Covid-19 has upended the world of work and the need to think differently, plan differently and execute differently is paramount for today's organisations. Added to this, African countries in general and South Africa in particular are faced with other challenges – infrastructure, corruption, service delivery and an uncertain political environment.

Business is increasingly confronted with challenges from external environmental forces and the internal nuances of the southern African context. Our environment is characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, and strategy is of the utmost importance for any organisation to survive and thrive.

Strategic management explains the principles and application of the strategic management process that are vital for sustaining successful organisations. This fifth edition of Strategic management emphasises various relevant and topical strategic challenges (such as corporate governance) and appropriate southern African examples and case studies are used throughout the text to illustrate the latest trends and to support the theory.

A cohesion case study of Shoprite Checkers and its strategic choices (such as the Sixty60 concept) runs throughout this book. Key terms, summary questions and answers, relevant websites and recommended reading lists are also provided.

Strategic management: Southern African concepts and cases will be invaluable not only to students of business management, but also to organisations, from corporate organisations with management training programmes to small business ventures struggling to hold their ground in a competitive environment.

Dr Tienie Ehlers is an active business consultant as well as lecturer on strategy, leadership and human capital at various business schools both locally and internationally. He is a director of GameChangers and the ROLA group of companies, and until recently was Chief Learning Officer at the University of Stellenbosch Business School Executive Development. Prior to this, he spent 12 years as a senior executive and Head of Learning and Developmentat SABMiller, where he focused on corporate training and development, performance management, organisational design and leadership development. He was also formerly an associate professor in the Department of Business Management at UNISA, specialising in strategic management, leadership and international management.

Prof. Kobus Lazenby was an associate professor in the Department of Business Management at the University of the Free State, specialising in general, strategic and project management. He took early retirement in April 2017 but is still involved in academic activities. He is now the full-time owner/manager of a dairy farm, which gives him ample opportunity to apply his strategic business skills. During his career as lecturer, he also helped and facilitatedstrategic planning in different organisations.