Strategy needs to be partly idealistic and partly realistic. On the one hand, it exists to help managers and executives envision the most beneficial future possible-one that is optimally competitive and profitable. But such visualizing needs to go hand-in-hand with concrete planning. In order to formulate a strategy that will really work, organizations need to master the technique of modelling in order to plan what can properly be called strategic business model, a model that both depicts the operations of a business and that provides the analytical basis for examining and formulating the plan for the future operations of a firm.
Here leading expert Frederick Betz reviews the strategic modelling technique and applies it to diverse kinds of businesses, both productive and financial, and including banks and hedge funds. He illustrates the possibilities of this technique-and the pitfalls of using it incorrectly-by applying it to real business cases, some successful and some problematic. As strategic business models are important to understand the transformative operations of an enterprise system for present and future competitiveness, Betz's exploration into both manufacturing and financial firms, along with retailing firms and conglomerates, broadens the business literature.
Strategic Business Models: Idealism and Realism in Strategy is essential reading for managers and strategists wishing to optimize the effectiveness of their strategic planning.
CHAPTER 1. MODELING BUSINESS STRATEGY
CHAPTER 2. STRATEGIC SALES - The Case of Amazon
CHAPTER 3. STRATEGIC CAPITAL - The Case of Barings Bank
CHAPTER 4. STRATEGIC RESOURCES - The Case of Intel
CHAPTER 5. STRATEGIC PROFIT - The Case of Hyundai
CHAPTER 6. STRATEGIC CONTROL - Case Study: Global Holding Companies
CHAPTER 7. STRATEGIC BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT - The Case of the Great Depression
CHAPTER 8. STRATEGIC FINANCIAL MARKETS - The Case of Securitization
CHAPTER 9. STRATEGIC IDEALISM AND REALITY - The Case of the International Financial Grid
CHAPTER 10. STRATEGIC METHODOLOGY - The Case of Xerox
CHAPTER 11. SUMMARY - Strategic Modeling
Frederick Betz received a PhD in physics from the University of California Berkeley and did a post-doc at the Space Sciences Laboratory, performing research on research administration. Subsequently he taught operations research and organization theory in the Business School at State University of New York at Buffalo. Then he was a program officer in the U.S. National Science Foundation, administering research programs. He was one of the founders of the International Society of Management of Technology. He recently was an adjunct professor in Portland State University, a visiting professor in Korea University and in SUNY Brookhaven Korea. His published books include: Cooperative Innovation (2017), Stability in International Finance (2016), Modelling Methodology for Sustainable Development (2015), Innovation and Global Competition (2014), Why Bank Panics Matter (2013), Societal Dynamics (2011), Managing Science (2010), and Managing Technological Innovation, 3rd ed. (2010).