Although it wasn’t on my short-term list of reads, I’ve been reading Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim.  Although I still have a couple of chapters to go I couldn’t resist posting a small write-up about the book.  The basic premise behind the book is the strategic position of a company to create “Blue Ocean” opportunities to create a long-term advantage.  The “Blue Ocean” strategies are those that are beyond just modifying an existing market, but creating brand new markets.  The book goes into analyzing countless examples, which include companies such as Starbucks, Blockbuster Video, CEMEX, ExecuJet, and a host of others.  While some of these companies are currently struggling and and attempting to reposition themselves, the basic premise is about creating a new market. It also goes into discussing the differences between a “Blue Ocean” and a “Red Ocean”, the latter being a market that is driven by high competition, price competitiveness, and lower resulting margins.  Definitely worth your time to pick-up and read.