Abstracts Business

Business strategic management and the U.S. Marine Corps : an analysis of the applicability of selected concepts

by Robert H. Willis

This thesis discusses the applicability of three selected business strategic management concepts within the United States Marine Corps at the battalion level of command. My study includes a review of forty strategic management concepts, the identification of fifteen recent developments, and the rational behind the selection of the three concepts used in this study. The three concepts are: Core Competence Leadership, Scenario Planning and Strategic Intent. My field research consisted of telephone interviews with twelve Marine Corps leaders to discuss applicability of these three concepts at the battalion level of command. The Marine leaders interviewed are not identified in the thesis, but their comments are recorded in the raw data appendix. Overall, of the three concepts, only Core Competence Leadership was found to be applicable at the battalion level of command. In general, the Marine leaders interviewed felt the three concepts were either a higher headquarters function, or already covered under current Marine Corps leadership practices. I recommend further research to examine the potential benefits of a Core Competence approach to leadership within the Marine Corps.