Conclusion: Porter's perspective

This chapter provides an interpretation of the key perspectives and debates concerning Porter's contributions across the range of fields and disciplines into which he has delved, as well as Porter's own views on his career, contributions, and his critics. It draws on comments made by Porter in an interview with the authors. This interview provides a fascinating insight into the nature of Porter's thinking, especially in terms of seeking to connect the various strands that have contributed to his remarkable career. The chapter highlights that Porter's sustained mantra is competition, and he has consistently and emphatically used the competition metaphor to argue and promote its importance as the underlying driver of economic and business success. It is further shows Porter does not consider the pervasiveness of competition to merely restricted to the traditional corporate sector, but also extending to the arts, education, the environment, health care, and philanthropy, which he argues increasingly require competition in order to efficiently manage growing needs within a context of increasingly scarce resources.