Chapter 2: True Professionalism

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This chapter explains that strategy does not exhibit any of the features that you would expect of a true “profession”. It  has no standard vocabulary (we don’t know what “competitive advantage” is, and can’t even define the “performance” strategy is supposed to deliver). There are no proven cause-effect relationships, so even if we knew what performance was, we don’t know where it comes from – companies triumph in appallingly tough markets and mess up in easy ones. There is no ...

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Chapter 1: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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Chapter 1 starts by acknowledging that some great strategy gets done – but it’s not all about the gee-whiz successes that make the headlines. For every Google, Ryanair, IKEA and Amazon there are plenty of solid, strongly directed businesses that keep driving forward, staying ahead of competitors, doing well by their customers, giving staff a sound and stable living, and delivering results to investors year after year.

Headlines also make sure we all know about the “Ugly” – the Enrons, Lehmans, Blockbusters ...

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So what’s the problem?

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Apart from some great exceptions, business strategy is badly done – disasters are common and most others fail to achieve what is possible. We all pay a heavy price for this incompetence, whether as employees, customers, investors or simply as citizens – business (not Government or consumers) caused the latest recession (like just about all others), but it is the public that ends up paying for it.

Strategy is badly done because it is unprofessional – no common terminology, no reliable methods and ...

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