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Description of  Management Between Strategy and Finance: The Four Seasons of Business

This book owes its origins to a question that we, the authors, have often been challenged with. What, in theory and on the basis of practical experience, is the correct path for a company to take when strategy comes into conflict with the thinking of the capital markets? Our book is an attempt to answer this important question. It deals with the fundamental problem in corporate decision-making: the conflict between strategic and financial thinking. We compare these two main currents in business thinking and describe the tools used by each side. More than that, we develop an approach that reconciles the two conflicting schools of thought. We call this our Four Seasons Model. Companies pass through four seasons during their lifecycle: phases in which they must position themselves, develop, grow and, ultimately, earn. Each season follows on naturally from the previous one, logically building on it. Both the strategic and the financial perspective can act as a sort of compass in the management's decision-making processes. Depending on which season the company finds itself in, the needle swings more toward strategic or toward financial considerations.