ABSTRACT
As we noted in Chapter 1 the formal study of business strategy really only dates from the mid-1960s when Andrews (1965) and Ansoff (1965) published major books on the subject. Since then the topic has been widely written about, but the views of these two pioneering authors are still highly influential. Hofer and Schendel (1978), in their book on analytical concepts in the strategy area, examined the perspectives of these two earlier authors and suggested that their ideas concerning the concept of strategy differed markedly on three main points. The first of these involved the breadth of the concept. On this issue Hofer and Schendel (1978: 17) write: ‘Here the question was whether the concept included both the ends — goals and objectives — an organization wishes to achieve and the means that will be used to achieve them (Andrew's view) or whether it included only the means (Ansoff's view)’. They go on to conclude from an examination of most of the major subsequent contributions to the field that this issue continues to be debated and is probably the greatest point of disagreement amongst recent writers.
