foods market in 2010: vision, core values, and strategy -- The O-fold innovation for preventing wrinkles : a good business opportunity? -- Competition among the North American warehouse clubs : Costco wholesale versus Sam's Club versus BJ?'s wholesale -- Competition in energy drinks, sports drinks, and vitamin-enhanced beverages -- Netflix's business model and strategy in renting movies and TV episodes -- Redbox's strategy in the movie rental industry -- Cash connection : are its payday lender strategy and its business model ethical? -- Blue Nile Inc. in 2010 : will its strategy to remain number one in online diamond retailing work? -- Apple Inc. in 2010 -- Gap Inc. in 2010 : is the turnaround strategy working? -- Google's strategy in 2010 -- Skywest, Inc., and the regional airline industry in 2009 -- Silver ships' strategy in the military and workboat industry -- Skype versus AT&T and the future of telecommunications -- Section B: Crafting strategy in diversified companies -- Sara Lee corporation in 2011 : has its retrenchment strategy been successful? -- Smucker's in 2011 : expanding the business lineup -- Robin Hood -- Dilemma at Devil's Den -- Southwest Airlines in 2010 : culture, values, and operating practices -- Namast' Solar -- Herman Miller Inc. : the reinvention and renewal of an iconic manufacturer of office furniture -- Starbucks' strategy and internal initiatives to return to profitable growth -- Norton Lilly International: implementing transformational change in the shipping industry -- Good Hotel : doing good, doing well? -- W. L. Gore & Associates : developing global teams to meet 21st-century challenges -- Strategy, ethics, and social responsibility -- Rhino capture in Kruger National Park -- Countrywide financial corporation and the subprime mortgage debacle -- The Upper Big Ranch mine disaster case -- Frogs Leap Winery case -- Photo credits -- Indexes -- Organization -- Name -- Subject.