Business and Competitive Analysis: Effective Application of New and Classic Methods

Meet any business or competitive analysis challenge: deliver actionable business insights and on-point recommendations that enterprise decision makers can’t and won’t ignore! All you need is one book: Business and Competitive Analysis, Second Edition. This generation’s definitive guide to business and competitive analysis has now been thoroughly updated with additional methods, applications and examples. Craig S. Fleisher and Babette E. Bensoussan begin with a practical primer on the process and context of business and competitive analysis: how it works, how to avoid pitfalls, and how to communicate results. Next, they introduce their unique FAROUT method for choosing the right tools for each assignment. The authors then present dozens of today’s most valuable analysis methods. They cover “classic” techniques, such as McKinsey 7S and industry analysis, as well as emerging techniques from multiple disciplines: economics, corporate finance, sociology, anthropology, and the intelligence and futurist communities. You’ll find full chapters outlining effective analysis processes; avoiding pitfalls; communicating results; as well as drill-downs on analyzing industries, competitive positioning, business models, supply chains, strategic relationships, corporate reputation, critical success factors, driving forces, technology change, cash flow, and much more. For every method, Fleisher and Bensoussan present clear descriptions, background context, strategic rationales, strengths, weaknesses, step-by-step instructions, and references. The result is a book every analyst, strategist, and manager can rely on – in any industry, for any challenge.