Why Competitive Strategy Succeeds - and with Whom

Abstract

Porter’s extraordinary record of private, public, academic, and corporate accomplishment has diverse roots, but it is clear that the genesis, publication and impact of Competitive Strategy shifted a promising career as a young award-winning Harvard economist into a very different gear. In this chapter we puzzle why the book has such impact and with whom – evidently widely embraced by managers, policy makers, consultants, and strategy teachers, though often criticized for its shortcomings by strategy theorists.

Keywords: five forces framework, competitive strategy, porter, framework