Porter uses the term to refer to stability in the core value proposition. It is his fifth test of a good strategy. A strategy is a path, not a destination. A company can stay on the path without standing still, a distinction that is misunderstood by those who think that strategy is somehow $$static$,$ or that it doesn$$t allow for change. All of the other elements of strategy$$tailoring a value chain to the value proposition, extending trade$-$offs, achieving fit across activities$$take time to develop. Without continuity of direction, a company would be unable to develop and deepen its competitive advantage.