The z-score model was developed to predict firm bankruptcy and provide a basis for safer investment decisions and better assessment of supplier and customer credit worthiness. Edward I. Altman first published the model in 1968. Altman holds a PhD in finance from the University of California and authored many articles and books on bankruptcy....

Michael Porter regarded the selection of a defendable position within an industry as the end result of a competitive strategic analysis. He argued that successful, profitable companies generally choose to compete on either low costs or by differentiating their products to meet specific customer needs. Although these two strategic options are mutually exclusive,...

The Canadian academic, Henry Mintzberg who had trained as a mechanical engineer, wrote his PhD thesis at the MIT Sloan School of Management analysing the actual work habits and time management of chief executive officers (CEOs). In 1973, Mintzberg's thesis on the nature of managerial work was adopted as a study and published for a wider audience. Mintzberg's...

The historian, Alfred Chandler, substantiated his 'Structure follows Strategy' thesis based on four case studies of American conglomerates that dominated their industry from the 1920's onward. Chandler described how the chemical company Du Pont, the automobile manufacturer General Motors, the energy company Standard Oil of New Jersey and the retailer Sears...