Market-research

In Will and Vision, the authors refute the theory that first-movers have an overwhelming advantage, and replace it with the idea that seven factors, that can be summarized as will and vision (hence the title of the book) are instead the factors that permit companies to dominate markets.

First, the author performed an in depth empirical study that included 43 different industries at different times in order to show that the original entrants in many markets were not in fact the current leaders. Instead, the authors offer the following seven factors as the main ones in determining whether firms became leaders in their markets:

•Envisioning the Mass Market - Examples include P&G with Pampers disposable diapers for everyone instead of for travelers only and Kodak with photographs for the non-professional.
•Uniqueness of Vision - Examples include Tim Berners-Lee and the development of the WorldWideWeb and King Gillette's view of the razor market.
•Persisting Against All Odds - Examples include Bill Gates' persistence that landed him the operating system contract with IBM and Haloid's persistence over a decade that created Xerox.
•The Need for Relentless Innovation - Examples include Moore and Noyce leaving Fairchild Semiconductor to found Intel and the relentless pace of innovation there, and Gillette's close brush for lack of innovation in the 1960s and its ensuing fast pace since.
•Organizing for Innovation - Examples include HP's organization beating Xerox and IBM at the laser printer market, and Netscape beating Mosaic by taking talent and rewarding it.
•Raising and Committing Financial Resources - Examples include Fred Smith's almost bankruptcy to keep FedEx alive and Amazon sacrificing profits for a long period in order to achieve its envisioned mass market level of service.
•Leveraging Assets Despite Uncertainty - Examples include IBM losing the PC battle because it did not want to hurt its mainframe sales, and Charles Schwab's leadership in web trading after it chose to focus on it and sacrifice off line higher margins.

Overall, I found it a very good entertaining book, with anecdotes that help support the ideas the authors suggest. I strongly recommend it.

This book comes out with a hypothesis challenging conventional thinking which assumes that pioneers dominate markets. Collecting and analyzing historical data from over 66 industry segments the conclusions by the authors is baffling. This is not a case where statistics is used conveniently to support untested theories using available tools to prove a point. The approach to understanding market dominance and the role of pioneers and followers is path breaking. Contrary to common belief, data shows that in many cases the pioneers have as little as 9 % market share. The ingredients for success are therefore not being there first, but doing the right things.

Five factors that emerge as key to ensuring long term success and market dominance are Vision, Persistence, Financial Commitment, Innovation and Asset leverage- factors that are structurally related in a causal chain starting with a clear vision for a mass market. There are innumerable examples and detailed cases where the inability to see a mass market for innovative products has resulted in late comers grabbing the market from incumbents. Fear of cannibalization of existing products, bureaucracy, complacency, are some other causes that stifle growth.

After explaining the hypothesis, a good and crisp summary of the conclusions from the historical data, every chapter proceeds sequentially to substantiate the findings. This is a rare combination of business history, statistical analysis and strategy. It is this unique combination and the unconventional wisdom that is bound to make this book a classic in its own right. The range of products covered varies from diapers to couriers and computers. IBM, Microsoft, Fed Ex, Xerox, Gillette are some companies that are discussed in detail.

Comparing it with other books on similar research, my prescription for business would be:

Innovators Dilemma + Will and Vision + Built to Last + Good to Great = Road to Market dominance.

Highly recommended.

Gerard J. Tellis and Peter N. Golder methodically and empirically demonstrate that pioneers are rarely rewarded for their efforts at the end of the day. The confusion between pioneers and current market leaders lies in the exclusion of failures (survival bias), tendency for managers to refer to their own firm as the pioneer (social desirability or self-reports bias), and self-serving market definitions (self-serving bias). For example, the Gillette Company is the oldest surviving firm in the disposable razor market. However, the Gillette Company was not the firm that first commercialized the razor. Similarly, Intel was not the firm that first brought the microprocessor or CPU to the market, even it has been perceived as the pioneer in that industry.

Tellis and Golder brilliantly build on over a decade of in-depth research to show that vision, persistence, relentless innovation, financial commitment, and asset leverage are the real factors that drive the superior performance of enduring leaders like the Gillette Company and Intel.

1. In their examination of "Vision", Tellis and Golder take their distance from the traditional definition of that much abused business term. Often, vision is indeed synonymous with broad mission statements used to excite and inspire stakeholders of an organization. In Counter-intuitive Marketing, Kevin J. Clancy and Peter C. Krieg concurred that most companies do not have much of a vision (See especially pg. 74 - 86). Vision has two key components according to Tellis and Golder: 1. A focus on the often-decried mass market with its dynamic and evolving needs and 2. A unique perspective of serving that mass market. For example, in contrast to its top competitors, AOL has stressed from the beginning convenience, ease to use, community, and ubiquity. Similarly, McDonald's has stressed from the onset quality, service, cleanliness, and value to build a worldwide network of mainly franchisees for bringing fast food to the masses. In Product Strategy for High Technology Companies, Michael E. McGrath gives a good complement to Tellis and Golder's definition of vision by explaining it as an answer to three key questions: 1.Where does a firm want to go? 2. How will the firm get there? And most critical 3. Why will the firm be successful? (See especially pg. 12, 306, and 317).

2. In their analysis of "Persistence", Tellis and Golder debunk the myth that enduring market leaders usually achieve their success through luck or sudden breakthroughs. In fact, visionaries have the will to persist in their efforts through seemingly insurmountable obstacles, slow progress, and long time efforts. The origin, early struggles, and ultimate success of Federal Express showed how important the vision and persistence of Fred Smith, its founder, made the difference at the end of the day. Similarly, the ultimate success of xerography after 13 years of research was due to the unwavering faith of former Xerox (Haloid)'s CEO, Joseph Watson in the underlying technology.

3. In their approach to "Relentless Innovation", Tellis and Golder remind their audience about the importance of firms not resting on their laurels. Technology and consumer tastes constantly change. Tellis and Golder rightly identify complacency with past successes, bureaucracy, managerial occupation with current customers and competitors, and fear of cannibalizing existing products as the four enemies of the relentless pursuit of innovation. For example, the earlier history of the Gillette Company clearly indicated that its success led to complacency and arrogance detrimental to its market leadership several times. Quoting Andy Grove, one of the founders of Intel, "Only the paranoid survives." In Product Strategy for High Technology Companies, Michael E. McGrath gives a good complement to Tellis and Golder's examination of both time-based and cannibalization strategies (See especially pg. 219 - 234 and 257 - 271).

4. In their study of "Financial Commitment", Tellis and Golder demonstrate that visionaries show persistence in their ability and willingness to raise and commit financial resources whatever the obstacles in their way. For example, Federal Express was on the brink of bankruptcy for years before it finally took off. Similarly, King C. Gillette, one of the co-founders of the Gillette Company, struggled not only to launch the eponymous company but also to raise the capital necessary to commercialize his disposable razor for years.

5. In their dissection of "Asset Leverage", Tellis and Golder look at how generalized and specialized assets can be mobilized for dominating a product category. Tellis and Golder rightly identify the extent to which the new product category does or appears to threaten the old product category, a strict focus on costs, myopic view of markets, and bureaucracy as the four major hindrances to leveraging assets. Xerox squandered more than one opportunity to leverage its assets to adopt and commercialize the revolutionary discoveries of its Palo Alto Research Center for years. In contrast, Microsoft showed sacrificing several products in development as the way to catch up with the competition after it had initially misjudged the potential of the Internet revolution.

Tellis and Golder also remind their audience that the relative importance of the five factors mentioned above varies by firm and market characteristics: new firms, established firms competing in established markets, and established firms entering new, yet unrelated markets (See pg. 265 and 266).

To summarize, Will and Vision by Gerard J. Tellis and Peter N. Golder is like The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen a major contribution to a better understanding of how markets really work.

I found it hard to put this book down. The characters are well developed, the plot quite believable. Trauma surgeons rule!

Howard Simon gets it right the first time! He captivates the reader with this ultra-realistic account of animal rights activists gone mad. The characters are well defined and the action keeps you turning the pages hour after hour. I've read this book several times and it got better every time I read it.

The author's scientific/medical background is apparent in this exciting thriller. Simon does an excellent job in painting a complete picture of his characters. Even the antagonists were people whose motives, if not methods, could be appreciated. A great first novel!

I was curious about the nearly unanimous 5-star rating given this book by other reviewers. After picking up a copy from Amazon and reading it, let me join the chorus with my own 5-star rating! What a find! Murstein seems to cover nearly everything you would want to know about the market in a succinct and humorous manner, remarkable for a volume of only 350 pages. Of particular and topical interest: it has been published recently enough to discuss the impact of the Enron scandal and how investors should approach the market in these times. It is scholarly without being stodgy. Murstein evaluates the great variety of strategies, schemes, systems and newsletters out there with a very critical eye. He names names and doesn't pull any punches. While the book is oriented mainly toward the individual securities investor, he does have a useful section on mutual funds (my special interest). There's one outstanding chapter near the end (alone worth the price of the book) called "Maxims, Adages and Suggestions" - over 70 of these, many of which are very useful. One last word: I'm familiar with and rely on the Lynch and Zweig investment books; the Murstein volume beats them both hands down!

This book is a must for every serious investor. It is informative and based on research findings, but humorous and easy to read. I especially liked the chapters showing that serious individual investors can outperform professional money managers, and how to do it.

Finally! A book every individual investor can understand and use immediately. Murstein is both lucid and witty. His analyses are scholarly but clearly presented. Practical? Check his chapter on a rational approach to selecting stocks. My own investment strategies will never be the same. Professor Murstein, where were you when we needed you at the beginning of our investment rollercoaster?

I've seen a lot of Internet books come and go. This is one of the few that sits on my bookshelf and that I pull down frequently. Author Peter Clemente has his pulse on what's going on out there and shares it in a very accessible, one-to-one tone, unlike many of these books that are just brimming over with geek speak. --Larry Chase, publisher, Web Digest For Marketers

This book distinctively captures the evolution of the Internet in statistics and an easy, fun to read narrative. I believe it is an indispensable treasure trove for marketers, entrepreneurs and students -- anyone interested in cutting through the hype to understand the realities of who uses the Internet today, what they do online, and how the Internet is likely to evolve in the near future. I've found no other book like it, especially the way it uses survey statistics and analysis to support its conclusions. It's really a neat, unique book.

As a small start-up company in the rapidly changing world of new media we're always looking for reliable Internet information to support our business objectives. "State of the Net" has not only helped justify our existence to our investors, but also helped us identify a new target online audience. We've invested thousands of dollars in industry reports in the past and ended up with very little substantive information. In "State of the Net", Mr. Clemente provides a gold mine of useful and reliable information. Any Internet start-up would be crazy to pass up this gem. Steven Canale

The book is a must read for anyone serious about strategy in Latin America, or anyone
interested in the Hispanic segment of the U.S. market. The authors have a deep understanding of Latin culture and business and are able to explain clearly and objectively the risks involved in Latin America, while at the same time presenting an unbiased picture of the unlimited opportunities in the region. They also provide the reader a road map for avoiding common mistakes when doing business in the region and present some innovative tools to develop sound strategies in the market. The book's content definitely lives up to its title. Winning Strategies for the New Latin Markets is a clear, thorough, and convincing state-of-the-art volume that will prove indispensable to executives, business students, and others interested in the Latin American and U.S. Hispanic markets.

Eugenio Sevilla-Sacasa

This timely book is a must for anyone contemplating investing or trading in Latin America. It offers the most complete insight of the region's business/economic climate. Moreover, it serves as an excellent guide to avoid the many stumbling blocks often encountered by many U.S. businessmen in formulating a business case or strategy. The chapter on 'Reaching the New Latin Consumers' is most instructive. Here the authors' thorough analysis on identifying and reaching the consumer is vital to any business case. Too often U.S. companies fail to fully understand the Latin consumer in terms of demand and purchasing power. The Mexican and Brazilian case studies presented are outstanding. Again this gem of a book is indispensable to anyone interested or planning to go after the 600 million population south of the border.

For anyone interested in business in Latin America, this book is an instant classic--a seminal strategy book, in the mold of Porter, Ohmae, Hamel, and Prahalad. It's original and innovative conceptual framework, comprehensive statistical data, and rich and insightful cases will prove invaluable to executives, consultants, professors and students. Although the Latin American region is currently experiencing a "rough patch", scores of firms continue to implement winning strategies and reap huge benefits. Robles, Simon, and Haar illustrate these strategies with tremendous insight and depth of analysis.As Latin America recovers economically and growth takes off, as it eventually will, this book will serve as an indispensable road map for companies doing business (or considering business) in the region.

Most helpful marketing book I ever read. It had information I never knew I needed in a brief,descriptive format that I put to use while finishing the book. The reference materials were also very helpful.

"Brand Aid" is the most comprehensive of all the materials that I've read on brand management. It is packed with resources to gain understanding in what branding is and how it can be implemented to benefit an organization. The case studies are engaging and relatable, and the checklists are thought provoking. The succinct content in each chapter makes this book an invaluable reference tool.

Even the most basic branding concepts in the early chapters were insightful and deepened my belief in the importance of building strong relationships with customers and employees.

My organization began a branding initiative earlier this year. I now wish I had read "Brand Aid" before we started. This book should become required reading for all business leaders responsible for driving the growth of their organizations.

Thomas J. Miller
Product Marketing, Director
Newport Corporation, Inc.

Of all the books I've read on marketing and branding, this one is the shining star! I'll also go out on a limb and assert that it's one of the best books I've seen published by AMACOM. With those superlatives in place, let's look at the book.

The challenge of market positioning, business-to-consumer and business-to-business, has intensified. Buyers' minds have become crowded-no, cluttered-with a bombardment of messages urging them to select one product or service over another. Organizations that desire to positively influence people about their offerings must be concerned about brand. And "organizations" encompasses more than just manufacturers, retailers, and other for-profits. Not-for-profits, schools, civic groups, causes, and even individuals need to pay more attention to developing, enhancing, and defending their brands.

This high-content book is written for beginners as well as those who think they know at least something about what they're doing. In chapter after chapter, "Brand Aid" delivers critical knowledge that is both educational and though-provoking. The chapters conclude with sets of questions to help readers measure just how well they're doing...and what needs to be done. No matter how good you think you are, you will find reinforcement and unsettling feelings for work to be done in each of these check-off lists. "Did You Know" inset boxes throughout the book provide interesting facts, case studies, and other material to effectively supplement the primary text. The three appendices deliver even more knowledge...and challenging questions.

As I read this book, I felt like I was taking a college course-maybe a graduate course-in branding. I found myself wanting to talk with the professor to explore even further than the depth I was experiencing. The style of the book is quite engaging and will certainly hold the interest of people in the field. I'd recommend it as well for business owners and executives who may not be directly involved with branding; indirectly, you are a part of the process, and gleaning the messages and insights in this book will enable you to serve as a much more effective leader.

The comprehensive index and the book's website make "Brand Aid" even more useful. A glimpse of the cover and acknowledgement of what comes immediately to mind will stimulate your thinking, then turning the pages will start you on an exciting adventure. You'll be motivated to take action from practically every chapter, so get ready for an application-oriented reading experience. Great as a read-through and as a reference book.

The 2000 World Market Forecasts for Imported Lenses, Prisms, Mirrors, and Other Optical Elements

The first inclusive book on the cutting-edge field of modern optics, optics marker and its applications.
For the first time, all the major aspects of forecasting optics market are covered in one book, comprised of original methods developed by experts at all of the world. We can apply to a lot of Methods for optical production and its application, expecting with application technologies and the market forecasts, and also for experimental studies and testing of optical products. The contributors also detail the three key approaches as follows: a various geometrical optics (ray-tracing) and the rigorous design based on modern optic industry. Methods of approaching Optical Elements is an estimable reference for experts in the aerospace industry, research and development institutes, optoelectonic industry, as well as students and university professors.

This is a good step-by-step detailed tool. It is not for a beginning student or business person. You do need some understanding of terms before you use this book, but once you have a background, this book can be a great asset.

It is a touch overpriced, but then again most textbooks are.

While most marketing books talk at a very high level (targeted towards high-level managers in the organization) this book is the first of its kind that talks at the implementational level. This is a MUST READ for anybody interested in putting together action plans that can be used to get some real-world real-work done. I cannot stress enough how helpful this book has been to me in putting together my marketing plans (product/service based, product/service line based and brand based). Whats fascinating is how easy it is to read this book and quickly start to formalize executional plans. It covers varied topics in small concise chapters detailing different methodologies and where they can be applied. Topics covered range from competitive sets, industry analysis, customer analysis, forecasting markets, segments and everything a marketer needs to develop working marketing plans.

I constantly keep coming back to this book to evaluate how I am organizing my action plans and if I'm doing the right thing (from a process perspective).

BUY THIS BOOK AND BUY IT NOW.

A whole marketing planning course into 200 pages! I am a MBA who was required to read this. This should be required reading for anyone in business - students and professionals. It covers everything from Competitor Analysis to Market Potential and Forecasting. You can become a marketing guru in less than a week.

If you feel guilty or angry or depressed about the loss of a loved one--whether death occurred suddenly or after a long illness--this little book will enable you to deal with these emotions and the full range of others following a loss. Even though I had accepted that eventually I would lose my parents, the death of my mother was overwhelming. I read many chapters & verses in my bible, watched uplighting programs in the middle of the night, but my true comfort came through "Hello from Heaven!" I would love to see my mother, and the Guggenheims indicate that all of us may have the opportunity to experience the closeness of a loved one who has departed for a better, more glorious, and incredibly unimaginable place for us. The encounters that they researched & described are so uplifting and comforting, and their own personal comments about the experiences of others are like frosting on the cake! How wonderful to read something by writers who come across as very humble in their writing, but who offer so much hope and comfort for those of us left behind. Thank you, Bill & Judy!

This book proves out unequivocally that our loved ones and the love they have for us continues on beyond this life, beyond this place. Ms. Guggenheim reports that the spirit of the departed person and the love that it has for those who still remain, grows and flourishes upon the spiritual realms. This is made abundantly clear as one reads of the documented stories within this wonderful book of those who have been contacted in some way by their deceased loved ones.

What a blessing and a comfort this book is! To know that our loved ones not only live on but that they desire to communicate this to us is a true joy and a balm to the heart.

Congratulations to the Guggenheims for having the heart and soul to undertake a project of this magnitude during a time when after death communications (ADC's) were barely understood or talked about openly at all. Kudos to Judy and Bill!

I purchased this book last year after losing my father. I had gone to a website about life after death to find some answers. This book was on their recommended reading list, so I bought it. Each chapter describes different accounts of ADC's or after death communications, such as feeling a touch, hearing a voice, or smelling a fragrance. Each account is fascinating, and the most comforting fact I learned is that no matter what condition a person was in when they passed away-whether it be disease, if they were crippled or whatever-they are completely restored and appear to be in the prime of their lives. Our loved ones are happy, content and whole. The subject of suicide is also powerful here. It definitely has negative connotations on the other side. Believe me, this is a powerful book; I just bought it for my sister-in-law who lost her mother 3 months before my father died. She can't put it down, either. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is searching for answers and needs to know that their loved one is o.k.

Good conceptual overview. McQuarrie not only explains the distinction between exploratory and confirmatory market research; he also discusses which tools to use for each.

Tools discussed include secondary research, customer visits, focus groups, surveys, choice modeling, and experimentation. Although he doesn't provide much depth for each, he does provide a bibliography for further reference.

If you're dipping your toes into the waters of market research, you need this book. Its title is perfect: This really *is* a toolbox, written concisely for beginners.

I bought this book when my boss assigned me a market research task that could determine company direction. He gave me the task because of my past work with surveys and usability testing. I wasn't comfortable flying by the seat of my pants on this one -- determining company direction isn't the same as determining what people didn't like about a Help system you created or determining what does and doesn't work well in a computer program's user interface.

So I bought this book, and I'm glad I did. McQuarrie minced no words in explaining what market research is and what market research can and can't do for you. He next helped me determine the real goal for my research, and showed me what market-research tools are best suited for achieving that goal. He even told me what tools *not* to use. He did all this in the first 35 pages. The rest of the book describes the tools in the box. I only read the chapters about the tools relevant to my task. Within two hours, I had learned exactly what I needed to know for success -- no more, and no less.

I especially appreciate McQuarrie's writing style, which Strunk and White would call "vigorous." He packs a lot of information into very few words.

Take note: McQuarrie explains that his book will help you determine what tools you should use and tell you the basics of using the tool. However, he cautions that you should hire specialists to actually use the tools, because there is a lot of specialized knowledge behind successfully using each one. If you're determined to use these tools yourself, McQuarrie tells you what other books to read to get started.

This is a great book to provide a guide throughout any type of market research. I particularly found the section "Combining Research Techniques into Strategies" VERY helpful. It allows you to view a la carte what items you should be aware of when you are performing a certain type of research strategy (i.e., Market Segmentation). This is a "must have" for any type of Marketing or business professional!