Know your place
Successful businesses have unique competitive advantages, but times change and they can be faced with strategic dilemmas. Sometimes, these dilemmas have no solution.
Passes and returns
Dalglish arrives at Newcastle and Horlick moves to ABN Amro. The common theme: do teams, or individuals, capture the returns to outstanding performance?
Happy combination
Core competencies is one of the most used and abused phrases in business strategy. But a proper understanding of the idea behind the jargon is essential
Auctions
There is more to auctions than meets the eye. If you are going to design markets, make sure you understand how they work.
A euphemism that is going out of fashion
How is it that so many companies have found it possible to slash their work forces? What is behind the fad of “downsizing”?
Oh Professor Porter, whatever did you do?
Is it really so bad to be “stuck in the middle”? If you can master the art of the “shifting concept” you can make any idea stick.
On the trail of a good bet
We evaluate risks poorly - whether it comes to insurance, speculation or beef scares. These mistakes cost us all money in the long run.
The root of the matter
Is there a difference between a “stakeholding” corporation and one focussed on shareholder value? Yes: by treating customers and employees as ends, not means, companies do well by doing good.
Sharing responsibility is to pass the buck
Taking decision making powers without also taking responsibility means that nobody is really responsible at all – as Michael Howard has ably demonstrated.
In out of the cold
Economists have walked out into the cold as far as business strategy is concerned. Slowly, they are starting to return.