Purpose – This paper aims at exposing the risks entrepreneurs and managers run whenever they focus on business model design alone, while disregarding other strategy analysis tools; disclosing what a business model is and is not; and proposing a checklist to frame business models within –...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of leadership in business growth and productivity. Design/methodology/approach – It does this through reference to coaching activity, drawing on practical, real life experience. The productivity source is quarterly reports from the...

Purpose – Discusses the importance of saying “no”. Design/methodology/approach – Outlines the author's view, informed by Michael Porter, that any great strategy begins with a clear list of things that one won't do. Findings – Opines that a “list of noes” is integral to a successful...

Purpose – This paper aims to look at the leadership lessons which can be learnt from Scottish soccer coach, Alex Ferguson. Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines the characteristics and methods of Alex Ferguson's leadership style and how managers in business can apply the wider...

Findings – When Jim Collins and Jerry Porras were researching the early history of some of America's greatest corporations for their book Built to Last, they kept coming across a common denominator: Peter Drucker.

Findings – Few readers of this journal will not be familiar with the life and ideas of Peter Drucker. He has been compared to, amongst others, Bagehot, Bastiat, Darwin, Hayek, Mendel, Mises, Newton, Schumpeter, Shaw and Tocqueville. Of many other distinctions, his first book, The End of...