Ideas behind the practice.

Contemporary Strategy Analysis — Robert M. Grant

A broad framework for industry and resource analysis; useful for structuring a review, but application requires local evidence.

Competing for the Future — Hamel & Prahalad

A perspective on core competencies and future opportunities; less detailed on day-to-day implementation.

The Fifth Discipline — Peter Senge

Systems thinking and organisational learning; conceptually valuable, but needs translation into routines.

How to use this reading

Extend the strategy foundation with Competitive Strategy, Blue Ocean Strategy, The Innovator’s Dilemma and Playing to Win. For learning and execution, consider Learning in Action, The Dance of Change and Systems Thinking for Social Change. Teece’s work on dynamic capabilities adds an adaptability perspective.

Marketing Channels — Anne T. Coughlan and co-authors

A foundation in channel structure, power and conflict; substantial textbook detail, with older editions requiring digital context.

Platform Revolution — Parker, Van Alstyne & Choudary

Introduces platform logic and network effects; offers less detail on conventional distribution operations.

Matchmakers — Evans & Schmalensee

Adds multisided-market pricing and incentives; narrower than a full channel-management framework.

How to use this reading

Read the channel foundation first, then platform strategy and market economics. Complement these with practical work on integrating online and physical retail.

The Balanced Scorecard — Kaplan & Norton

Connects strategy and performance; can become excessive reporting if action is neglected. Continue with Strategy Maps and The Execution Premium.

Supply Chain Management — Chopra & Meindl

Broad planning and coordination coverage. Simchi-Levi and co-authors add analytics; Martin Christopher adds logistics and customer value.

Cases in Operations Management — Johnston and co-authors

Applied problems for testing judgement; works best alongside a framework such as Slack’s Operations Management.

How to use this reading

Use frameworks to structure the problem, cases to practise application, and Goldratt’s The Goal to explore constraints. Adapt the reading to resilience, sustainability and the organisation’s reporting needs.

Market Segmentation — Malcolm McDonald

A structured foundation for selecting customers; dense in places. Aaker’s Strategic Marketing Management and Fader’s Customer Centricity offer complementary perspectives.

Interactive Services Marketing — Fisk, Grove & John

Focuses on customer–employee interaction. Extend with Zeithaml and co-authors, Grönroos, and The Service Profit Chain.

Brand Babble — Schultz & Schultz

Challenges vague branding claims. Balance its critique with Building Strong Brands and How Brands Grow.

The Sponsorship Seeker’s Toolkit — Skildum-Reid & Grey

Practical sponsorship preparation and relationship management; supplement with measurement and digital-channel considerations.

How to use this reading

Begin with the relevant management problem, then pair foundational reading with evidence and sector-specific application. Older examples need context.

Cultures and Organizations — Hofstede, Hofstede & Minkov

A baseline for cultural dimensions; national averages and older datasets require careful interpretation.

Riding the Waves of Culture — Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner

Adds organisational examples and another set of dimensions; useful for comparison.

The Culture Map — Erin Meyer

Practical discussion of communication, feedback and decisions; more managerial than academic.

GLOBE study — House and colleagues

Broadens the leadership and culture evidence; more complex to apply directly.

How to use this reading

Move from frameworks to practical examples, then revisit the evidence. Observe the people and organisation in front of you before drawing conclusions.

Principles of Business Economics — Nellis & Parker

An accessible foundation. Thomas and Maurice’s Managerial Economics adds quantitative depth; Farnham’s Economics for Managers connects analysis to decisions.

Mariana Mazzucato’s work

The Entrepreneurial State considers public investment in innovation; The Value of Everything questions value creation and extraction; Mission Economy examines mission-led policy; The Big Con, with Rosie Collington, critiques consulting dependence.

How to use this reading

Start with business economics, then compare the critical arguments. Mazzucato’s perspective raises useful questions, but implementation capacity and the treatment of unsuccessful public investment deserve scrutiny.

Corporate Financial Management — Glen Arnold

A broad finance foundation; detailed for a quick reference. Brealey, Myers and Allen add capital-market theory; Damodaran offers valuation depth.

Finance and Accounting for Business — Bob Ryan

An accessible bridge for managers. Atrill and McLaney provide further introductory support.

Strategic Accounting for Management — Bob Ryan

Connects accounting with strategy. Drury’s Management and Cost Accounting adds technical foundations; Johnson and Kaplan’s Relevance Lost provides a critique of management-accounting practice.

How to use this reading

Begin with the level appropriate to your financial background, then move to valuation or strategic accounting. Supplement older editions with relevant reporting developments.

PMBOK Guide, sixth edition — PMI

A process-oriented reference; detailed rather than a quick implementation manual.

PRINCE2

A structured governance approach with defined responsibilities; application should be proportionate.

Agile Practice Guide — PMI & Agile Alliance

Supports adaptive and hybrid delivery alongside broader project-management frameworks.

PMBOK Guide, seventh edition — PMI

A principles-led contrast to the sixth edition; less prescriptive about detailed process.

How to use this reading

These are the editions discussed in the original reading collection, not a claim that they are the latest. Compare process, governance and adaptability before selecting an approach.

Lateral Thinking — Edward de Bono

Structured idea-generation methods; strongest as a practical starting point rather than a complete account of organisational creativity.

Creative Confidence — Tom & David Kelley

Accessible design-thinking inspiration; lighter on a fixed method.

The Innovator’s DNA — Dyer, Gregersen & Christensen

Connects questioning and experimentation with innovation; mainly a leadership perspective.

Thinkertoys — Michael Michalko

Exercises for workshops and individual practice; a toolkit rather than a unified theory.

How to use this reading

Start with de Bono, use the Kelleys to broaden participation, then explore research and practical exercises.

Can Japan Compete? — Porter, Takeuchi & Sakakibara

A diagnosis rooted in the 1990s. Useful for competitiveness questions, but the cultural context needs more attention than a purely economic reading allows.

The Future of Competition — Prahalad & Ramaswamy

Adds co-creation and innovation perspectives; less country-specific.

Japan Remodeled — Steven K. Vogel

An institutional perspective on reform that complements competitiveness analysis.

How to use this reading

Use the historical diagnosis as a starting point, add institutional analysis, and check contemporary evidence before applying conclusions to a present-day market-entry decision.