Mastering Strategy by Rigsby, Jeffrey; Greco, Guy;

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Competitive strategies of Wal-Mart, McDonald's, Nike, and more

How Top Global Organizations Use Strategy to Attain Competitive Excellence

To create and maintain a razor-sharp competitive edge, your firm needs strategy that is both creative and practical. The problem is that rapid technological change, increased global competition, and greater customer sophistication have made formulating and executing such strategy more difficult than ever before.

Mastering Strategy shows you how today's most consistently competitive corporations gather, manage, and synthesize strategic information, then transform that information into action. This frontline review of strategic best practices examines today's top case studies, articles, and interviews to provide you with:

• Market-proven strategic approaches of corporations from Dell to Proctor & Gamble
• First-hand insights from Bill Gates, Ray Kroc, Sam Walton, and other top CEOs
• Analyses of thought leaders including Warren Bennis, Peter Drucker, Philip Kotler, and others

Because one person or resource cannot possibly have all the answers to today's most common strategic dilemmas, Mastering Strategy invites everyone to the table. The resulting book goes straight to the source--the companies and decision-makers that are winning the competitive wars today--to synthesize the key strategic factors that are consistently driving breakthrough success in today's harder-faster-smarter marketplace.

"There is no 'perfect' strategic decision. One always has to balance conflicting objectives, conflicting opinions, and conflicting priorities. The best strategic decision is only an approximation--and a risk."--Peter Drucker

All business involves approximation and risk. True success comes only when you minimize those risks by formulating a sound, workable strategy.

In Mastering Strategy, Jeffrey Rigsby and Guy Greco undertake an exhaustive examination of today's most respected and influential management thinking and know-how, concentrating on concepts and concerns that hold the greatest importance for corporate decision-makers. By focusing on the three primary organizational leverage points--strategy, design, and culture--Rigsby and Greco uncover a number of consistently recurring strategies among top global competitors that your organization can adopt and adapt to:

• Develop a top-to-bottom, results-oriented strategic planning process
• Leverage your organization's core competencies--while proactively addressing its faults
• Establish a culture that acts as a catalyst for your strategic initiatives, instead of a roadblock

Mastering Strategy outlines a step-by-step program for monitoring your organization's strategic drivers and evaluating whether they are helping--or hindering--your competitiveness. It then shows you how to rework existing structures, implement entirely new systems, and equip your organization to compete effectively in today's evolving global markets, industries, and environments.

How does McDonald's continue, year in and year out, to fight off competitors and maintain its global dominance? What has Nike done to create and foster its strong Internet presence? Why can FedEx consistently recognize--and implement--the technologies necessary to remain top dog in its hard-fought, no-room-for-error market niche? Mastering Strategy answers these questions and hundreds more, providing you with a hands-on, real-world look at the creation and implementation of today's most effective, results-based corporate strategies--and how you can use them to dramatically improve your firm's market share and competitive position.