Grow to be great

by Dwight L. Gertz

"Using case studies, Gertz and Baptista analyze successful high-growth firms such as Starbucks, Staples, and USAA. They examine not only the strategies followed by these companies - customer franchise management, superior new product development, and channel management - but also what they did to make these strategies successful. They discuss how, regardless of differences in strategic approach, the transformations achieved by these firms are based on the same three "foundations for growth": superior customer value, outstanding economics across the value chain, and excellence in process execution. They demonstrate how these three foundations work together, forming a powerful framework through which to attain corporate goals.". "Distilling these findings into useful tools for the evaluation of any strategy; Gertz and Baptista show how those facing the difficult task of turnaround can get back to growth. By examining improvements at four companies within the context of their growth frame