Autor: Karsten Stoll

Successful enterprises pursue strategies, which are unique and for this reason cannot easily be imitated by competitors. Such strategies are based on a smart combination of various strategic variables. These variables are the result of the characteristic questions of strategy development: Who are our customers? What are our products and services? How are these products and services provided? The handling of a vast amount of strategic variables requires a systematic approach. Therefore we introduce a method which combines characteristics of strategic variables on a discursive way which leads to coherent and promising strategy alternatives. Hence we solve another problem in the context of strategy development: We provide alternatives which are often omitted in practical experience due to time constraints. To overcome the limits of usual thinking - next to things being “en vogue” in industry - and to make substantiated decisions alternatives are necessary.

Capital goods industry is imperilled by counterfeiting more than ever. Legal services are the preferred measure of companies facing this challenge. This article shows further possibilities how producing companies can protect themselves effectively against counterfeiting. There are many technological and organisational measures already available. Furthermore, innovative measures are being developed at the very moment. Considering this background it is necessary to inform affected companies about the manifold possibilities of preventing counterfeiting. Moreover it is essential to depict how a specific threat can be faced by combining stand alone measures to customised safety concepts.