Acknowledgements.

How to Use This Book.

Chapter 1. Performance through time.

The performance imperative.

The management challenge: improving future performance.

Timescales.

Performance aims in different contexts.

Functional performance objectives.

Information needs.

Case example: performance of Ryanair, the low-fare airline.

Suggested questions and exercises.

Using Worksheet 1.

Worksheet 1.

Notes.

Chapter 2. Resources drive performance.

From performance to resources.

The resource-based view of strategy.

Identifying, specifying and measuring tangible resources.

Suggested questions and exercises.

Using Worksheet 2.

Worksheet 2.

Notes.

Chapter 3. Resource accumulation.

Winning and keeping resources: “bathtub behaviour”.

Defining and measuring resources and their flows.

Resource flows change over time.

Practical examples of the importance of resource flows.

Resource building in Ryanair.

What drives resource flows?

Changing state versus changing activity.

Segmentation.

Casual ambiguity and problems with correlation.

Resources, flows and the value chain analysis.

Adding “lumps” of resource.

Suggested questions and exercises.

Using Worksheet 3.

Worksheet 3.

Notes.

Chapter 4. The strategic architecture.

Interdependence: resource flows depend on existing resource levels.

Feedback effects arising from interdependence.

The strategic architecture.

The strategic architecture and other approaches to mapping strategy.

Suggested questions and exercises.

Using Worksheets 4 and 5.

Worksheet 4.

Worksheet 5.

Notes.

Chapter 5. Resource attibutes.

‘Attributes’ of tangible resources.

Resources and attribute “co-flows”.

The resource quality curve.

Attributes that bring access to other potential resources.

Resources carrying multiple attributes.

Resources attributes and performance at Ryanair.

Other uses of the resource attribute concept.

Incorporating attribute analysis in strategy development.

Suggested questions and exercises.

Using Worksheets 6a, b and c.

Worksheet 6a.

Worksheet 6b.

Worksheet 6c.

Notes.

Chapter 6. Resource development.

Resource development within the organization.

Developing resources beyond the organization’s boundaries.

Resource development in noncommercial cases.

Resource development in Ryanair and other airlines.

Relating resource development to the strategic architecture.

Using Worksheets 7a-d, 8 and 9.

Worksheet 7a.

Worksheet 7b.

Worksheet 7c.

Worksheet 7d.

Worksheet 8.

Worksheet 9.

Notes.

Chapter 7. The dynamics of rivalry.

Illustrating the three types of rivalry: coffee stores.

Further issues in type-1 rivalry.

Extending type-2 rivalry.

Extending type-3 rivalry.

Extending rivalry to resources other than customers.

Rivalry in noncommercial situations.

Dealing with multiple competitors.

Rivalry in the low-fare airline industry.

Suggested questions.

Using Worksheets 10-12.

Worksheet 10a.

Worksheet 10b.

Worksheet 11.

Worksheet 12.

Notes.

Chapter 8. Goals and controls.

Evaluating strategic opportunities.

Choosing a strategy.

Designing a path to success.

Steering strategy.

Policy to control strategy.

Strategy, policy and competition.

Conflicting objectives.

When multiple decisions affect the same resource.

Suggested questions and exercises.

Using worksheet 13.

Worksheet 13.

Notes.

Chapter 9. Intangible resources.

Intangibles concerning state-of-mind.

Information-based intangible resources.

Quality-based intangibles.

Integrating intangible resources into the strategic architecture.

Suggested questions and exercises.

Using worksheet 14.

Notes.

Chapter 10. Capabilities.

Example of capability effects.

Capabilities and business processes.

Developing capabilities: learning.

Capabilities and organizational learning.

Suggested questions and exercises.

Using worksheets 15a and 15b.

Worksheet 15a.

Worksheet 15b.

Notes.

Index.