Strategy
A History
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Strategy
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Narrated by:
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Michael Butler Murray
About this listen
In Strategy: A History, Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives. The range of Freedman's narrative is extraordinary, moving from the surprisingly advanced strategy practiced in primate groups, to the opposing strategies of Achilles and Odysseus in The Iliad, the strategic advice of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli, the great military innovations of Baron Henri de Jomini and Carl von Clausewitz, the grounding of revolutionary strategy in class struggles by Marx, the insights into corporate strategy found in Peter Drucker and Alfred Sloan, and the contributions of the leading social scientists working on strategy today. The core issue at the heart of strategy, the author notes, is whether it is possible to manipulate and shape our environment rather than simply become the victim of forces beyond one's control. Time and again, Freedman demonstrates that the inherent unpredictability of this environment - subject to chance events, the efforts of opponents, the missteps of friends - provides strategy with its challenge and its drama. Armies or corporations or nations rarely move from one predictable state of affairs to another, but instead feel their way through a series of states, each one not quite what was anticipated, requiring a reappraisal of the original strategy, including its ultimate objective. Thus the picture of strategy that emerges in this book is one that is fluid and flexible, governed by the starting point, not the end point. A brilliant overview of the most prominent strategic theories in history, from David's use of deception against Goliath, to the modern use of game theory in economics, this masterful volume sums up a lifetime of reflection on strategy.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
©2013 Lawrence Freedman (P)2014 Audible Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Strategy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Nowak
- 10-05-17
Good intro to strategic thinking
Good overview of how strategy has evolved over time and where it was used. However, sometimes too focused on certain events. A historical approach to how strategic thinking changed and evolved.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Alex_Walsh
- 10-03-20
An epic and comprehensive history of strategy
A huge listen galloping across many of the best known names across military, political and business strategy. Well performed and informative with some really interesting linking of concepts.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Auguste Dupin
- 03-11-18
Listenable and worth listening to
This is a fascinating history of strategy, which includes both the theory of strategy, and the actual strategy of actual players (which includes non-human primates). Thorough and persuasive.
The reading is fine. The author has a good voice, but it is not really clear that he understands what he is reading. Also, there are numerous "odd" pronunciations. I can never be sure if this is due to regional differences in pronunciation or simply unfamiliarity with the words. However, you can follow what he is saying well enough and that is mostly what I want. If you are interested in Strategy and want to listen to a good book then choose this one.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- MikeY
- 03-07-19
A lot of info to get through but overall worth it
A lot of info to get through but overall worth it.
Don't be fooled, this is the FULL history not just some pick & mix selection of anecdotes with a trite conclusion.
Some sections seem to take too long, but overall a great and compressive and to end view of what's called strategy.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Greig Stirling
- 26-12-19
Deep strategy
I’m a long time listener/reader of strategy.
This was a good alternative to the Greene style of storytelling supported reinforcement.
I could have done with out one or two chapters, but on balance the book was thorough, well researched and thought provoking.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Richard Roberts
- 19-12-18
An interesting lesson in history
Some great historical insights as Strategy develops through time. I feel it loses its path towards the end.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jason White
- 16-12-23
Audio version unlistenable
This is an interesting book. I had to give up on the audio book though, the narrator was awful. Really weird languid style of reading, clearly didn't understand anything he was reading, just rote reading with weird intonation. Also constant mispronunciations, and not just UK vs US pronunciations, regularly weird mistakes on how words are pronounced in any language. Narrator sounded like he was being forced to read the book to a deadline against his will.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Nikolay
- 16-08-18
Excellent story, but a bit too long
Excellent book that overviews vast history and areas. The problem is that it lacks clear frequent milestones to pave the way. As a result, it is difficult to follow sometimes and the book looks a bit stretched.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Peadar O Broin
- 08-12-19
This indeed is a book worth listening to
This detailed exploration of ‘strategy’ from different angles is well researched, well written and well narrated. It will go onto my 20 best books ever list. Thank you Mr Freedman and Mr Butler Murray.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. P
- 19-09-19
Comprehensive look at strategy
Comprehensive look at strategy both historically and in contemporary settings made interesting by use of characters and strong narrative.
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