Rating: 
Summary: Great Aggregration Of Porter's Work
Review: 'Porter On Competition' is 'lighter' to read than his 'Trilogy', but it nicely consists the core ideas of his work and how it evolved during the past decades. The book provides reader a nice overview about how competitive strategy & competitive advantage are applicable to a wide range of areas: from corporation, industry & nation, to social issues such as health care and environment.
Rating: 
Summary: What about the net, Michael?
Review: I'm a great fan of Porter's works, but was disappointed that something published in 1998 wasn't updated to the impact of the internet on competition. The net is the greatest inflection point in competitive activity in business history, IMO. Not only is the impact great on nearly all aspects of Porter's 5 forces, but changes are happening blazingly fast. To be sure many of MP's concepts help one predict and understand Dell's cleaning of Compaq's clock and many other happenings, but none of this is dealt with explicitly. How tough would it have been to update, or even just add a blurb at the end of chapter's like "How Information Gives You Competitive Advantage". But no, it's the same as when it was written in mid-1985...a lifetime ago in terms of information technology. $35.95 should entitle the reader to bit of updating, but the internet doesn't appear in the index and I only saw the word once in the text of one article. Had the book and articles had a bit of an update, I would definitely give it 5 stars...and for those who haven't read Porter's articles I would highly recommend it. But for those expecting a 1998 book should carry a more recent perspective, it's a bit of a disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: The Competition 'Bible'
Review: KEEP THIS BOOK HANDY, YOU'LL REFER TO IT OFTEN. WE FOUND THIS BOOK GAVE US SOME EASY TO APPLY METHODS. AS A MANAGER OF A MID SIZED DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, WE WERE ABLE TO USE SOME OF THE SUGGESTIONS IN THIS BOOK AND TO BE ABLE TO GET SOMETHING OUT OF THEM. WE ALSO ENJOYED READING THE 2000 PERCENT SOLOUTION WHICH HELPED US TO GET THROUGH THE EVERYDAY STALLS THAT WE ALL GET STUCK WITH EVERYDAY. READ BOTH BOOKS AND KEEP THEM HANDY.
Rating:
Summary: KEEP IT HANDY, YOU'LL REFER TO IT OFTEN
Review: KEEP THIS BOOK HANDY, YOU'LL REFER TO IT OFTEN. WE FOUND THIS BOOK GAVE US SOME EASY TO APPLY METHODS. AS A MANAGER OF A MID SIZED DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, WE WERE ABLE TO USE SOME OF THE SUGGESTIONS IN THIS BOOK AND TO BE ABLE TO GET SOMETHING OUT OF THEM. WE ALSO ENJOYED READING THE 2000 PERCENT SOLOUTION WHICH HELPED US TO GET THROUGH THE EVERYDAY STALLS THAT WE ALL GET STUCK WITH EVERYDAY. READ BOTH BOOKS AND KEEP THEM HANDY.
Rating: 
Summary: Great, clear frameworks on competition
Review: Michael E. Porter is a Harvard Business School professor and a leading authority on competition. This book consists of three parts - Competition and Strategy: Core Concepts, The Competitiveness of Locations, and Competitive Solutions to Societal Problems - and each of these parts consists of 4-to-5 Harvard Business Review articles which were published between 1979 and 1998. "The study of competition, in its full richness, has preoccupied me for two decades."In Part I, the five HBR articles outline Porter's strategic concepts. "I have sought to capture the complexity of what actually happens in companies and industries in a way that both advances theory and brings theory to life for practitioners. My goal has been to develop both rigorous and useful frameworks for understanding competition that effectively bridge the gap between theory and practice." In the 1979-article 'How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy', Porter introduces the monumental five competitive forces (from existing competitors, new entrants, customers, suppliers, substitution). This article has had an extensive impact on the field of strategy and is still a starting point for strategic management at any MBA-course. 'What is Strategy?' was published in 1996 and is, in my opinion, a reply to all the critics of his frameworks and models. The 1985-article 'How Information Gives You Competitive Advantage', Porter and co-author Victor Millar write how information technology influences competition. The current impact of Internet and e-commerce provide excellent examples for this article. In the 1993-article 'End-Game Strategies for Declining Industries', Porter lines up with Kathryn Rudie Harrigan to discuss the last stage/final phase of a industry. This articles is largely based on Harrigan's 1980 book 'Strategies for Declining Businesses' and is a chapter in Porter's 1980-book 'Competitive Strategy'. Part I is finalised with the magnificent 'From Competitive Advantage to Corporate Strategy'. This article is truly a classic and discusses the radical rethinking of corporate strategy. "Corporate strategy is what makes the corporate whole add up to more than the sum of its business parts." This article is the basis of his book 'Competitive Advantage'. In Part II, Porter kicks off with 'The Competitive Advantage of Nartions', which is also one of the titles of his books. In this 1990-article Porter argues that in a world of increasingly global competition, nations have become more, not less, important. In 'Clusters and Competition' (1998), Porter expands on the theme and discusses the new economics of competition - clusters. "A Cluster is a geographically proximate group of interconnected companies and associated institutions in particular fields, linked by commonalities and complementarities." Examples are the Italian fashion industry, the California Wine cluster, Silicon Valley's venture capital industry, and Massachusetts IT industry. In the next article, 'How Global Companies Win Out' (1992), Porter, Thomas Hout and Eileen Rudden discuss what a global industry is and how global companies can win out. In the next article, 'Competing Across Locations' (1995), returns on this subject and provides additional insights on global strategy, including a general framework. Part III includes the latest works of Porter. Porter discusses environmental regulation and competition ('Green and Competitive', 1995), with a great case study of the Dutch flower industry, and the impact of these regulations on competition and industries. In the next article ('The Competitive Advantage of the Inner City', 1995), Porter introduces the economic distress of America's inner cities, whereby "the real need - and the real opportunity - is to create wealth" . In the 1990s, Porter also turned more towards government institutions. He discusses the American health care ('Making Competition in Health Care Work', 1994) and, the according to Porter, America's failing capital investment system ('Capital Disadvantage', 1992). The advantage of this book is that it provides the a quick insight into the ideas and essential points of Porter's books 'Competitive Strategy', 'Competitive Advantage', and 'Competitive Advantage of Nations'. Part I and Part II are now essentials in the field of strategy and competition with fantastic frameworks and models. Part III are Porter's latest articles and discuss the connection between social issues and competition. A great book that is good to read (simple US-English).
Rating:
Summary: The Gospel on Competition
Review: Prof. Porter's work on competition in industry is a milestone and after two decades still holds its ground. I had his textbook for my MBA class well over a decade ago. His recent (Harvard Bus. Rev - March 2001) article regarding 'Strategy and the Internet' shows that the fundamental principles of Competitive Strategy is still valid as ever in the "new economy".
Rating:
Summary: The Competition 'Bible'
Review: Simply put, this is the bible of competitive strategy. I've just gotten the book and have only completed the third chapter. I can still say with confidence that this book belongs in the library of every CEO. It should also be studied by every student of business and economics. ... An earlier review stated that this book did not mention the internet revolution. That reader is hardly versed in study of business or economics. If the person had any experience, he would understand from the readings that the rules and theories still apply. I truely must comend Michael Porter for his excellent work.
Rating:
Summary: Helpful Essays from a Corporate Strategy Icon
Review: This book is a collection of essays and articles by Michael Porter alone or with others. Most of them are collected from his writings in the Harvard Business Review although two are new to this book. Think of this as a "Porter's Greatest Hits" kind of thing. That is a bit misleading because his HBR articles are not exactly the same thing as his Competitive Advantage books although the topics are definitely related. The essays are grouped into three broad sections: 1) Competition and Strategy: Core Concepts, 2) The Competitiveness of Locations, and 3) Competitive Solutions to Societal Problems. Will you find each article of the same high quality? Probably not (again, like a greatest hits collection), but you will find them informative and thought provoking. It is impossible to study for an MBA nowadays without invoking "Porter's Five Forces" in your discussions of competitive and marketing strategy. This book can help add to your thinking and understanding of how every aspect of our life is in some way part of a competitive context and the ways it improves our standard of living. It will also help you improve your thinking in how to best strategize for and participate in competitive situations. It would be a mistake to think that Porter advocates for a Hobbesian nightmare of life being nasty, brutish and short. Rather, he is more or less helping us think through the nature of the way competition arises and how to best think about its sources and how to manage it and the traps to avoid. While Porter's model is used by some as a hammer that sees everything as a nail, it really needn't be used that way and, in its proper context, is very helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Helpful Essays from a Corporate Strategy Icon
Review: This book is a collection of essays and articles by Michael Porter alone or with others. Most of them are collected from his writings in the Harvard Business Review although two are new to this book. Think of this as a "Porter's Greatest Hits" kind of thing. That is a bit misleading because his HBR articles are not exactly the same thing as his Competitive Advantage books although the topics are definitely related. The essays are grouped into three broad sections: 1) Competition and Strategy: Core Concepts, 2) The Competitiveness of Locations, and 3) Competitive Solutions to Societal Problems. Will you find each article of the same high quality? Probably not (again, like a greatest hits collection), but you will find them informative and thought provoking. It is impossible to study for an MBA nowadays without invoking "Porter's Five Forces" in your discussions of competitive and marketing strategy. This book can help add to your thinking and understanding of how every aspect of our life is in some way part of a competitive context and the ways it improves our standard of living. It will also help you improve your thinking in how to best strategize for and participate in competitive situations. It would be a mistake to think that Porter advocates for a Hobbesian nightmare of life being nasty, brutish and short. Rather, he is more or less helping us think through the nature of the way competition arises and how to best think about its sources and how to manage it and the traps to avoid. While Porter's model is used by some as a hammer that sees everything as a nail, it really needn't be used that way and, in its proper context, is very helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Why Harvard, McKinsey & CEO see it as THE Competition bible
Review: This book is well known in Consulting circles, Ivy league schools & CEO circles to be THE Competition bible. The Why: 1- each chapter has a clear framework, with not just examples, but bullet proof proving arguments 2- the frameworks are not just sharp and clear, they also provide the complete Big picture, generating powerful insights 3- Following an incredibly successful professional path as a consultant, M. Porter is the leading authority in Competition and advisor of numerous Fortune 500 CEOs...
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