Strategy Pure & Simple II: How Winning Companies Dominate Their Competitors
Author: Michel Robert
List Price: $24.95
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ISBN: 0070531331
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Trade (01 November, 1997)
Sales Rank: 45,083
Average Customer Rating: 3.86 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Gets the job done
I first read "Strategy Pure & Simple (I)" back in the early '90s, just before embarking on my first strategic planning job. Since then, I have managed strategic planning and implementation processes at a total of six different operational subsidiaries of two very large financial services groups.
As a financial controller and later a CFO, I have read a great many other books and articles about strategy and planning. Most of those were actually quite interesting, but when it came down to setting up and managing a actual, real-life planning process, I always turned back to Strategy Pure and Simple, because it is just GOOD ENOUGH.
- It includes all important issues that must be addressed during planning;
- more importantly, it reminds you of staying focused on those issues that happen to be key to your company (given its market, own caracteristics, timing, resources, etc.);
- still more importantly, it insists on interaction between the planning team and the management team, and helps with examples of visual aids and cues;
- it really helps a lot in communicating with line and senior managers during the planning process, getting them involved, assuring buy-in, and finally ensuring that the plan, when finished and approved, actually is implemented by those in charge. And, in the end, that is certainly what matters most.
I have now joined a new company in another industry, and have to manage yet another strategic planning process. Well, the best I can say about Strategy Pure & Simple is, I have fished out my 1993-vintage copy, and look forward to using it once again.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Are you so stupid that you need this book?
This book is like any other drivel about corporate strategy - figure out what you do well, do more of it and cut the rest. Sounds great when you grossly oversimplify your business. Know what really works? Fire anyone who is stupid, lazy, or unproductive.PS- If Michel Robert is so smart, why can't he learn English?
Rating: 1 out of 5
Another clone
Unfortunately I bought this book after "The Power of Strategic Thinking" that I found full of very interesting ideas, insightful and thought provoking.
If I only knew that it has almost no differences with "Strategy Pure and Simple" I would've never done it. The book is written by copy-and-paste method. There are whole pages and chapters there that were not even worded differently - direct citations from the previous book. The only enhancement - pictures in "The Power of Strategic Thinking" look more silly but are actually the same.
There are probably some fans of Mr.Robert who buy all his books as collectible items but to me it seems like cheating - the same product under new cover. Total disappointment. It also brings doubts about all 'true stories' Mr.Robert tells about his successes with 300 companies. Similar Products
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