Barnes & Noble.com - Used Books: The Boston Consulting Group on Strategy, by Carl W. Stern, Hardcover

Synopsis

A collection of the best thinking from one of the most innovative management consulting firms in the world

For more than forty years, The Boston Consulting Group has been shaping strategic thinking in business. The Boston Consulting Group on Strategy offers a broad and up-to-date selection of the firm's best ideas on strategy with fresh ideas, insights, and practical lessons for managers, executives, and entrepreneurs in every industry. Here's a sampling of the provocative thinking you'll find inside:

"You have to be the scientist of your own life and be astonished four times:at what is, what always has been, what once was, and what could be."

"The majority of products in most companies are cash traps . . . .[They] are not only worthless, but a perpetual drain on corporate resources."

"Use more debt than your competition or get out of the business."

"When information flows freely, reputation, more than reciprocity,becomes the basis for trust."

"As a strategic weapon, time is the equivalent of money, productivity,quality, even innovation."

"When brands become business systems, brand management becomes far too important to leave to the marketing department."

"The winning organization of the future will look more like a collection ofjazz ensembles than a symphony orchestra."

"Most of our organizations today derive from a model whose original purpose was to control creativity."

"Rather than being an obstacle, uncertainty is the very engine of transformation in a business, a continuous source of new opportunities."

"IP assets lack clear property lines. Every bit of intellectual property you can own comes with connectionsto other valuable innovations."

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Biography

Carl W. Stern has been with BCG for thirty-two years. He was the CEO of BCG from 1997 to 2003 and presently serves as co-chairman of the board. He holds an MBA from Stanford Business School.

Michael S. Deimler is a Senior Vice President in the Atlanta office of BCG and the leader of its strategy practice. He holds an MBA from The Wharton School.
The Boston Consulting Group was founded in 1963 and now has sixty-one offices in thirty-six countries.
For more information, please visit: www.bcg.com/bcgonstrategy

Customer Reviews

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Great book for those wanting to excel in thier business and become a leader in their industryby MBA_Grad-N-IT_Director

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12/14/2008: This was an assigned book in my MBA program and in my opinion was a good choice.

The first 40 pages are a little dense, but the majority of the book is very profound. I personally found it interesting that some of the essays were written 30-40 years ago, but are stil very relevant today and in some businesses are considering as "cutting edge." This is testament to BCG's position as a leader in consulting and how good the book is.

A reviewerby Anonymous

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02/26/2008: TBS is a must for all of the world-class organizations. A very good initiative of Time- Based Strategy by BCG. However, the unlimitted speed may effected human spirituality. Collaboration & competition or co-petition is friendly rivalry.

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