Blue Ocean Strategy Customer's Review By Andrew White

By Andrew White (Atlanta, United States) - See all my reviews

Overall mildly interesting; though I would not recommend to read. Much of this book is obvious and what you and I should remember from all the strategy books we read 20 years ago (avoid competition by developing new markets - the essence of blue ocean strategy; value innovation which is just innovation that has an implied market). Overall this is a re-hash of previously published theory with a smattering of interesting ideas (much strategy analysis that looks at the `firm' or `industry' is not that useful and it might be better to look at the `strategic move'; there is no such thing as a perpetually high performing firm). I also disagree with the premise that creating developing a new market leads to a unique offering "at the lowest cost" which is one of the comparisons with red ocean strategy that, according to the authors, force all industries to center on differentiation or cost, since in a brand new market there is no competition so cost is not even as important as in the red oceans. It is on as the market develops and attracts competition that cost becomes more important. Either these authors have not read widely (they argue that Built to Last and In Search of Excellence were wrong since many case study firms in those books later fell from grace) or they did not take away from those books and others what they should have about market development, dynamics, and evolution. Don't both with this book - buy In Search of Excellence and revel in the exciting times that was then.