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McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
“Strategy means making
clear-cut choices about
how to compete.”
Jack Welch
Former CEO, General Electric
“Without a strategy the
organization is like a ship
without a rudder.”
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Strategy and the Quest for
Competitive Advantage
The heart and soul of any strategy are actions a
company makes to
Improve its financial performance,
Strengthen its competitive position, and
Gain a competitive advantage over rivals
A creative, distinctive strategy that sets a
company apart from rivals and yields a competitive
advantage is a company’s most reliable ticket to
above average profitability
Operating with a competitive advantage is more profitable
than operating without one
Operating with a competitive disadvantage nearly always
results in below-average profitability
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A Powerful Strategy Leads to
Sustainable Competitive Advantage
A company achieves sustainable competitive
advantage when
An attractive number of buyers prefer its
products/services over those of rivals and
The basis for this preference is durable
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Test Your Knowledge
A company’s strategy and its quest for competitive
advantage are tightly related because
A. a company’s strategy determines whether it will have
lower or higher costs than rivals and thus be at a
competitive advantage or disadvantage.
B. competitive advantage is essential to having a
profitable business model.
C. choosing a competitive advantage to pursue also helps
a company choose which business model is most
appropriate.
D. competitive advantage enables a company to achieve
its strategic objectives.
E. a strategy that leads to sustainable competitive
advantage is a company’s most reliable means of
achieving above-average profitability and financial
performance.
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Why Do Strategies Evolve?
A company’s strategy is a work in progress
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Linking Strategy With Ethics
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What Is a Business Model?
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Microsoft’s Business Model
Most costs in developing software are fixed; variable costs are small;
once break-even volume is reached, revenues from additional sales
are almost pure profit
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For Discussion: Your Opinion
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Tests of a Winning Strategy
PERFORMANCE TEST
Is the strategy resulting in better company
performance?
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Other Criteria for Judging
Merits of a Strategy
A strategy-focused firm is
more likely to be a strong
bottom-line performer
than one that views strategy
as secondary
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Good Strategy + Good Strategy
Execution = Good Management
Crafting and executing strategy are core
management functions
Among all things managers do, nothing
affects a company’s ultimate success or
failure more fundamentally than how well its
management team
Charts a company’s direction,
Develops competitively effective strategic
moves and business approaches, and
Pursues what needs to be done internally to
produce good day-in/day-out strategy execution
Excellent execution of an excellent strategy is the
best test of managerial excellence – and the
most reliable recipe for winning in the marketplace!
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