Fundamental to management thinking and economic theory, Competitive Strategy offers a framework for understanding the underlying forces of competition in industry and business. This book explains the ideas, theories and principles of Competitive Strategy in simple, straightforward terms. It shows readers how to use competitive tools and strategies to understand the underlying forces of competition in industry and business and apply them to assess industries, understand competitors, choose competitive positions and gain - and maintain competitive advantage. Chapters include: What Competitive Strategy actually is The foundations of strategy and the five forces of competition Assessing the competition and strategic management in action Developing a competitive strategy Looking to the future and mergers and acquisitions