The full title of this book by Mark Scott is
“Value Drivers: The Manager’s Guide to Driving Corporate Value Creation“.
In my review posted to Amazon.co.uk, I gave this book a rating of Four Stars. This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.
Here is my book review.
Written for the busy manager who wants to understand business strategy but not a “how to do it” guide
This book is written for the busy manager who wants to understand competitive strategy and corporate strategy.
It is aims to answer three main questions:
1 – How does my company actually work?
2 – How do I become a better manager?
3 – How can I fit all these pieces together?
The book is easy to read, well structured and interesting. It is also packed with diagrams which is great for people who prefer to see things in that format. It lacks the rigour of an academic text book but it is not written for either the student or the strategy expert but as an introduction to how you can create value in a business using strategy.
Chapters in Value Drivers include:
1 – Why are firms in business in the first place – mission and corporate strategy
2 – Segmentation – customer based segmentation and skills based segmentation
3 – Ranking Strategic Business Units
4 – Corporate Strategy Revisited – portfolio strategy, vertical integration, horizontal integration and financial holding strategy.
5 – How well is the firm doing?
6 – Understanding the market context
7 – Core competencies
8 – Core competencies revisited
9 – Back to corporate strategy – structures and the role of management
10 – Back to the bottom line
11 – Conclusion
I like Value Drivers and rate it with four stars. It is recommended for any manager who wants to understand more about business strategy. I think it will also help MBA students who are struggling with a drier strategy textbook.
Whilst it is good on the overall structure of strategy, Value Drivers is not a guide to how to put together a strategic plan. For people looking for a practical “how to” book, I recommend Simplified Strategic Planning: The No-Nonsense Guide for Busy People Who Want Results Fast.
It is available to buy from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
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