The Intended and Emergent Approach to Strategic Management - Coursework Example

The article discusses two criteria used in the evaluation of strategic management, they include; factual veracity and methodological soundness. The author is observed to be deficient in both criteria. The article reveals that exposition tends to be methodological. Mintzberg’s prescriptive and descriptive assertions tend to vary with the current facts concerning strategic management. The variations are caused by factors such as; the lack of coherence, the variation of strategy with the modern practices of management, the failure to distinguish between descriptive and prescriptive statements and the article does not also give the context of the prescriptions used. The article gives an illustration of the Mintzberg model which tends to be in a limited context. However, the context is seen to be a valid prescription for success in strategic management. The article is important as it illustrates the factors that result in variation in strategic management, and it also attempts to give valid prescriptions for success. The author is a lecturer at United States international university.
Pretorius, M. and Maritz, R. 2011. Strategy making: the approach matters. Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 32 Iss: 4 pp. 25 – 31
The varying business environments tend to alter the way various organizations conduct business. Strategy is an area of management characterized by controversial theories. The article does not question the essence of strategy. The article states that strategy should reflect the demands of an organization. The strategy should be dynamic. Strategies tend to evolve as the organizational patterns also change. The approach to strategy-making can normally take a deliberate end, which tends to be more rational. The other approach is the trial and error type of approach. An organization can normally follow a specific approach or may combine both. The article is important in relation to strategic management, as it depicts the controversial theories associated with strategic management. It also gives different approaches to strategic management. The authors; Marius Pretorius is an associate Professor and Rachel Maritz is a senior lecturer at the University of Pretoria.
Kipping, M and Cailluet, L. 2010. Mintzberg's Emergent and Deliberate Strategies: Tracking Alcan's Activities in Europe, 19282007. Business History Review,84, pp 79­104
The article gives an illustration of company strategies, these strategies can be as a result of deliberate internal decisions, they may also depend on one extreme, and, however, there are those that may emerge as a result of external forces. The article uses an example to illustrate how a company moved from the emergent to a more deliberate strategy, despite the external forces that tend to influence its decisions. Looking at Alcan’s organizational structure, it is evident that increased centralization results in a shift towards the reliance on deliberate strategies. The article is important in strategic management, as it attempts to compare and contrast the different approaches to strategic management. It also shows the importance of a company using deliberate strategies. The author of this article, Matthias Kipping is a professor of strategic management, and he is also the chairman of business at the Schulich School of Business Canada. Ludovic Cailuet is an associate professor of strategy at the Graduate School of Management (IAE), University of Toulouse, in France.

Mintzberg, H. 1990. The Design School: Reconsidering the Basic Premises of Strategic Management. Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 11, No. pp. 171-195
The article bases its references on the Design School, it gives an illustration of a simple model, the article illustrates that the process of strategic management, as a design that can normally be used to ensure an essential fit between opportunity, external threats, and internal distinctive competence. The premises that underlie this model include; the fact that strategic management should be a consciously controlled thought, led by the chief executive. It also illustrates that a model should normally be kept informal and simple. It depicts that strategies should be unique, simple and explicit. The article also suggests that the strategies should be properly formulated before implementation. The article attempts to discuss the model, however, it also criticizes the model. It puts emphasis on the problems of conscious evaluation of strengths and weaknesses. It attempts to put emphasis on why strategies should be made explicit. It also emphasizes the need to distinguish between implementation and formulation. The article attempts to illustrate the importance of formulating strategies before implementing them. It also compares the different models in strategic management. The author is a lecturer at United States international university.