The Broken Wine Glass, Part III
Strategic Positioning in the Leisure Travel Industry “The prerequisite for effective environmental analysis is to distinguish the vital from the merely important” Robert M. Grant, Contemporary Strategy Analysis I guess we all read the papers, even if for some of…
Networks and Value Networks – the Case for Enlightened M&A
According to Scientists, as James May might say, roughly ‘x’ per cent of acquisitions (for values of ‘x’ between 40% and 90%) fail to deliver shareholder value (the share price doesn’t go up enough), royally hacking off our post-human, program-trading…
A Long Way From Athens
THE isles of Greece! the isles of Greece! Where burning Sappho loved and sung, Where grew the arts of war and peace,— Where Delos rose and Phoebus sprung! Eternal summer gilds them yet, But all, except their sun, is set….
Blue Ocean Clausewitz – On War and Business
“Read Sun Tsu’s the Art of War. Every battle is won before it’s ever fought. Think about it.” Gordon Gekko quoted in ‘Wall Street’ (Kenneth Lipper, 1988). The very idea of business strategy may well have had its origins in…
Business as Technology
Michael Porter’s Competitive Advantage, first published in 1985, remains the unparalleled foundation text for anyone with an interest in corporate and business strategy. It’s not for the faint-hearted – it’s systematic and thorough rather than inspiring, but it anticipates and…
How to Sleigh your Rivals…
The Competitive Advantage of Santa Claus - Why do strategy gurus get their knickers’ in a twist over the likes of Apple and Amazon when the Christmas category killer has dominated his market niche for centuries? A raft of positioning advantages…