Purpose – Most of today's conversations around crafting business strategy center on which strategic framework is most appropriate for a firm, its strategist, or CEO to use. This opinion piece seeks to argue that the focus on frameworks is inappropriate and distracts businesses from crafting...

Purpose – This paper aims to articulate strategic dilemmas faced by a Chief Executive of a highly successful company and how such dilemmas were resolved. Design/methodology/approach – The case is based on a semi‐structured interview with Mr Jeremy Darroch – Chief Executive of BSkyB –...

Purpose – This study aims to compare alternative search behaviors managers enact with regard to firm aspirations. Design/methodology/approach – The behavioral theory of the firm predicts that poor performance relative to aspiration levels leads to search for ways to raise performance over...

Purpose – This paper aims to illustrate how legacy airlines can reorientate to achieve sharp recoveries in performance following prolonged periods of stagnation, decline and eroding competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a qualitative analysis of five longitudinal...

Purpose – The paper seeks to examine both management and psychological literature on strategic decision making. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the management and psychological literature is undertaken, with particular focus on factors affecting strategic decision making. Findings...

Purpose – This paper seeks to contribute to the RBV by focusing on a central construct, the “Keystone step”, within the firms' capability management field. It aims at providing a conceptual framework for top managers to understand the main related issues and steps, and to position their...

Purpose – Understanding China's economic success requires insights into its peculiar guanxi ‐based market. Many scholars are confused about how to apply Western network theories to the guanxi ‐based Chinese market. This paper aims to contribute to this comprehensive topic by theoretically...

Purpose – Mergers and acquisitions are among the most intensely used strategic decisions. Yet research by both academics and consulting groups suggests that many mergers and acquisitions fail to add value. On the other hand there are many companies that successfully use mergers and acquisition...

Purpose – This paper aims to present theoretical and empirical foundations for the use of a particular type of narrative skillfully deployed by senior leaders in an organization as an effective tool for creating, disseminating and executing corporate strategy. Design/methodology/approach –...

Purpose – This article aims at offering and validating a theory‐driven conceptualization of the cultural distance index. Design/methodology/approach – First, the cultural distance index is conceptualized, its conceptual properties are discussed, and a generic formula is proposed....