11Oct/110
History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme. -Mark Twain
When it comes to business strategy, we commonly see the same pattern over and over. Jonathan Knee in The Curse of the Mogol defines only four genuine competitive advantages: scale, customer captivity, cost, and government protection.
However, the permutations and nuances of how a company tries to gain and utilize those advantages create a multitude of permutations. What looking through history of case studies and best practices tells us how a competitor is most likely to react to any move you are to make.
Look to it not as definitive but as a way to define probable outcomes.