Obtaining a competitive advantage in today’s business environment generally does not happen of its own accord. With the speed of global economic change, products to market, technology and customer preferences, organizations must light on their feet and be the drivers of change. Given that most businesses deal with the same buyers in defined markets who purchase similar products, gaining this competitive advantage is critical to both thriving and being leaders in their field. To do this, on...

Competitive advantage. The value chain. Five forces. Industry structure. Differentiation. Relative cost. If you want to understand how companies achieve and sustain competitive success, Michael Porter’s frameworks are the foundation. But while everyone in business may know Porter’s name, many managers misunderstand and misuse his concepts.Understanding Michael Porter sets the record straight, providing the first concise, accessible summary of Porter’s revolutionar...

For anyone who wants to learn the fundamentals of branding in an approachable way without poring over dense text or hiring an expensive consultant, Star Brands presents a unique model that offers structured guidance and professional tips for building, managing, and marketing any brand. Created by savvy brand manager Carolina Rogoll, the star brand model is a perfect intersection of solid marketing and management theory with an approachable, visually oriented design. The author tea...

Over the last 25 years, Geoffrey Moore has established himself as one of the most influential high-tech advisors in the world—once prompting Conan O'Brien to ask "Who is Geoffrey Moore and why is he more famous than me?"Following up on the ferociously innovative ESCAPE VELOCITY, which served as the basis for Moore's consulting work to such companies as Salesforce, Microsoft, and Intel, ZONE TO WIN serves as the companion playbook for his landmark guide, offering a practical manual t...

A practical guide to improving your strategic management skills which will give you the information and skills to succeed. Find out how to improve make your management style work to your long-term benefit by learning to set boundaries and to test and communicate your strategy.You will learn to analyze your position, understand your skills and define your strategy. Learn key skills such as how to plan for change, assess the risks, and monitor performance with tips, dos and don'ts, "...

Who do you want your customers to become?According to MIT innovation expert and thought leader Michael Schrage, if you aren’t asking this question, your strategic marketing and innovation efforts will fail.In this latest HBR Single, Schrage provides a powerful new lens for getting more value out of innovation investment. He argues that asking customers to do something different doesn’t go far enough—serious marketers and innovators must ask them to become s...

Hands-on help for quicklyand persuasivelywriting company-mandated performance appraisalsWriting performance appraisals is one of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks managers face. Perfect Phrases for Performance Reviews simplifies the job, providing a comprehensive collection of phrases that managers can use to describe employee performance, provide directions for improvement, and more. For example:"Sets priorities well""Mis...

More than a decade ago, Clayton Christensen's breakthrough book The Innovator's Dilemma illustrated how disruptive innovations drive industry transformation and market creation. Christensen's research demonstrated how growth-seeking incumbents must develop the capability to deflect disruptive attacks and seize disruptive opportunities.In The Innovator's Guide to Growth, Scott Anthony, Mark Johnson, Joseph Sinfield, and Elizabeth Altman take the subject to the next...

TRANSFORM YOUR TEAM IN JUST 90 DAYS!The all-purpose manual every manager should own . . .Whether you've recently been hired or promoted or just decided to try a fresh approach to managing your team, this step-by-step guide ensures you'll get the strongest performance possible out of your team--in any environment. With strategies presented in manageable daily, weekly, and quarterly timelines, the program covers the full range of workplace issues-from outdated...

This outstanding new title introduces at a high level the actual relationships between branding, strategy, and corporate performance. It provides a fresh perspective on, and approach for, developing robust customer-focused strategy and describes the important role of the brand in competing successfully for stakeholder choice. Developing Winning Brand Strategies adds significant value providing a holistic, in-depth understanding of the business dynamics and consumers' selection criteria ena...

The best of Clayton Christensen’s seminal work on disruptive innovation, all in one place.No business can afford to ignore the theory of disruptive innovation. But the nuances of Clayton Christensen’s foundational thinking on the subject are often forgotten or misinterpreted. To achieve continuing growth in your business while defending against upstarts, you need to understand clearly what disruption is and how it works, and know how it applies to your industry and...

Learn all you need to know about making effective decisions, from defining objectives to developing fail-safe strategies. This practical guide shows you how to reassess your own decision-making skills and oversee the resolutions made by others, plus it provides practical techniques for you to try when making decisions.Power tips help you handle real-life situations and develop the first-class decision-making skills that are the key to a productive and informed workplace.The...