The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist's Guide to Success in Business and Life [Paperback]

Avinash K. Dixit (Author), Barry J. Nalebuff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2010

“I am hard pressed to think of another book that can match the combination of practical insights and reading enjoyment.”—Steven Levitt

Game theory means rigorous strategic thinking. It’s the art of anticipating your opponent’s next moves, knowing full well that your rival is trying to do the same thing to you. Though parts of game theory involve simple common sense, much is counterintuitive, and it can only be mastered by developing a new way of seeing the world. Using a diverse array of rich case studies—from pop culture, TV, movies, sports, politics, and history—the authors show how nearly every business and personal interaction has a game-theory component to it. Mastering game theory will make you more successful in business and life, and this lively book is the key to that mastery.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is an easy read and is written in a lively tone-which is not something I particularly recall from my lectures in the 1980s. Long live economics!" John Burns, The Times Higher Education "Unlike most of the ranks of management advice books which pad out bookshop business sections, here is one which is rigorous, fun and extremely useful all at the same time." The Economist

About the Author

Avinash K. Dixit is John J.F. Sherrerd University Professor of Economics at Princeton University, where he offers his popular freshman course in game theory. He is among the world’s leading economists, having made fundamental contributions in several major fields, including Game Theory. He is world famous. He is the author of many books, including Thinking Strategically (Norton, 1991), Investment Under Uncertainty (Princeton UP, 1994), and The Art of Strategy (Norton, 2009).

Barry J. Nalebuff is the Milton Steinbach Professor at the Yale School of Management. Nalebuff applies game theory to business strategy and is the co-founder of one of America's fastest-growing companies, Honest Tea.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (January 4, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393337170
• ISBN-13: 978-0393337174
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #63 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Evolution
  • #66 in Books > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Systems & Planning

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

104 of 111 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Buy "Thinking Strategically", June 17, 2009

By 

J. Kim "A Political Methodologist" (Seoul, South Korea) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist's Guide to Success in Business and Life (Hardcover)

Of course. It is an updated version of their best selling book [Thinking Strategically]. I have taught an introduction to Game Theory course to college undergraduates for years and used their earlier version "Thinking strategically" as a textbook. Nalebuff and Dixit's effort on updating their classic became less than good news to college students. They put too much materials about their ABC documentary which was taken under Dr. Nalebuff's guidance while trying to put too much materials in otherwise a simple-clear book. I strongly recommend you to go to the bookstore and buy their earlier version "thinking strategically" rather than this 'confusing/messy" version.

36 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Game Theory For Work AND non-Work Situations, November 7, 2008

By 

Matthew L. Sadler (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist's Guide to Success in Business and Life (Hardcover)

If you like "game theory" -- or want to know what game theory is -- this could be the best book out there. Certainly there are more scholarly pieces on game theory, but this book is an A+ for its accessible writing, its use of examples that are interesting and a clear approach to point out how game theory comes into play every day for every person, whether we realize it or not. This book helps you understand the decision process in cooperative and competitive situations. It is better to know the "game" and how it is being played, than having the game played on you unwittingly. Highly recommended.

Also highly recommended, but more specifically for business applications, is Co-opetition, co-authored by Barry Nalebuff who is a co-author of The Art of Strategy.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good layman's intro to game theory, October 4, 2009

By 

hydrangea "B." (NJ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist's Guide to Success in Business and Life (Hardcover)

A good book for a slow entry into the world of game theory. Some things are a bit wordy and hard to understand with few pictures/mathematical formulas, but nonetheless it is a good practical book for getting your feet wet.