Hbr Quotes

“If the forces are intense, (..) almost no company earns attractive returns on investment.If the forces are benign, (..) many companies are profitable. P. 25”

“Understanding industry structure is also essential to effective strategic positioning P. 26”

“The strongest competitive force or forces determine the profitability of an industry and become the most important to strategy formulation. The most salient force, however, is not always obvious. P. 26”

“Understanding the competitive forces, and their underlying causes, reveals the roots of an industry’s current profitability while providing a framework for anticipating and influencing competition (and profitability) over time. P. 26”

“Competitive forces = the underlying drivers of profitability P.25”

“In essence, the job of the strategist is to understand and cope with competition. P. 25”

“Effective managers proactively control their tasks and the expectations of their major stakeholders, which allows them to meet strategic goals rather than fight fires.”

“The truly effective managers we've observed are purposeful, trust in their own judgement, and adopt long-term, big-picture views to fulfill personal goals that tally with those of the organization as a whole. They break out of their perceived boxes, take control of their jobs, ...”

“The ability to seize initiative is the most essential quality of any truly successful manager.”

“By following what they believe are stick orders from the top, many typical managers tend to concentrate on working within budget and resource constraint --- thereby developing a boxed-in, "can't do" mindset.”