🎯 Strategy — Map of Content

Strategy is the art and science of determining where to compete, how to win, and how to sustain that advantage over time.

Emphasized heavily at: HBS · Wharton · Booth · Kellogg · Stanford GSB

🏆 Competitive Strategy

How individual businesses win in their markets:

Porter’s Five Forces — Industry attractiveness analysis
Competitive Advantage — Why some firms consistently outperform
Value Chain Analysis — Where value is created and captured
Generic Competitive Strategies — Cost leadership, differentiation, focus
Strategic Positioning — Activity systems and trade-offs
Blue Ocean Strategy — Creating uncontested market space

🏢 Corporate Strategy

How multi-business companies create value:

Vertical Integration — Make vs. buy decisions
Diversification Strategy — Related vs. unrelated diversification
Core Competencies — Prahalad & Hamel’s theory of the firm
BCG Growth-Share Matrix — Portfolio management tool
M&A Strategy — When acquisitions create (or destroy) value
Divestiture Strategy — Value creation through subtraction

🚀 Growth Strategy

Ansoff Matrix — Market penetration, development, product development, diversification
Platform Strategy — Two-sided marketplaces and network effects
Disruptive Innovation — Christensen’s disruption theory
Jobs to Be Done — Customer-centric innovation framework

🌐 International Strategy

Global vs. Multi-domestic Strategy — Standardization vs. local adaptation
Entry Mode Decisions — Export, licensing, JV, wholly-owned subsidiary
Competitive Advantage of Nations — Porter’s diamond model

🔧 Strategy Frameworks Summary

Framework	Question It Answers
Porter’s Five Forces	Is this industry attractive?
SWOT Analysis	Where do we stand?
BCG Growth-Share Matrix	How should we allocate resources?
Ansoff Matrix	Where should we grow?
Value Chain Analysis	Where do we create value?
Core Competencies	What should we own vs. outsource?
Blue Ocean Strategy	How do we escape competition?
Jobs to Be Done	Why do customers really hire our product?

📚 Essential Books

Competitive Strategy — Michael Porter (HBS) — THE foundational text
The Innovator’s Dilemma — Clayton Christensen (HBS)
Blue Ocean Strategy — Kim & Mauborgne (INSEAD)
Good to Great — Jim Collins
Playing to Win — A.G. Lafley & Roger Martin

🏫 School Spotlights

HBS: Strategy is taught almost entirely through cases; BGIE, TOM, Strategy courses
Wharton: Rigorous game-theoretic approach to strategy; MGMT 611
Booth: Economics-driven — industrial organization theory underpins strategy
Kellogg: Marketing-strategy integration; brand strategy prominent
Stanford GSB: Emphasis on entrepreneurial strategy and platform businesses

📚 Case Studies

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