Network Advantage: How to Unlock Value From Your Alliances and Partnerships

Introduction: All Roads Lead to London

History teaches us that position is important. Imagine you've been transported back in time to the Roman province of Britannia in year 150 AD. You meet a Roman soldier and ask: “Where do the roads lead to on this island?” His answer is not Rome, but rather “Londinium” (London), a city which was founded around 50 AD and within a hundred years became a central connecting point for the major roads in the region (see Figure I.1). Londinium was connected by main routes to Durovernum (Canterbury), Noviomagus (Chichester), and Calleva (Silchester Roman Town), all key cities in the production and distribution of important resources. These cities provided road access to the major military bases of Eburacum (York) ...