Professor Jorge Sá (PhD Columbia University; MBA Drucker University; Jean Monnet Chair) just gave a talk on:
“The Four Competitive Business Drivers: 1) theory of business, 2) business model, 3) strategy and 4) tactics”
This conference focused on organizational competitiveness which requires excellence in four drivers:
- The theory of business: why, the organization makes sense; the reality assumptions it is grounded upon;
- The business model: the what, the basic cornerstones of its functioning: how it transforms clients satisfaction into profits;
- Strategy: the where it operates in terms of geographical areas plus industries plus segments (within the industries); and
- Tactics: the how of the nine functional areas, from marketing to human resources management, to finance, production, accounting, administration (maintenance, security, etc.), R&D, information systems and general management (organization chart, control and coordination): how to advertise, how to motivate, how to finance operations; how to etc.
These four drivers are: 1) distinct; 2) interrelated (some impacting but not totally pre-defining the others); 3) must produce a coherent/compatible mix (must fit together); 4) have to be periodically updated; and that (5) following pre-set steps in order to facilitate such a task.
This is illustrated by detailed examples of e.g. Nike, Dollar Shave Club, Spotify, SpaceX, Vendôme, Sears, IBM, Apple Music, McDonald’s, Marks & Spencer, Canva, SolarCity, Farfetch, etc.
The fundamental message is that neglect of any of the four drivers brings efficiency(doing things right – the Phronesis of Aristotle) at the cost of lower effectiveness(doing the right things – the Chokhmah of Solomon).
With more and more resources producing less and less, underperformance will follow.
Based on the book by Jorge Sa: “The Four Competitive Business Drivers: Theory, Model, Strategy, Tactics” (Business Expert Press of New York, January 2026) which was the winner of the “International Impact Book Awards 2026” (cover, index and back cover below).
Check Professor Sá short bio at: https://www.vasconcellosesa.com/jorge-sa/
For more information on this and other conferences please check our website at: www.vasconcellosesa.com or contact us at associates@vasconcellosesa.com .
