Book excerpt: ​This book provides the readers with a map of the higher education systems and strategic management trends in the higher education institutions within countries of the Ibero-America region. The key feature of this volume is the presentation of a conceptual framework as a point of reference for the development of university management systems in a specific context. Furthermore, the book provides an overview of the development of higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean, to advance understanding of the changes observed in the institutional strategic management setting. The book examines and compares the types of strategic management processes used, as well as the models of applicability of strategy-making. This analysis is done by cutting through a critical review of the processes and systems of university management used in the various analysed countries, and pays special attention to the actors involved, the processes, the reporting systems, the expectations and the limitations. Additionally, the book introduces a methodology for the identification and implementation of best practice in university strategic management, and presents practical suggestions about the ways in which processes and models can be used to increase quality and competitive advantage.