The "logic" of managing strategy to attain sustainable competitive advantage is offered here in a straightforward, well-organized, and accessible manner. The text is lighter on concepts than on cases, and I have used the book with much success as a crucial resource in the classroom where students are at the beginning stages of delving into the analytics of management. I give it 4 stars, as I am somewhat cautious that it may prove to be "hit or miss" depending on a reader's preparation and goals. In my view, however, it simply can not warrant a mere 1-star rating; it's core idea is a VRIO conception of the rationale for determining, in any business environment, whether conditions exist or could be brought about to establish and sustain competitive advantage. What could be more practical and helpful than such a simple "4-concept" framework? This text uses a helpful variety of cases to illuminate from differing angles and nuances; the managerial methods here provide a worldview of the successful enterprise that integrates itself from deliberate actions aimed at serving people, customers, resources--indeed all possible stakeholders--as a value-creating, rare, imitable, and organizing reality in our lives.
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