8 April, 2014

Date : 8 April, 2014

Name : Professor George Tovstiga

Title : Changing the way we strategize: Strategy in the age of temporary competitive advantage

Synopsis/Abstract: Boxing legend Mike Tyson, when asked about his strategy when entering the boxing ring to fight, replied that he didn’t have one. Asked about his opponents, he replied that “everyone has a strategy… that is, until they get hit” – clearly, at best a case of temporary advantage for these opponents. It seems that more and more companies are experiencing a similar situation in their competitive environments. Competitive environments are changing quickly and irreversibly; competitive time horizons are becoming shorter and shorter, and competition is no longer restricted to single industry sectors or players. The lingering global economic recession has exacerbated the situation. Success in today’s business environment has become more volatile and transient than ever before. For business leaders and their organizations, the future is less certain than it has ever been. In fact, there is a case to be argued that the current economic climate contributed to the formation of entirely new ‘game changing’ rules of competition altogether. So, where does this leave firms with their strategy? How is this changing the way in which business leaders are defining their organization’s ‘unique competing space’ – and, more importantly, how is this changing the way in which they are creating competitive advantage? How should firms approach their strategizing? These important questions will be explored from several strategic perspectives. New conceptual approaches and empirical substantiation of these provide new strategic impulses and actionable insights for achieving competitive advantage in the emerging competitive environment.

 Biographic note: Professor George Tovstiga is Professor of Strategy and Innovation management at Henley Business School, University of Reading, where he is Director of the Henley Executive Strategy Programme and Lead Tutor for the Henley MBA ‘Strategy’ core module taught around the world. Professor Tovstiga holds dual German/Canadian nationality and obtained a doctorate in Engineering Sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland.

Signature :

Professor George Tovstiga

Professor of Strategy & Innovation Management Director Henley Executive Strategy Programme Lead tutor Strategy Module (MBA Programmes) Henley Business School / University of Reading Greenlands, Henley on Thames, OXON, RG9 3AU / UK ( +44 (0)1491 414 523 | ( (mob) +44 (0)77 387 16302 http://www.henley.ac.uk/about/staff/george-tovstiga.aspx: george.tovstiga@henley.ac.uk

Slides :