Michael Porter

American economist and Harvard Business School professor — author of Competitive Strategy (1980) and Competitive Advantage (1985) — who created the Five Forces model, the value chain concept, and generic competitive strategies (cost leadership, differentiation, focus) — the most cited strategy scholar in history.

Created the economic vocabulary of competitive strategy — Porter's Five Forces (threat of entry, bargaining power of buyers and suppliers, threat of substitutes, competitive rivalry) and the value chain gave executives and consultants a rigorous framework for analyzing industry structure and firm positioning that remained dominant for 40 years.