Essay on "Strategic Issues in Business"

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Social consciousness and innovation are two major themes in the current literature regarding management in large enterprises, and both are discusses in an article appearing in the current issue of the Harvard Business Review entitled "How Great Companies Think Differently" (Kanter 2011). In this article, the author argues that most high-performing and long-sustaining large companies see themselves not only as vehicles of profit making, which is the traditional and dominant view in the American capitalist system, but also as vehicles of social change and growth (Kanter 2011). Six facets of "institutional logic" that help these companies and their leaders and managers innovate and remain socially conscious -- and successful -- are identified: a common purpose, a long-term focus, emotional engagement, partnering with the public, innovation, and self -- organization (Kanter 2011).

The April edition of the Harvard Business Review is entirely devoted to the issue of failure, in both an organizational and an individual/personal sense. This topic has certainly been on many minds and meeting agendas of late, and the case of Blockbuster's bankruptcy and its precursors highlight many of the issues related to organizational failure. In this particular case, former CEO John Antioco sees a combination of market forecast missteps, industry trend misanalyses, and interpersonal issues all combining to lead the company to failure (Antioco 2011). All of these issues are more key to management and company success in the current era than in less turbulent times, and interpersonal issues can radically impact even large organizations (Antioco 2011).

An issue of direct and very prominent concern for today's large multinational corporation is identifying potential growth markets and the most rewarding places to engage in foreign investment. By examining a host of factors including macroeconomic features, government regulation and other interventions, labor conditions, and more, an article in this year's first issue of the Harvard Business Review develops recommendations for the best places to engage in foreign investment (Newman et al. 2011). It is essential for managers to understand the specific risks of any foreign investment decision and act in ways that minimize these risks while maximizing the profit and growth potential of their companies, and with… READ MORE