Think Strategically - Xavier Gimbert

The ability to think and reason is what sets human beings apart from the rest of the animal kindom. And how we think distinguishes each individual human from all others. Companies think differently too, in terms of attitudes, policy, culture, strategy and management. They think and therefore act differently.

Rest assured: if your strategic thinking is better and more effective than your competitors', your company will win the competitive battle in the mind- and long term. No matter how superior your competitors may be today, no matter how substantial their resources may be at present, do not be discouraged. Always think strategically. It is an essential resource, one that doesn't cost money, but one that will give you the competitive edge.

This book will help you to think strategically. It explains simply and clearly the elements, concepts, analyses and interrelationships that are involved in 'strategic thinking'. Gimbert confronts the complexity of today's business environment by analyzing its intricate structure, making it accessible and uncovering the strategic possibilities.

Contents

• Introduction
• Strategic Management - Strategic Levels and Processes
• Key Strategic Concepts
• Competitive Advantage and Strategy
• Maco-environment - PEST Analysis, Types of Environment and Scenarios
• Industry - Levels and Definitions
• Industry (II) - Micro, Strategy, Strategic Dimensions and Groups
• Market - Segments, Key Success Factors and Minimum Success Factors
• Resources and Capabilities - Key Result Areas, Core Competences
• Industry Value Chain - Distributing and Changing Value
• Company Value Chain - Core Activities, Strategy, Outsourcing and other Perspectives
• Globalisation and Strategy
• Strategy and Crisis
• The Strategic Core as a Management Model in the Face of Complexity
• Guide to Book Chapters the GIB Model
• Acknowledgements
• Figures

Author

XAVIER GIMBERT has a PhD in Business Administration and Management, a degree in Pharmacy and an MBA from ESADE. He has been a Professor in the Department of Business Policy at ESADE since 1989, and previously spent 12 years working in business management. He combines his academic career with a business consultancy practice and membership of boards of directors. He has published several books, case studies and papers in such prestigious journals as Long Range Planning and Harvard Deusto Business Review.