Preface

For a second time since the January–February issue of 1984, Interfaces has decided to produce a special issue on the subject of strategic management. This reflects the importance of this field of study, which attempts to embrace the overall complexity of management as an interdisciplinary activity. No one can dispute the growing significance of strategic management in today's business environment, which is characterized by intense global and technological competition. Strategic management has an ultimate objective of developing corporate values, managerial capabilities, organizational responsibilities, and administrative systems that link strategic and operational decision making at all hierarchical levels and across all businesses and functional lines of authority in a firm. Setting up the foundations of a strategic management discipline is one of the deepest challenges to the academic and business community. We hope this issue contributes to the advancement of that objective.