This podcast interviews Felix Oberholzer-Gee, a Harvard Business School professor, about his book "Better Simpler Strategy." The discussion centers on a value-based framework for strategic analysis, focusing on increasing customer willingness to pay and decreasing supplier/employee willingness to sell. Oberholzer-Gee emphasizes that Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) is a key metric for evaluating long-term strategic success, highlighting significant within-industry variations in ROIC that challenge traditional industry analysis. The interview also explores concepts like network effects, complements (including "frenemies"), and the importance of management quality in driving productivity and profitability. Listeners gain insights into a practical framework for evaluating business strategies and identifying competitive advantages.
