Strategy Moves: 14 Complete Attack and Defence Strategies for Competitive Advantage

Citation

Hoványi, G. (2007), "Strategy Moves: 14 Complete Attack and Defence Strategies for Competitive Advantage", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 41 No. 7/8, pp. 972-974. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560710752483

The curtain rises and the presentation of six attacking and eight defensive strategy moves begins. As introduction a genuine military attack and defence is analysed: first the Zulu attack, then the British defence in the Zulu war in the nineteenth century; and also their lessons are drawn – very convincingly from the professional point‐of‐view – for twenty‐first century business strategy (because some moral doubts remain in the conscience of the reader of the twenty‐first century …).

The first main part of the book deals with the different attack strategy moves: with guerrilla, bypass, flanking, undifferentiated circle and differentiated circle moves. The second and “parallel” part of the book presents the signalling, creating entry barriers, global service, pre‐emptive strike, blocking, counter‐attack, holding the ground and withdrawal strategy moves as bases for defence strategies. The presentation of all these 14 moves comprehend the description of the types/characteristics of the moves, the criteria/conditions of their successes (taking into account above all the peculiarities of the markets and the position of competitors) as well as some practical advises to carry through the given strategy effectively. These two main parts of the book are followed by chapters about timing (i.e. when to follow each strategic movement) and about organisational alliances as a specific form of business strategy moves. The content of the book is rounded by a case study of the Japanese car industry in our global age, the reasons of the industry's achievements in the US and on the European markets with lessons for today's strategists, and – as a conclusion – eight general rules are set up to help to reach the wanted success in the planning and accomplishing of business strategies.

Vasconcellos e Sá's recent book about strategy moves has many merits. It proves forcefully the author's expertness in the topic (it is remarkable that he is the second author drawing a parallel between military and business strategies and having the background of Peter F. Drucker's Claremont Graduate School – namely the first comparison was made by Dennis Laurie in his book From Battlefield to Boardroom). Vasconcellos e Sá's approach to the raised problems is always very systematic (it is sometimes even a bit tiring to follow the point‐by‐point enumeration of his strict logic); the main market and competition conditions of the moves are clearly represented; there are no disturbing over‐lappings in the features of the presented strategy moves; and also the completeness of the range of possible moves is convincing. The reader is more and more persuaded of the presented strategies' practical values when he meets the illustrations of the author's theories taken from well‐known business successes or failures – and the large numbers of examples of firms in different competitive situations (mainly huge corporations but also SMS firms in a smaller degree) prove at the same time the author's wide business horizon and wide ranging experiences. The understanding of the concise text is facilitated not only by the well‐chosen examples but also by the “self‐evident” and never too dense figures. And the mostly one page large figures at the end of each chapter of the book have a specific role: they summarise the content of the author's analysis of the given strategy move and his recommendations how to accomplish it.

What concerns my “critical” remarks I fully agree (as a starting point) with the title of Vasconcellos e Sá's book: it is really about strategy moves. But to arrive from strategy moves to business strategies – I am convinced – management has to attach nowadays greater and greater value at least on four components of these strategies:

1. 1.

   On the economy and management of resources of a firm including the different possibilities to save (by downsizing, outsourcing, off‐shoring, organising network‐systems, etc.) as well as to acquire additional resources (here I have to mention again that the book includes a chapter about alliances!).

2. 2.

   On the trends of the development of technology in the given industrial sectors (including the sectors responsible for shipments of the necessary raw materials, components, etc. as well as the sectors of the users of end products).

3. 3.

   On the global “background factors” – from surprises of international finance to social and political events – influencing more and more decisively the capital and commodity markets.

4. 4.

   The risk factor and the possibility to change a business strategy and as a consequence the trajectory of a firm (I do not have in mind to imitate the style of the book with this point‐by‐point enumeration …).

But it is clear that the author's aim was to present, analyse and recommend “only” strategy moves in his book. And all strategists and company managers will find these analyses and recommendations very useful when they have to take into consideration the conditions as well as the success factors of the potential attach and defence strategy moves from the point of view of their final business strategy. Professor Vasconcellos e Sá's recent book will be a real syllabus for them. And (as I guess) after some years they will have to buy a new copy because their original one will be already ragged as a consequence of our fast changing business environment and its requirements for the over and over again renewed business strategies. The curtain doesn't fall for years …

(PS. may I recommend the book also to the academic world: it will help to prepare the students in business strategy, marketing and management to answer the challenges of the day‐by‐day competitive situations with a long‐range perspective.)