Contends, that thought competitive, business is not the same as sport, as all kinds of sport have a time limit of some kind involved and usually a win, loss or draw ensues and the game finishes. States that business does not run like this, as it is usually an endless, grinding business with...

Suggests six lines to imply that one can find unoccupied territory by looking across the usual boundaries of competition, look across: substitute industries; strategic groups within industries; buyer groups; complementary offerings; the functional/emotional appeal to buyers; and across time....

Wonders why, in an atmosphere of intense competition, some companies achieve sustained high growth in profits and revenues. Highlights the example of Formule 1, a chain of budget hotels in France, launched in 1985, which beat off the no‐star and one‐star hotels, costing between 60 and 90...

Alludes to the concept of the value chain — which was seen as a powerful tool enabling strategists to diagnose and enhance competitive strategy (first put forward in Porter's 1980 book ‘Competitive Strategy’). Describes the value system as having at least three additional value chains of...

Rebukes those in business who have lost sight of strategy, in the more recent rush for operational effectiveness, warning that the growth imperative is hazardous to strategy. Goes on to name three types of positioning not mutually exclusive in strategy and which may overlap: variety‐based...

Suggests one general framework that centres on the choices that customers make between competing offerings as firms compete for customers, the options for competitive strategy concern the ways in which firms can make their offerings different in the eyes of customers. Uses Figures to show...

Believes ‘head to head’ combat is no longer a relevant metaphor that businesses can use in today’s competitive arena. States that applying the principle of ecology to businesses will help them to grow and thrive — thereby helping managers understand how competition in business is...

Discusses the definition of globalization as the activities of multinational enterprises (MNEs), engaged in foreign direct investment, plus the development of business networks to create value across national borders. Speculates that multinationals have taken the brunt of the blame as drivers of...

Believes judo strategy is a ‘useful mindset’ for any company, and quotes a number who have used this strategy over the years — including Toyota and Nissan, when they wanted to break into the US car market in the 1970s — plus Sega v Nintendo in the hand‐held video games market. Reckons...

Records that most mergers and acquisitions fail to deliver shareholder value and not much attention is paid to more mundane reality matters meaning loss of priority in important matters. States resource‐based views of strategy highlights the fact that competitive advantage lies not in products...