Ford puts faith in high prices
Ford’s promise to keep prices high is a curious one, and the way it has been phrased shows that they have failed to understand the principles of credible commitment.
Manager from Mars
For all the analogies, war is not business. Sun Tzu will not tell you much about business strategy.
Facing supermarket forces
Is Wal-Mart’s entry into the UK market a sign of global retailing? It’s an interesting move, when Wal-Mart itself is solidly small-town American.
Evolution, executives and blurred vision
Incremental rather than radical change is usually the best business strategy. When radical change is needed it will usually be provided by new businesses altogether.
The myth of excellence
In the black-and-white world of business opinion, Marks and Spencer is now firmly out of fashion. But corporate success depends on establishing and defining one’s own self.
Alight here for a business platform
George Westinghouse was a titan of American industry. Like Bill Gates, he made a fortune by controlling a vital standard. He also lost a large one by overextending himself.
Playing chicken can clip one’s wings
In which Rebel Without A Cause illuminates the risks and the rewards of making credible commitments.
The car that lost its way
BMW has a chequered history, and if the current management had learned lessons from the past they would never have purchased Rover.
The oblique approach
With maturity – personal or corporate – comes the principle of obliquity. Many people have noted the paradox that the most profitable companies are not necessarily the most profit oriented.
Strategic advantage
There is more vacuity about strategy than about any other topic in business today. But there is a real issue, and a real subject of strategy for the corporation.