Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage [Hardcover]

Jay Barney (Author), Mary D. McEwing (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1996 | ISBN-10: 0201512858 | ISBN-13: 978-0201512854

For MBA-level courses in Strategic Management. This text is designed to show students how to put theory into practice.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I love the strong disciplinary foundation in I/O economics and financial economics. This more than anything distinguishes the book from its peers." - Dr. Brain Shaffer, University of Maryland, College Park"I like that the subjects are presented completely with topics organized around strategies, not environments. Also, I like that strategy formulation and implementation are discussed together rather than as separate topics." - Dr. Jacquelynne McLellan, Frostburg State University"The single thing I like best about this test is its excellent grounding in the strategy literature. As one who tries to bring current research into the classroom and be very up front about where the literature is in flux, I - and the students - really appreciate the way this text opens up the theory." - Dr. Ken A. Smith, Syracuse University --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Unlike other texts in its field, Jay B. Barney's Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage, Second Edition provides the overall integrative framework necessary for understanding the rapidly evolving field of strategic management. This new edition summarizes and incorporates the latest research in a way that is accessible to students and practitioners, and provides guidance about how his research might be applied to real business situations.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 570 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley Publishing Company (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201512858
• ISBN-13: 978-0201512854
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,989,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING, August 20, 2000

By 

Dr. David Arelette (Yarrambat, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage (Hardcover)

This is a great book - more for what it organises than what it adds as new ideas.

Barney sets a model for Competitive Advantage (VIRO) and them compares strategic models as potential sources. It places many of the modern attempts in perspective. Without this starting understanding, the modern gurus (Hamel) are almost impossible to apply as their ideas lack the perspective on the role of strategy within an organisation and within all of the other management tools.

It places Michael Porter within a framework where his work can be better used.

For managers and post graduates, this book sets out the fundamentals of strategy and where it can take you.

Not cheap (by a long way) but a fair price for the knowledge.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strategy is not that difficult!, March 30, 2000

By 

Antonio Vicente La Camera - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage (Hardcover)

This is a very concise and interesting book on competitive and corporate strategies. It compiles all the main issues regarding studies on competitive advantage withouth losing focus on the specifics of each different kind of strategy.

I would recommend using the book only after a review of microeconomic concepts. This will allow graduate business students coming from other areas (like engineering) to grasp the strategy concepts more easily.

One suggestion: it would be nice if the authors included cases at the end of each chapter. Since the book presents the theory from a basic up to a more advanced level, this would let students to quickly fix the concepts by applying them in real world situations.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How To Frame Corporate Strategy Methodically, September 9, 2002

By 

Serge J. Van Steenkiste (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage (2nd Edition) (Hardcover)

Jay B. Barney has written an enduring, understandable user's guide to corporate strategy that is a must read for any business student. Barney helps would-be business leaders frame their strategic decision-making process. Barney first explains to his audience the concepts of strategy and performance, and their relevance to the corporate organization both internally and externally. Barney then explores the different strategies that the corporation can adopt in dealing with its competitive environment: Cost leadership, product differentiation, tacit collusion, and alliances. The author does a very good job in demonstrating to his readers that the four strategies are not mutually exclusive but occasionally complementary. Finally, Barney explores how a company can structure itself across markets over time. He successively addresses the issues of integration, diversification, mergers and acquisitions, and globalization. Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage has been one of the most influential business textbooks that I have ever been asked to read.