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Summary: STRAIGHTFORWARD AND TO THE POINT
Review: Although most of the writings are old, they are still facinating and revealing. Bruce Henderson is clear, concise, and to the point. The book is surprisingly well organized, considering that it is a compilation of articles from different periods and writers. In my opinion, consulting firms such as Mckinsey and BCG have long provided some of the best business writing available to the executive managers as well as B-school students. This book is no exception. Indeed, it makes for a perfect MBA business strategy textbook.
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Summary: The material in this book is severely outdated
Review: Don't buy this book unless it is for nostalgic reasons. As a guide for decision-making and policy-setting it is hopelessly outdated. Some of Hendersons statements, such as: "High margins and market share go together", send shivers down the back. Even some of the newer material, such as the article on Economic Value Added, is clearly in the wrong. And it almost totally misses out on what is today perhaps the most important perspective on corporate strategy: the focus on value, e.g. the linking of financial theory and corporate strategy.
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Summary: Consult this!
Review: Hello,This is a great collection of short articles from one of the most influential business consulting companies of all times. So, if you can put up with or filter out some of the bizarre and apparently politically motivated comments then what you get is a fascinating history of the development of strategic thought in quite a number of key business areas. Naturally, this is not a "how to" or a "biz strategy for dummies" book, but it does well in explaining some key concepts and of generating a desire to know more, that is, if you don't already know it all. Regards, martyn_jones@iniciativas.com
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Summary: A wealth of the most influential ideas in strategy, all here
Review: I have found this book a great addition to my business library. One can pick it up and read brief essays on a wide variety of strategy topics. The intellectual history of strategy consulting resides here!
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Summary: If you've already read Bruce Henderson ....
Review: I was a little disappointed in this book. It is a rehash of much of Bruce Henderson's thoughts on business strategy. However, if you haven't read any Henderson, this book is a MUST! If you have, well, it pulls a lot of important ideas together in one place -- but remember, there is very little new material.
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Summary: A good historical recap on BCG greatest hits
Review: If you want to know where a lot of the actual strategy jargon came from, this is the place. You will learn the origin and the original meaning of "cash cow", "segment of one", "growth matrix" and many others. It is a collection of articles written by Bruce Henderson and other members of the BCG through the years so it is not really articulated and linked as a normal book but somehow, maybe through professional experience you can establish the link between the different subjects it covers. This book would certainly be the foundation for the reading of many actual business books. I enjoyed it and certainly recomend it. Para cualquiera que hable primordialmente el español creo que deberÃa ser una lectura obligada porque el Boston Consulting Group no ha tenido nunca la proyección internacional de otras grandes consultorÃas como Andersen o Mc Kinsey y por lo mismo sus ideas no han permeado nuestros ambientes de negocios en la forma en que lo h! ! ubieran hecho si el BCG tuviera más presencia en nuestros paÃses
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Summary: A good historical recap on BCG greatest hits
Review: If you want to know where a lot of the actual strategy jargon came from, this is the place. You will learn the origin and the original meaning of "cash cow", "segment of one", "growth matrix" and many others. It is a collection of articles written by Bruce Henderson and other members of the BCG through the years so it is not really articulated and linked as a normal book but somehow, maybe through professional experience you can establish the link between the different subjects it covers. This book would certainly be the foundation for the reading of many actual business books. I enjoyed it and certainly recomend it. Para cualquiera que hable primordialmente el español creo que debería ser una lectura obligada porque el Boston Consulting Group no ha tenido nunca la proyección internacional de otras grandes consultorías como Andersen o Mc Kinsey y por lo mismo sus ideas no han permeado nuestros ambientes de negocios en la forma en que lo h! ! ubieran hecho si el BCG tuviera más presencia en nuestros países
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Summary: CONSULTING HISTORY, 1968-1997, ala BCG
Review: The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is an innovator in business strategy worldwide. In fact, BCG and its founder, Bruce D. Henderson, may be best known internationally as the creators and architects of the discipline of business strategy. Innovative business concepts originating at the firm include 'cash cow,' 'experience curve,' 'segment-of-one marketing,' 'time-based competition,' and 'capabilities-based competition.' Now, for the first time, BCG's most influential writings are gathered in a comprehensive collection, offering serious-minded readers access to BCG's thinking on the theory, development, and practice of business strategy. One way BCG shares its insights on strategy is through a series of publications known as Perspectives. Perspectives offer sharply focused views and recommendations on strategic business topics. Distributed to executives worldwide, Perspectives are typically no more than 1,200 words in length. This book brings together many of the most influential Perspectives, as well as several acclaimed articles published in the Harvard Business Review. Both timely and timeless, the 75 pieces included here are among, the most innovative, controversial, and stimulating to have appeared between 1968 and 1997. An anthology of the most provocative thinking from one of the world's most esteemed management consulting firms, Perspectives on Strategy is essential reading for senior managers, executives, entrepreneurs, and students of strategy and business. Carl W. Stern is president and CEO of BCG. He has been with BCG for seventeen years, and his clients have included leading international consumer packaged goods companies, financial services, and manufacturing companies. He holds an MBA from Stanford Business School. George Stalk, Jr., joined BCG in 1978 and is now a senior vice-president. He holds a BS in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Michigan, an MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is coauthor of Competing Against Time and Kaisha: The Japanese Corporation. Reviewed by Azlan Adnan.
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Summary: Good Brain-Twister - BCG should reveal mathematical concepts
Review: This book is excellent - if you understand the mathematical logic behind the BCG-Approach. Most BCG-Theories are based on the formual:
Strategy = Microeconomics + System Dynamics Models
Therefore you should be able to understand differential equations. Example: The 'experience curve' does not project a decline in 'accounting costs' but in microeconomic costs, that means inflation adjusted marginal cash flows. If you translate the experience curve effect into a mathematical formula, the result is a first order differential equation . or stated in other terms - a systems dynamics model for a dynamic 'Cournot-Nash-Equlibruum', not the comparative-static Cournot-Nash-Equilibruum, that most textbooks on microeconomics teach.. The Logic behind the BCG approach is brilliant,but unfortunately they do not reveal their mahematical formulas and therefore many people misunderstand their approach. I managed to discover their mathematical formulas - and I know what I'm saying, if i tell you, that it takes you a dozen pages full of mathematical terms of the highest order to understand the economic logic behind a 'simple' concept like the experience curve. They can improve the book, if they reveal the mathematical lgic behind their approaches.
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Summary: Very useful
Review: This book provided excellent insight into BCG's management thinking. Another good insider's view on BCG on found was the "Vault Reports Guide to Boston Consulting Group," which was is in-depth coverage of BCG's culture, hiring process etc
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