1. Fully explain the statement/quote (from Porters article, What is Strategy) below and why it is true. In your answers, please explain what is meant by operational effectiveness. I want you to explain the quote as if you were informing those top managers around you (I am not asking you to type a transcript of your conversation) in order for them to realize how your company is going to achieve true competitive excellence and not settle for mediocrity. Explain the quote in a real practical, business way.

Constant improvement in operational effectiveness is necessary to achieve superior profitability. However, it is not usually sufficient. Few companies have competed successfully on the basis of operational effectiveness over an extended period, and staying ahead of rivals gets harder every day.

In your response to this question, I want you to incorporate the following terminology/concepts along with full explanations of what the terminology/concepts mean: imitation, benchmarking, diffusion of best practices, the productivity frontier, competitive convergence, and zero-sum competition. These concepts will help you to answer the quote.