MICHAEL PORTER
Born: 1947
Pedigree: Professor, Harvard Business School
Education: MBA and PhD, business economics, Harvard University
Speaking Fee: $70,000+
Shtick: Cost leadership, differentiation, and focus
Bio: His book Competitive Strategy created a sensation in 1980. It presented the idea that the commonly used competitive analysis model,­ aka the "growth/share matrix," was too simplistic. Instead, or­ganizations required a more complex and elaborate model that takes into account extended value chains involving trade partners and others. At age 26, Porter was one of the youngest tenured professors in Harvard's history. He has advised U.S. Congress, leading trade organizations, and business groups. Many consider Porter the leading business thinker of our era.
Books:The Competitive Advantage of Nations (1990), Competitive Advantage (1985), Competitive Strategy (1980)
Web:www.isc.hbs.edu

ALIGN="left" VSPACE="8" HSPACE="10">PETER SENGE
Born: 1947
Pedigree: Author; senior lecturer at MIT and founding chair of the Society for Organizational Learning
Education: MS, social systems modeling; PhD, management, MIT
Speaking Fee: Selectively accepts speaking engagements
Shtick: Organizations must constantly adapt in a world of growing complexity and change. Effective organizational learning is a ticket to success.