Scan barcode
Reviews
Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide to Competition and Strategy by Joan Magretta
machoohcam's review
5.0
Michael Porter, an author renowned for his works on competition and strategy, including Competitive Strategy (1980) and Competitive Advantage (1985), developed a framework for analyzing industries in the context of competition. He identified the competitive landscape as a set of five forces that impact the industry.
In "Understanding Michael Porter," Joan Magretta, Porter's former editor at Harvard Business Review, presents a comprehensible overview of Porter's framework and ideas. The book is divided into two parts: part one introduces readers to the general terminology and concepts, while part two establishes implementation and fitness criteria for strategy.
Porter's framework emphasizes a firm's value chain, which refers to the distinct economic activities a company performs from end-to-end until it reaches its customers. It is worth noting that readers may find Porter's framework more or less revealing, depending on their industry.
I highly recommend this book to those who do not have adequate time or patience to read all of Porter's works or who need help understanding the intricate relationships between the concepts presented without the academic overhead. I also suggest paying particular attention to the author's notes between chapters and Porter's interview at the end of the book.
In "Understanding Michael Porter," Joan Magretta, Porter's former editor at Harvard Business Review, presents a comprehensible overview of Porter's framework and ideas. The book is divided into two parts: part one introduces readers to the general terminology and concepts, while part two establishes implementation and fitness criteria for strategy.
Porter's framework emphasizes a firm's value chain, which refers to the distinct economic activities a company performs from end-to-end until it reaches its customers. It is worth noting that readers may find Porter's framework more or less revealing, depending on their industry.
I highly recommend this book to those who do not have adequate time or patience to read all of Porter's works or who need help understanding the intricate relationships between the concepts presented without the academic overhead. I also suggest paying particular attention to the author's notes between chapters and Porter's interview at the end of the book.
sharrypdx's review
2.0
In business it's not a competition to be the best, it's a competition to create unique value. Unlike in war or sports, there can be more than one winner in business competition.
cptcheerful's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
carsos92's review
5.0
Concise, clear overview on Porter’s work
I enjoyed the book. I have both Porter’s key books on my shelf and never read them completely through. I read this one and it kept my attention, hit the core of Porter’s frameworks and used a lot of supplemental material from Porter to fill in gaps. Had a nice flow and writing style is good. Porter’s work stands the test of time for business strategy. If you want a good distillation of Porter’s timeless principles it’s worth’s a read.
I enjoyed the book. I have both Porter’s key books on my shelf and never read them completely through. I read this one and it kept my attention, hit the core of Porter’s frameworks and used a lot of supplemental material from Porter to fill in gaps. Had a nice flow and writing style is good. Porter’s work stands the test of time for business strategy. If you want a good distillation of Porter’s timeless principles it’s worth’s a read.
kcb3708's review
4.0
Very interesting and informative way of reading about the king of strategy, Michael Porter.
More...