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The Strategy in Competitive Interactions

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  • Eric Van den Steen

    (Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts 02163)

Abstract

This paper reviews, discusses, and expands the “core guidance” definition of strategy as “the smallest set of choices to optimally guide (or force) other choices.” It first discusses what this definition contributes relative to the existing proposed definitions. It then considers the extension of this definition to the context of competitive interactions: whether the definition makes sense in that context and what it implies for decisions to be strategic in such context. As part of this analysis, it also uses the definition to explore a new issue: why quantity-based competitive moves might be more strategic than price-based moves.

Suggested Citation

  • Eric Van den Steen, 2018. "The Strategy in Competitive Interactions," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(4), pages 574-591, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:inm:orstsc:v:3:y:2018:i:4:p:574-591
    DOI: 10.1287/stsc.2018.0068
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Michael J. Leiblein & Jeffrey J. Reuer & Todd Zenger, 2018. "What Makes a Decision Strategic?," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(4), pages 558-573, December.
    2. Michael J. Leiblein & Jeffrey J. Reuer & Todd Zenger, 2018. "Special Issue Introduction: Assessing Key Dimensions of Strategic Decisions," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(4), pages 555-557, December.
    3. Kang, Tong Hyouk & James, Sharon D. & Fabian, Frances, 2020. "Real options and strategic bankruptcy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 152-162.

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