The relevance of various subject areas taught in business strategy. The use of multidimensional scaling to map managers' perceptions

Abstract

The research outlined had as primary objective the testing of managers' perceptions of those areas taught in the business policy programmes. A significant finding is the cognitive linking of strategy and structure without prior exposure to the literature or concepts. Among top managers this linking was related to resource orientation, a conclusion previously held by Bower (1970). The perceptual positioning of a political orientation suggests that the emphasis given to intra-organizational political strategies is of little relevance to managers who prefer organizations without a political atmosphere. Finally the 'fire-fighting' aspect which often makes the case-study method pedagogically exciting is questioned, because the aspect is closely related to the functional duties of executives rather than the strategic nature of the executive function. 'Fire-fighting' problems are per se short-term and are radically different to strategic problems which require a broader long-term view.