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| Preface | |
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| About the Author | |
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| Introduction | |
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| Persistent Winning and Losing | |
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| A Sweet Spot | |
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| Agile, Disciplined, and Focused | |
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| Managing the Tension | |
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| In Summary | |
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| Companies that Hit and Missed the Mark | |
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| Characteristics of Winners and Losers | |
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| Time and Industry as Reference Points | |
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| Continued Outstanding Performance | |
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| How Market Leaders Create Shareholder Value | |
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| In Summary | |
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| Winners | |
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| Companies that Keep Winning | |
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| Amphenol | |
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| SPX | |
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| Fiserv | |
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| Dreyer's | |
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| Forest Labs | |
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| Ball | |
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| Brown & Brown | |
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| Family Dollar | |
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| Activision | |
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| In Summary | |
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| Sweet Spots | |
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| Co-Design | |
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| Embed | |
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| Broker | |
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| In Summary | |
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| Agility | |
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| Respond Swiftly to Threats and Opportunities | |
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| Don't Get Too Big-With Smaller Size Comes Greater Flexibility | |
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| Grow Your Business in Accord with Your Customers' Changing Needs | |
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| Move Toward New and Promising Markets Where Customers Have Specialized Needs Only You Can Meet | |
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| Be an Aggressive Acquirer, Taking Advantage of the Opportunities to Broaden and Enhance Your Product Offerings | |
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| Be Sufficiently Diversified So That You Can Compensate for a Decline in One Segment with Strengths in Another Segment | |
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| In Summary | |
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| Discipline | |
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| Maintain Ongoing, Effective Programs That Reduce Costs and Raise Quality | |
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| Control Distribution | |
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| Make for Smooth Transitions in Managing Your Acquisitions | |
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| Create a Special Culture to Get Your Employees Involved | |
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| Monitor and Influence Regulatory Changes, and Promptly Comply with Policies That Affect the Firm | |
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| In Summary | |
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| Focus | |
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| Focus on Core Strengths-Stick to Your Mission | |
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| Develop High-Growth, Application-Specific Products for Markets with Growth Potential | |
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| Extend Your Global Reach | |
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| In Summary | |
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| Losers | |
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| Companies that Keep Losing | |
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| LSI Logic | |
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| Snap-On | |
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| Parametric Technology | |
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| Campbell Soup | |
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| IMC Global | |
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| Goodyear | |
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| Safeco | |
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| The Gap | |
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| Hasbro | |
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| In Summary | |
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| Sour Spots | |
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| Too Expensive | |
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| Too Cheap | |
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| Too Broad and Complex | |
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| In Summary | |
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| Rigidity | |
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| Do Not Rely Exclusively on Expansion of Your Core Products for Growth | |
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| Avoid Over-Reliance on Hard-to-Differentiate Commodity Products Sold on the Basis of Price | |
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| Do Not Accumulate Additional Capacity at High Prices When Demand Is Insufficient | |
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| Respond Vigorously When Experiencing a Decline in Your Core Business Area | |
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| Don't Lag in Recognition and Reaction to Changes in Your Customers' Tastes | |
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| Bigger Is Not Necessarily Better | |
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| Move to Profitable Niches | |
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| In Summary | |
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| Ineptness | |
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| Develop Capabilities to Provide Best-in-Class Service and Customizable Offerings at Low Cost | |
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| Gain Mastery Over the Supply Chain | |
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| Be Proactive in Managing Your Acquisitions | |
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| Make Sure Your Employees Are Motivated | |
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| Maintain High Ethical Standards and Develop Capabilities to Manage Regulation | |
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| In Summary | |
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| Diffuseness | |
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| Maintain a Clear Strategic Direction-Do Not Spread Yourself Too Thin | |
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| Focus on Markets That Have Future Promise | |
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| Do Not Rely on a Global Focus to Fix Domestic Problems | |
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| In Summary | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| Winning and Losing Practices | |
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| A Sweet Spot | |
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| An Example of the Search for a Sweet Spot: The Market for Painkillers | |
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| Agility, Focus, and Discipline: Finding a Balance | |
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| A Diagnostic for Knowing if Your Company is Focused, Disciplined, and Agile | |
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| In Summary | |
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| Dell's Focus and Discipline | |
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| Turnarounds | |
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| Safeco | |
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| SPX | |
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| In Summary | |
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| Best Sellers Compared | |
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| Using the Stock Market as an Indicator of Performance | |
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| Additional Data on the Companies | |
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| Patterns of Winning and Losing Companies | |
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| Acknowledgments | |
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| Sources | |
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| Amphenol and LSI Logic Sources | |
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| SPX and Snap-On Sources | |
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| Fiserv and Parametric Sources | |
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| Campbell's and Dreyer's Sources | |
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| Forest Laboratories and IMC Global Sources | |
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| Goodyear and Ball Sources | |
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| Brown & Brown and Safeco Sources | |
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| Family Dollar Inc. and Gap Inc. Sources | |
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| Hasbro and Activision Sources | |
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| Endnotes | |
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| Index | |