Business Models: A Strategic Management Approach

It may resemble a textbook with its end-of-chapter "study questions" and lists of key terms, but this book is a fine resource for boning up on business model basics and, perhaps, also satisfying your inner student. Business Models is well written and clear as far as strategy books go, offering practical techniques for analyzing separately and together all the elements—such as positioning, customers, financing, market targeting, competition—that must mesh in a successful model. Issues surrounding corporate social responsibility also make a rare appearance in a mainstream strategy book. The eight case studies of products including Viagra, the George Foreman Grill, and the heart medication Lipitor, as well as the phenomenon of eBay, help illustrate these concepts. The author is an associate professor of corporate strategy and international business at the University of Michigan.