Abstract
Chapter 1 outlines the motivation for the book and justifies why and how it makes a contribution to strategic management research and practice. The case is advanced for nonmarket strategy as a necessary process and practice within companies and for senior management adopting a proactive approach to its design and delivery. It is argued that competitive advantage can be strengthened, renewed, or even created through an innovative and aligned nonmarket strategy. The chapter begins to survey the key literature and provide a definition of terms such as nonmarket strategy. This includes an emphasis on corporate political activity (CPA) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) as the two primary pillars of nonmarket strategy. It also discusses and describes the concept of alignment as a means of synchronizing business and market realities with political and social contexts. In addition, it lays out the logic and structure of the remainder of the book.