Product Review

Though the cases in "Cases in Competitive Strategy" may be informative when studied on their own, they are designed to be read and analyzed in combination with the companion volume, "Competitive Strategy". The conceptual materials and the cases are designed to reinforce each other, showing the connection between the theory and the practice of competitive strategy formulation. The 26 case studies provide the student with a context in which to develop a working understanding of competition and the ability to identify the factors that shape the success or failure of a firm. Each case places the reader in a real-world business setting - providing a strategist's view of Kodak or General Electric - and allows for the first-hand exploration of various problems involved in designing and implementing strategy. The reader must cope with making choices actual companies have faced. A major theme of the book is that a firm can shape the rules of competition in its favour if it understands these rules in a sophisticated way.