by W. Chan Kim, Renee Mauborgne
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Product Description
Written by the business world's new gurus, "Blue Ocean Strategy" continues to challenge everything you thought you knew about competing in today's crowded market place. Based on a study of 150 strategic moves spanning more than a hundred years and thirty industries, authors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne argue that lasting success comes from creating 'blue oceans': untapped new market spaces ripe from growth. And the business world has caught on - companies around the world are skipping the bloody red oceans of rivals and creating their very own blue oceans. With over one million copies sold world wide, "Blue Ocean Strategy" is quickly reaching "must read" status among smart business readers. Have you caught the wave?
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 got it very late even though i paid for two day shipping, 2008-09-01
I ordered this book for two days delivery and got it after 15 days till that time i had already purchased the book from some other physical store and moreover there was no space to return this book to the sender ... Very poor
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Great ideas, poorly explained, boring to read, 2008-07-03
The concepts are revealing and helpful, but halfway reading it it becomes repetitive and boring. I use it for quick refference on ideas and how to use the strategy
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
 Decent concept, but too long & poor delivery, 2008-01-12
I think the blue ocean concept is valid, but the best way to communicate it is in an HBR article or wikipedia. It's just not revolutionary enough to warrant reading such a long book in 2008. There's little I learned from this book that is not already well summarized on wikipedia, or the same author's Value Innovation article in HBR (1997). Additionally, I think the value innovation concept is touched on sufficiently well in modern b-school texts. (ie. Strategic Market Management by David Aaker)
However, the primary reason I'm giving this a low 2-star rating is the delivery. If I was writing this review attached to the book itself, I'd give it 3-4 stars for the content... but I'm writing this review attached to the CD edition. The reader has a monotone voice and he mispronounces so many words that the delivery interfered with my ability to extract value from the content. Every time he mis-pronounced a word it set me back a few seconds to think about what he tried to say rather than digesting the meaning of what he said.
Examples:
Crux was pronounced like crooks
Paradigm was pronounced pair-a-deem
Unveil was pronounced un-veal
These are admittedly little errors, but as other reviewers have pointed out, there are so many of them that it gets really annoying and interferes with the learning process.
In summary, I recommend you read the HBR value innovation article & wikipedia on this concept. The concept in the book is now >10 years old and it's time to be retired. If the author wants to continue reaping personal value from this concept he should 1. Release an edition relevant for 2008 & beyond, and 2. Get someone else to read it for the audio version.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 A Blinding Flash of the Obvious, 2007-11-24
Blue Ocean Strategy approaches business from a different perspective. By properly positioning your business you can eliminate the competition. In a world where businesses battle for market share Blue Ocean Strategy is a must read. Push Button Investing in Real Estate
Ron Draluck, author of Push button Investing in Real Estate
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
We all want it - the theory is great. Now the Practise..., 2007-11-11
I recently listened to, "Blue Ocean Strategy - How to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant" by Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. The title really tells it all. The book talks about creating uncontested market space on the theory that contested market space is very difficult to make money on. It is now one of my favourite books.
There is no such thing as riskless strategy. Strategy always has to involve both opportunity and risk but the present playing field is dramatically unbalanced in favour of tools and analytical frameworks exceeded in existing businesses. As long as this remains true, existing businesses will continue to dominate companiesâ(tm) strategic agenda even if it is a business imperative for creating new initiatives and takes on a new urgency.
One thing that I like about the book is that it uses multiple examples of companies who have revolutionized the industry that they are in by creating brand new markets and brand new spaces. For example, they talk about the automobile business moving from the Model T to General Motors, to small fuel efficient Japanese cars to the Chrysler mini-van, etc.
One of the most interesting stories was about the Japanese hair cut that used to cost $40 to $50 and included everything from a shoulder and scalp massage to shampoo, etc., but generally took an hour and subjected the customers to long waits. When a chain of barber shops went into Japan offering no appointments and traditional haircutting like we are accustomed to in North America, the chain thrived in a big way.
This example explains part of what the book proposes. The key is to look at what is really being offered and look at what parts you can dramatically improve. Often you can end up with lower costs while at the same time adding more value to the customer. In the case of the barbershop, they were able to reduce the cost by not having to spend as long on each customer, not serving tea, etc. While at the same time, reducing the customers' waiting time which is an important commodity. The customers were not valuing the extras as much as they were valuing having their hair cut.
Great thesis/theory. Tougher implement though. Good because it makes you think though.
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