Skip to main content
  • Book
  • © 2021

Strategic Leadership for Business Value Creation

Principles and Case Studies

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Provides insights and wisdom on leadership and strategy that create value when they are executed effectively
  • Is targeted at business executives who want to develop and mature towards being successful value creators
  • Develops and illustrates core concepts, and relates them to the two major case studies of NAB and BHP

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (19 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxv
  2. Part I

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Leadership

      • Don Argus, Danny Samson
      Pages 3-46
    3. Organisational (Business) Strategy

      • Don Argus, Danny Samson
      Pages 47-88
    4. Organisational Governance

      • Don Argus, Danny Samson
      Pages 89-106
    5. Corporate Social Responsibility

      • Don Argus, Danny Samson
      Pages 107-127
    6. Leaders of the Future

      • Don Argus, Danny Samson
      Pages 129-150
  3. Part II

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 151-153
    2. NAB (A): Banking and Financial Services , 1960–2020

      • Don Argus, Danny Samson
      Pages 155-207
    3. NAB (B): NAB’s Acquisition Strategy

      • Don Argus, Danny Samson
      Pages 209-245
    4. BHP (B): Steel

      • Don Argus, Danny Samson
      Pages 281-290
    5. BHP (C): Minerals

      • Don Argus, Danny Samson
      Pages 291-323
    6. BHP (D): Petroleum

      • Don Argus, Danny Samson
      Pages 325-329
    7. BHP(E): Rejuvenation and Renovation Towards a New Century

      • Don Argus, Danny Samson
      Pages 331-351
    8. BHP(F): Mergers and Acquisitions

      • Don Argus, Danny Samson
      Pages 353-407
    9. BHP(H): Industrial Relations

      • Don Argus, Danny Samson
      Pages 423-430
    10. BHP(I): Environment

      • Don Argus, Danny Samson
      Pages 431-441

About this book

This book focuses on leadership and strategy, corporate governance, operational excellence, and corporate social responsibility. In doing so, it offers both conceptual perspectives and case studies on these topics that are targeted at business executives who want to develop and mature towards being successful value creators in their leadership roles. 


Authored by the former CEO of National Australia Bank (NAB), Don Argus, and business school professor Danny Samson, the book provides insights on the strategic leadership factors that make a significant and positive difference when they are executed effectively and, in contrast, what happens when ineffective leadership/ strategy are deployed. It proposes and illustrates core leadership axioms, and also delves into sustainable development as an element of strategy. The authors do this by developing and illustrating core concepts that relate to the two major case study companies of NAB and BHP.


Readers will be particularly interested in the core elements of leadership and strategy, and the grounded reality of how they operated in the case studies. The authors bring insiders’ and leaders’ perspectives to these topics, including tables that document shareholder value creation, and the logic behind strategic decisions, as well as key organisational leadership and strategic decision processes. 

Authors and Affiliations

  • Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Australia Advisory Board, Melbourne, Australia

    Don Argus

  • Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Melbourne, Carlton, Australia

    Danny Samson

About the authors

Don Argus is an Australian businessman, Chairman of Bank of America Merrill Lynch Australia Advisory Board and Member of the Bank of America Global Advisory Council. He is the former Chairman of BHP Billiton (1999-2010) and Brambles (1999-2008), former Director of the Australian Foundation Investment Company (1999-2013) and former CEO of National Australia Bank (1991-1999). During his years as CEO of NAB, and as Chairman of BHP, these businesses outperformed their industry peers.  


Danny Samson is Professor of Management at the University of Melbourne (since 1988), was Head of the Department of Management in the Faculty of Economics and Commerce, Director of the Foundation for Sustainable Economic Development, and was Chair and Director of the Centre for Manufacturing Management. He has published a dozen books on management topics, ranging from Innovation to Decision Sciences, and has provided high level consulting advice to avast range of companies.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Strategic Leadership for Business Value Creation

  • Book Subtitle: Principles and Case Studies

  • Authors: Don Argus, Danny Samson

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9430-4

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Singapore

  • eBook Packages: Business and Management, Business and Management (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-981-15-9429-8Published: 14 January 2021

  • eBook ISBN: 978-981-15-9430-4Published: 13 January 2021

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXV, 495

  • Number of Illustrations: 24 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Business Strategy/Leadership, Corporate Governance, Management, Business and Management, general

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access