Developing Strategies for Competitive Advantage (Best of Long Range Planning - Second Series) (Best of Long Range Planning Series - First)

This selection of papers from Long Range Planning-The International Journal of Strategic Management examines the evolution of competitive advantage over the past decade, setting out areas of major change and areas which have been less subject to change. It begins by examining how strategic management has been influenced by the transformation of industries and the changes in the rules for success, and the dramatic rise in the strategic importance of information technology. In many industries the established rules of the game no longer apply, and their continued use will most likely lead to failure, even for firms which appear to have unassailable positions of strength. It is not that strategic planning has failed, but rather that in a previous era of greater certainty and clearer boundaries, the unquestioning application of established strategic rules often worked. In the new era of competitive uncertainty and uncertain boundaries, many of the rules of strategy still apply, but they can only have utility when applied in an appropriate context. The book concludes that when clarity exists about business definition, industry definition and competitor definition and how strategic techniques or measures should be applied, then the strategic fundamentals which have obtained for many years are likely to continue to do so.

Booknews

Contains a selection of articles previously published in , an international journal in the field of strategic management. Revised and updated since its first publication in 1990, the volume examines the evolution of competitive advantage over the past decade, setting out major areas of change and areas which have not changed substantially. Some of the themes addressed include the rise in the strategic importance of information technology, the transformation of industries and changes in the rules for success, the rise in the strategic and industrial importance of South East Asia; strategic alliances, and the basic business strategies and management approaches that have remained consistently effective. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)