Competition Demystified | Bruce Greenwald & Judd Kahn

Competition Demystified: A Radically Simplified Approach to Business Strategy

Extended Synopsis

Over the last two decades, the conventional approach to business strategy has become frustratingly complex. Executives often find themselves lost in sophisticated models involving competitors, suppliers, buyers, and substitutes, frequently losing sight of the core fundamental question: Are there barriers to entry that allow a firm to do things that others cannot? In Competition Demystified, Bruce Greenwald—one of the nation's leading business professors—and his coauthor Judd Kahn cut through the fog to present a radically simplified approach to competitive strategy.

Based on Greenwald's immensely popular course at Columbia Business School, this book provides an easy-to-follow, pragmatic method for understanding the competitive structure of any industry. Supported by advanced corporate data sheets, competitive pricing tables, and strategic matrix logs, the authors guide readers on how to develop an appropriate and highly effective strategy tailored to their specific market position. By focusing intensely on entry barriers and competitive advantages, Greenwald and Kahn offer a transformative framework that is both intellectually rigorous and immensely practical.

Reader Targeting

• Corporate executives and strategists seeking to clarify complex market dynamics and build sustainable competitive advantages.
• MBA students and academic researchers studying strategic management, economics, and market structures.
• Entrepreneurs and business owners aiming to identify clear barriers to entry in their respective industries.

About the Authors

Bruce C. Greenwald is a recognized authority on value investing and economics, serving as a prominent professor at Columbia Business School where his courses on strategy and investing have achieved legendary status. Judd Kahn is a successful executive and author with extensive experience in corporate consulting and strategic implementation.

Accolades & Awards

Derived from one of Columbia Business School's most highly sought-after courses, this text is widely celebrated in the corporate sector as an essential modern classic that successfully strips away the unnecessary complexity of traditional strategic planning.

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