Strategy Textbooks - CiteSeerX

Cornell University School of Hotel Administration

From the SelectedWorks of Cathy A. Enz

January, 1986

Strategy Textbooks: A Case of ConsistentlyInconsistent EvaluationsCathy A Enz, Cornell University School of Hotel Administration

Available at: http://works.bepress.com/cathy_enz/53/

https://sha.cornell.edu/

http://works.bepress.com/cathy_enz/

http://works.bepress.com/cathy_enz/53/

TEXTBOOK extbookJames M. McFillen REVIEW Textbook Review Editor

Strategy Textbooks: A Case of Consistently Inconsistent

Evaluations

A review by Cathy A. Enz Indiana University,

Bloomington, Indiana

"This book is too superficial, but it meets my needs better than others available." This quota- tion illustrates the equivocal praise which business instructors provide the textbooks that they adopt for their capstone policy courses. Ten representative strategy/policy textbooks were reviewed and almost all of them received at least one instructor's nomination as the best strategy textbook available, yet reviewers consistently identified deficiencies and their intent to change books.

What is it about business strategy/policy textbooks or courses that brings out consistent inconsistency across text users even when they evaluate the same book? In the present review a representative group of strategy textbooks are compared with two purposes in mind. First, what are the characteristics of these textbooks and how do they compare with each other? Do the textbooks differ on textual material or case quality? Second, what do different adopters across the country think of the textbook they are using?

The area of study referred to as business policy, strategic management, management policy, or administrative policy is the focus of this review. The diversity of approaches to this capstone integrative course is reflected in the textbook titles. Although many books come close to hav-

ing the title strategic management, some use the traditional title business policy, and many com- bine the labels. The diversity of titles unobtru- sively indicates the absence of a core body of knowledge and an area of business study which is experiencing growing pains.

A review of these textbooks is exacerbated by the relative newness of the field and the integrative nature of the subject matter. Since the business environment is constantly changing, so is the material presented in strategy courses. Be- cause choosing a business strategy textbook is closely linked to pedagogy, this review provides information on course approach as well.

Review Method Eldredge and Galloway's (1982) study of busi-

ness policy courses in AACSB accredited universities revealed that most strategy/policy courses rely on cases, but an increased use of textual material is anticipated. Given these trends, the criteria used to select textbooks for this review were: (a) texts which included textual material and cases, (b) texts which had been on the market long enough to be adopted and used in a capstone course in business policy/strategy, and (c) texts which had a relatively detailed instructor's manual.

Twenty-seven publishing firms were contacted to obtain names of textbooks. Eighteen publishers either did not currently have a text in the policy area, or the text they sold did not meet the review criteria, or they were unable to provide a list of adopters. Several publishers indicated they were looking for or considering a textbook in this area, suggesting that the textbook market in strategy is not yet saturated.

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The ten textbooks listed in Table 1 were selected because they met the review criteria, not because they are better than other textbooks available; however, they do appear to be representative of strategy textbooks.

A total of 125 universities were selected from the adoption lists and representatives were mailed the 65-item survey. Sixty-eight surveys were returned; 42 pertained to the texts under review. The remaining 26 surveys represented adopters who had used the reviewed texts pre- viously but were currently using either a different text or no text at all. Of the 68 respondents, 67.6 percent teach in state universities, 22.1 per-

Table 1 Business Policy and Strategy Textbooks Reviewed

1. Boulton, W. R. (1984) Business policy the art of strategic management. New York: Macmillan.

2. Byars, L. (1984) Strategic management planning and implementation concepts and cases. New York: Harper & Row.

3. Christiansen, C. R., Andrews, K. R., Bower, J. L., Hamer- mesh, R. G., & Porter, M. E. (1982) Business policy text and cases (5th ed.). Homewood, IL: Irwin.

4. Glueck, W. F., & Jauch, L. R. (1984) Business policy and strategic management (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

5. Higgins, J. M. (1983) Organizational policy and strategic management: Text and cases. (2nd ed.). New York: Dryden.

6. Pearce, J. A., & Robinson, R. B. (1982) Strategic management strategy formulation and implementation. Home- wood, IL: Irwin.

7. Schellenberger, R. E., & Boseman, G. (1982) Policy formulation and strategy management: Text and cases (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley.

8. Steiner, G. A., Miner, J. B., & Gray, E. R. (1982) Manage- ment policy and strategy text, readings, and cases (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.

9. Thompson, A. A., & Strickland, A. J. (1984) Strategic management concepts and cases. (3rd ed.). Plano, TX: Busi- ness Publications.

10. Wheelen, T. L., & Hunger, J. D. (1983) Strategic management and business policy. Reading, MA: Addison- Wesley.

cent in private universities, and 10.3 percent in four-year liberal arts colleges.

Course Characteristics

The Students

According to the respondents, all of the students using the textbooks are business students; most (84.1 percent) are seniors; a small percentage (15.9) are graduate students and practicing managers. The strategy course is a requirement in a business curriculum for all the respondents.

Teaching Approach

The largest percentages of adopters were split between two dominant approaches to teaching the strategy/policy course 43.2 percent divided their courses into half lecture and half case analysis. The other popular approach according to 36.4 percent of the respondents was to use a case approach (80-99 percent) augmented by discussion and lecture. A strict lecture or case approach was regarded as undesirable or inappropriate by most of the respondents.

The third largest percentage of respondents (15.9) use a variety of approaches; simulations, games, group projects, strategic audits, analysis of real companies (not covered in a textbook case), class exercises, and guest speakers were some of the pedagogical tools used. The typical course included 35 percent simulation, 45 percent case discussion, and 20 percent strategic audit. Many other variations were noted by adopters. Although many pedagogical tools are used in policy/strategy courses, student evaluation rests primarily on written case analyses and group projects.

A surprising number of respondents (9 percent) have developed their courses in such a way that a textbook is either irrelevant or inappropriate. This is probably a conservative estimate since the list of respondents was generated from textbook publishers, not universities or Academy of Man- agement members.

The comments of instructors illustrate the changing role of the textbook in designing a policy course. As one respondent indicated, "by

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doing away with the textbook, I am able to assign other readings that come closer to capturing the real essence of strategies and policy." Another individual suggested, "students are very inter- ested in the 'real things' and too often, by presenting policy in a dry, analytical format, we kill that interest." One of the strongest views was expressed by a reviewer who stated, "[I] have not found a policy/strategy text I would even consider good enough to use."

Textbook Characteristics Unlike many business textbooks, strategy/

policy books devote the majority of space to case material as opposed to textual material. One respondent noted, "the important factor in text selection is the quality of cases. I supply my own analytic tools." In addition, the instructor's manual may play a vital role in updating the instructor on the present status of a company presented in a case. At the very least, the instructor's manual provides case notes which assist in conduct- ing class discussion. Textual material also appears to be increasing in importance as the field of strategic management evolves. One reviewer suggested that undergraduates are ". . . unpre- pared for analysis of anything," and this instructor stresses learning how to analyze using the- ory and cases. Given their importance, textual material, cases, and instructor's manuals will be examined.

Table 2 presents a summary of the major characteristics of the texts. One notable distinction among the textbooks is the amount of space devoted to textual material. Christiansen et al., Schellenberger and Boseman, and Byars provide the smallest amount of space to substantive material; Glueck and Jauch, and Pearce and Robinson include the most textual material. The remaining authors are similar in the amount of space they devote to this information. Glueck and Jauch also provide the most tables and figures, and the most short cases (that is, those out of the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, etc.) within their chapters.

Reviewing the case portion of the texts indicates that Thompson and Strickland provide the most pages of case material, while Christiansen et al. include the greatest number of cases. Byars' cases are the longest on the average and Hig- gins' cases provide the most financial information. Glueck and Jauch devote the least amount of space to cases, and Schellenberger and Bose- man present the shortest cases on the average. There is not much difference across textbooks in the number of cases used or the use of case questions.

The overall length of the texts vary. The Steiner, Miner and Gray book is the longest, due in part to the emphasis these authors place on readings. Thompson and Strickland's book is also long, which may be explained by their attempt to devote a substantial amount of space to detailed applications of the textual material.

Table 3 provides a summary of the primary components of the instructor's manuals. Boulton and Christiansen et al. place all of their emphasis on the case portion, while other authors provide a balanced presentation of information cov- ering the textual and case material.

Adopter Evaluations Adopters were asked to evaluate their text-

book and instructor's manual on a variety of different dimensions. The mean responses of adopters by textbook are presented in Table 4. A five- point scale ranging from (1) awful to (5) excellent was used. Two additional responses (can't rate and not included) were also provided. Respon- dents who selected either of these two additional responses were excluded from the sample used to calculate the means provided in Table 4.

Differences Among Textbooks

To compare the characteristics of textbooks listed in Table 4, several one-way analyses of variance were performed. For these analyses to be significant, agreement must exist among adopters evaluating the same textbook and difference must exist between adopters evaluating different texts. Twenty-one separate analyses

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were run on the characteristics identified in Table 4. Seven of the analyses of variance addressed aspects of the textual material, eight focused on textbook cases, and six dealt with the instructor's manuals. For the textual portion of the books, use of examples (F = 2.30 p < .05) and quality of the exercises (F = 2.13 p < . 10) were the only statistically significant textbook differences. The analyses of variance did not yield significant textbook differences on the eight dimensions of case quality. The quality of transparency masters (F = 2.58 p < .05) was the only characteristic of the instructor's manual which proved statistically different across textbooks.

The attempt to assess differences among the strategy/policy textbooks assumed at least a modicum of agreement across evaluators when examining the same text. Since few significant differences were found in the analyses of variance, it is likely that a large degree of adopter differences exist when evaluating the same textbook.

Several two-way analyses of variance were conducted to see if aspects of teaching approach were interacting with the evaluation criteria. This series of analyses yielded insignificant main effects due to teaching orientation and insignificant interaction effects with the textbook evaluation criteria. Clearly, adopters of the same textbook do not agree when evaluating the assets and liabilities of the book regardless of the teaching approach they use.

For example, one adopter commented, "I will adopt this text again because it is the best one available. " Another person commented, "the text is dull, poorly written, elitist, and uses old cases." These comments are about the same book. The range of opinions on almost all of the textbooks varied greatly.

Switching Textbooks

When instructors select strategy/policy textbooks, they do not make these decisions for the long haul. Regardless of the textbook selected, many respondents change their textbook frequently; 53 percent changed their textbook year-

ly and no one kept a book longer than five years. It appears that although instructors are always searching for a better or newer textbook, many conclude that "they all look just the same."

Most of the individuals who were surveyed believe the changing business environment ne- cessitates that this course be current. The use of multiple pedagogical tools, as discussed earlier, is one way to keep the subject updated. Another way is to constantly search for a new text with additional relevant theoretical material, popular topics, and new cases.

Switching textbooks, in many cases, has led frustrated instructors to discard a textbook alto- gether. Numerous alternatives to using a book with text and cases were: to use cases, a case book, journalistic accounts of businesses, biogra- phies of business leaders (Iacocca or Geneen), or to provide handouts to the students. Instruc- tors indicate they are constantly searching for different reading materials and books to comple- ment their teaching approach and philosophy. "Until we can agree on a core body of knowledge that belongs in this course, I see no grounds for taking a textbook approach." This constant searching does provide some support for many reviewers' perception that the policy area of study is lacking a well-defined body of knowledge.

Comparison of Topics Covered

Table 5 summarizes the adopters' evaluations of their current textbook's coverage of 13 topics and the importance of these topics. The most important topics (in order of importance) were: strategy formulation, strategy implementation, competitor analysis, role of top management, and strategic thinking. The least important topics were: non-profit organizations and organizational change. Respondents indicated that organizational design, evaluation and control, social responsibility, international issues, corporate culture, and acquisitions and mergers were all slightly important. Adopters of the Boulton book tended to evaluate all the topics as unimportant, while those using Wheelen and Hunger, and Higgins considered almost all the

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Table 5 Mean Responses of Adopter Evaluations on Textbook Topic Coverage and Importance

Christiansen Glueck Boulton Byars et al Jauch Higgins

Cova Impb Cov Imp Cov Imp Cov Imp Cov Imp

EVALUATION

Topics

Strategy formulation 3.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 4.00 4.80 4.50 4.50 3.33 4.33

Role of top mgt. 4.00 2.00 4.00 4.00 4.40 4.60 4.00 4.75 3.67 3.67

Strategy implementation 3.00 2.50 3.00 4.50 4.00 5.00 4.25 4.75 3.67 4.00

Competitor analysis 3.50 2.00 2.00 3.50 3.20 4.20 3.38 4.75 3.33 4.33

Org'l design/struc. 1.50 1.50 3.00 3.50 2.80 3.60 3.25 3.75 3.33 3.00

Evaluation & control 3.50 1.50 3.00 3.00 2.60 3.80 3.38 3.75 3.33 3.67

Social responsibility 2.50 1.00 2.50 3.50 2.40 3.40 2.38 3.50 2.00 3.00

International/ multinational cos. 2.00 1.50 4.00 3.00 2.80 3.40 2.50 3.75 3.00 3.33

Corporate culture 3.00 1.00 3.50 4.00 2.80 4.00 1.88 3.88 3.00 3.33

Strategic thinking 3.00 2.00 3.00 4.50 2.40 4.20 2.63 4.63 4.00 4.00

Acquisitions & mergers 2.00 1.50 3.00 3.50 2.40 3.60 2.75 3.50 2.00 3.00

Non-profit- organizations 1.00 2.00 2.50 3.00 1.20 2.20 2.13 2.88 3.00 3.67

Orgl change 2.00 2.00 3.50 3.50 2.80 3.20 2.13 3.50 3.67 3.00

Steiner Pearce Schellenberger Miner Thompson Wheelen

Robinson Boseman Gray Strickland Hunger

Cov Imp Cov Imp Cov Imp Cov Imp Cov Imp

EVALUATION

Topics

Strategy formulation 4.00 4.29 ID ID ID ID 4.18 4.46 4.50 4.75

Roleoftopmgt. 3.14 4.43 ID ID ID ID 3.55 3.91 4.50 4.50

Strategy implementation 3.86 4.29 ID ID ID ID 3.91 3.82 4.25 4.50

Competitor analysis 3.29 4.57 ID ID ID ID 3.91 4.36 3.00 4.00

Org'l design/struc. 2.43 3.71 ID ID ID ID 3.36 3.46 3.00 3.50

Evaluation & control 2.71 4.00 ID ID ID ID 3.18 3.55 3.50 4.00

Social responsibility 2.71 3.43 ID ID ID ID 2.00 3.27 3.25 4.00

International/ multinational cos. 2.57 3.71 ID ID ID ID 1.73 3.00 3.00 3.75

Corporate culture 2.71 4.00 ID ID ID ID 2.91 3.82 3.00 4.00

Strategic thinking 3.00 4.14 ID ID ID ID 3.46 3.73 3.25 4.00

Acquisitions & mergers 2.29 3.43 ID ID ID ID 2.55 3.36 2.25 4.25 Non-profit-

organizations 1.29 2.72 ID ID ID ID 1.64 2.64 2.25 3.00

Org'l change 2.00 3.29 ID ID ID ID 2.00 2.73 1.00 3.50 a Cov = Coverage. These means are based on a scale of (1) very shallow to (5) very comprehensive. b Imp = Importance of the topic. These means are based on a scale of (1) very unimportant to (5) very important.

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topics to be important. The other adopters tended to make finer distinctions when evaluating topics as unimportant or important. Overall, the majority of topics were designated as important.

Once again one-way analyses of variance were conducted to test whether adopters evaluating topic coverage on different textbooks are significantly different than adopters evaluating the same textbook. These analyses did not yield statistically significant differences between textbooks. Thus, it appears that the ten textbooks do not have differing degrees of coverage on the 13 topics as evaluated by adopters. Close exami- nation of the findings indicates that adopters who evaluate the same textbook do not express consistent perceptions of the book. This lack of consistency may be due in part to the lack of agreement on what a strategy/policy course is to cover, and thus, what a textbook should provide.

Most of the strategy textbooks cover the same topics. Some respondents expressed frustration with the numerous topics which strategy textbook authors try to discuss. As one person put it, "they all try to do too much, subsequently they don't do anything well." Another respondent mused that the programmed learning approach advocated by the textbook authors is inherently inappropriate. Still another person suggested,

... you can only teach so much in any one course; therefore, I don't feel all the trendy stuff fits in the undergraduate course." Once again, the approaches and philosophies of instructors differ and these two factors influence the textbook decision.

Individual Textbooks While the quantitative data presented earlier

suggest that comparisons across textbooks are misleading given the differences expressed by adopters of the same book, much can be learned about the individual textbooks by presenting the comments of reviewers. Below, comments for each textbook address: the topics covered in the texts, the cases, the instructor's manuals,and improvements suggested by the adopters.

Boulton's Business Policy The Art of Strategic Management

Adopters of this text agreed that textual material dealing with the role of top management and the structure of industry were well done. Organizational change and international competition were topics regarded as weak. The text could be improved by adding more information about international competition and strategy implementation. Including more accounting and service firms in the case portion of the text was recommended. Finally, reviewers suggested that transparency masters, experiential exercises, and exam questions be included in the instructor's manual.

Byars' Strategic Management Planning and Implementation Concepts and Cases

Strategy formulation and environmental analysis were two topic areas that respondents said were treated well in this text. More information on implementation and evaluation was suggested by the reviewers. The need to update the cases was a common concern and one respondent noted that more pictures were needed in the case portion. To improve the instructor's manual, it was suggested that more financial analysis be added to the case notes section.

Christiansen's Business Policy Text and Cases

Reviewers of this text differed on the topics they felt were treated particularly well. The most frequently cited topics were: the role of top management, strategy formulation, industry analysis, and environmental analysis. Topics considered to be weak included: social responsibility, cultural differences, strategy implementation, and international issues. Suggested additions to the text included the introduction of cog- nitive aspects of decision making, stakeholder analysis, and competitive strategies for high growth compared to declining industries.

Respondents overwhelmingly agreed that cases need to be updated and rewritten (more

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cases, greater variety). One respondent noted that while the cases need to be updated, some are "fantastic." Overall, the reviewers of the instructor's manual were satisfied. One reviewer noted, "the extensive teaching guides for how to bring the cases to life in the classroom are the most useful parts of the manual."

Glueck & Jauch's Business Policy and Strategic Management

Topic areas considered well developed were: the role of top management, strategy formulation, internal and external environment, and strategic alternatives (generic choices). One reviewer noted, "chapter supplements are excellent theoretical reviews for graduate students." The most commonly mentioned topics regarded as hav- ing poor treatment were: industry analysis, the role of the general manager, and international issues. One reviewer noted concern regarding the layout of the text: "a problem with this text is that it jumps back and forth between the way the strategic management process is done in the- ory and the way it is done in reality. Students find this very confusing . ."

Two common themes for changing the cases included: a need to continue updating the cases and the importance of more integration to ensure that cases are general rather than focused on one particular part of the strategic management process. The case notes were considered the most useful part of the instructor's manual. One reviewer suggested the authors provide an annual update of all the cases.

Higgins' Organizational Policy and Strategic Management: Text and Cases

One reviewer noted that "none of the topics are exceptional." A lack of consistency does exist when evaluating the excellent topic areas; however, environmental information, strategy formulation and organizational administration were mentioned by at least two reviewers. Agreement did not exist on the weak topic areas either, but implementation and industry analysis were mentioned. Suggestions for additional topics in-

eluded: more current product portfolio models and an expansion of strategy implementation. One respondent commented that, "no topics per se, [should be added] just expanded coverage and better coverage of financial tools in strategy context."

Few comments were made regarding the cases. One reviewer suggested the author include more small companies, and another re- quested the author use cases which force the student to make decisions. All evaluators commented that the case notes section was the most important part of the instructor's manual; a few reviewers relied solely on this part.

Pearce & Robinson's Strategic Management Strategy Formulation and Implementation

The section of this textbook which deals with company mission was consistently noted as one of the strong areas. Other topics thought to be well developed were: implementation and formulation of strategy. Deficiencies were identified in the areas dealing with social responsibility, competitive analysis, and international issues. One reviewer suggested the authors "consider and incorporate unions as an element in the strategic management process beyond identifying them as stakeholders." Another suggested adding a section dealing with the analysis of key compet- titors to the strategic planning area.

Several suggestions were made regarding the cases. A typical comment was "I would like to see better cases." Other reviewers provided detailed remarks indicating that cases dealing with small, high growth, high technology companies; companies facing decisions to go international; and companies facing competitive pres- sure from foreign competitors should be added. Generally, the reviewers were positive about the cohesion cases. Occasionally, a reviewer of another textbook would recommend the use of cohesion cases such as those used by Pearce and Robinson. Most of the reviewers were satisfied with the instructor's manual and used the case notes portion exclusively.

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Schellenberger & Boseman's Policy Formula- tion and Strategy Management: Text and Cases

Few additional comments were provided by the reviewers; thus, a general set of perceptions are presented. Only the topic dealing with the analysis of a firm's functional areas was considered done well. Strategy implementation was considered a weak topic area. Generally, cases were considered satisfactory, but some reviewers expressed the need to update them. The instructor's manual was not considered particularly important to reviewers. One suggestion to improve the manual was to include additional cases which are not in the text, but could be used for exams.

Steiner, Miner, & Gray's Management Policy and Strategy Text, Readings, and Cases

Limited detail was provided by reviewers and a comparatively few number of instructors re- sponded to the survey. Keeping in mind the small sample of reviewers, a few observations are available. Topic areas considered as handled well were: strategy formulation and implementation. Nonprofit organizations were given very little attention in this text. One respondent did note, "the text is oriented to students not managers." Overall, the cases and instructor's manual were considered useful.

Thompson & Strickland's Strategic Manage- ment Concepts and Cases

Several topic areas, regarded as done well, were: strategy formulation, strategic analysis and evaluation, strategic alternatives, Appendix A (How to write a case), and general business strategies. Topic areas regarded as weak included: not-for-profit organizations, strategic thinking, corporate culture, organizational structure, and strategy implementation. Respondents said that the section on not-for-profit organizations should be changed. Other areas that could be improved included: the treatment of social responsibility and multinational companies.

Evaluations of the cases centered around adding more industry and competitor information.

Several reviewers suggested adding more cases on nonprofit businesses, small businesses, and single-product businesses. One individual suggested the authors, "go back to some [cases] in the earlier edition." While many reviewers were satisfied with the instructor's manual, particularly the case notes, several suggestions were offered. The objective exam questions were considered ambiguous and should be revised. A common suggestion was to incoporate updates on the cases used in the text.

Wheelen & Hunger's Strategic Management and Business Policy

The strategic audit is one aspect of this textbook which reviewers consider to be treated well. The discussions of strategy formulation and industry analysis were also regarded as good topic treatments. The sections dealing with how to prepare a case, international issues, and not- for-profit organizations were viewed as weak. Suggestions for topic additions included: the expansion of the implementation section, a section on how to present a case, and an expansion of the discussion on multinational companies. The only change reviewers suggested for the case portion of this text was to use current "known" companies and to delete disguised ones. The instructor's manual was used primarily for its case notes. To improve the manual, the reviewers suggested improving some of the example papers and providing more complete notes about the cases.

Summary Comments

Some inconsistency exists in the users' evaluations of important areas and in their criticisms of their current textbooks. The commonly identified weak topics, such as not-for-profit organizations, are the areas designated as unimportant. It is difficult to provide a recommendation to authors, given this information. Should the weak areas be developed or dropped? The answer to this question is open to discussion. Clearly, weak areas such as strategy implementation and stra-

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tegic thinking should receive attention from authors since these areas are deemed important.

Most of the instructors rely on cases to the extent that some ignore the textual material completely. Given the critical role that cases play in the makeup of strategy texts, limitations of current cases should be seriously considered. The adopters provided comments suggesting that they wanted known companies and updated cases. Many cases were too descriptive to learn by the case method and had an organizational behavior orientation according to several reviewers.

"Why can't the publishers correct the errors in the cases?" seems to be the cry from many annoyed users. As one frustrated respondent lamented, "I pointed them [case errors] out to the editors; the next edition had the same errors." Misprints and errors are most frustrating in the cases, but they also appear in instructor's manuals and the textual material.

Instructor's manuals are an important consider- ation for many adopters in selecting a textbook. Clearly, the case notes section is the most important portion of the instructor's manual. Although many reviewers commented that the instructor's manual was invaluable, a sizable number completely ignore it. The strongest argument against the instructor's manual comes from one reviewer who noted, "[I] consider the use of instructor's manuals as nonprofessional, anybody who needs one should not be teaching the course." Once again, the inconsistency of opinions makes it difficult to derive some general statement con- cerning the use of manuals.

Conclusion Providing a clear picture of what adopters think

of a representative sample of strategy textbooks has revealed an interesting dilemma. The selection of a textbook and satisfaction with it, is strongly influenced by the instructor's outlook or approach to the subject. Any textbook reviewed can be considered simultaneously to be the best, the worst, or the best of a bad lot, depending on who is evaluating it and what the instructor is looking for.

The central findings of this survey of strategy textbooks are: instructors use different criteria to evaluate textbooks and the content and focus of their courses varies. A plausible explanation for the inconsistency is that different instructors view the field of strategy in different ways and, thus, approach the course according to how they define the core body of knowledge. Some regard the course as strictly an integrative course in business policy, while others see the strategy area as a distinct discipline with a specific body of knowledge. How a course is taught, what is taught, and the materials selected for teaching are closely linked to the instructor's definition of the field. In conclusion, the comparison of textbooks has revealed support for that old saying, "one man's meat is another man's poison" and the development of strategy textbooks has a long way to go.

References Eldredge, D. L., & Galloway, R. F. (1983) Study of the under-

graduate business policy course at AACSB-accredited universities. Strategic Management Journal, 4, 85-90.

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