Market followers with weak core businesses lost twice as much value during recession as leaders; saw profit margin swings 2-to-5 times greater than industry frontrunners; according to new Bain & Company study
Bain & Company press release 3/15/2010
According to a new Bain & Company 10-year study of more than 2,000 companies in 12 developed and emerging economies, nearly all businesses that consistently create value above and beyond their cost-of-capital are market leaders in their core businesses, yet only one-in-ten companies studied distinguished themselves as Sustained Value Creators.


February 2010

Most global profits come from turbulent industries
Harvard Business Publishing: The Daily Stat 2/26/2010
by Bain Global Strategy practice
Two thirds. That's how much of the global profit pool is in turbulent industries like media, telecom, autos, airlines, and financial services. All those industries are undergoing fundamental changes to their core business models.

Downturns are roller coasters for weak firms
Harvard Business Publishing: The Daily Stat 2/19/2010
by Bain Global Strategy practice
3x to 5x. During downturns, weaker businesses are the shock absorbers of their industries - their margin swings are often three to five times that of the leader. That gives companies with strong, focused cores the opportunity to invest and gain ground on their competitors during the downturn and the subsequent recovery.

A return to growth in turbulent times - video
Bain & Company 2/15/2010
by Chris Zook
Chris Zook, Bain partner author of Profit from the Core: a Return to Growth in Turbulent Times, offers insights on strengthening your core business while coming out of the downturn.
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Cold truth about hot markets
CNBC Squwak Box 2/12/2010
Chris Zook appeared on CNBC Squawk Box Europe to discuss findings from the updated version of Profit from the Core and the importance for companies to focus on their core business in order to expand successfully instead of diversifying into various markets. "There is a cold truth about hot markets," he said. The segment is 6 minutes and 52 seconds in length.
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Achieving sustained growth: No cakewalk
Harvard Business Publishing: The Daily Stat 2/9/2010
by Bain Global Strategy practice
12%. That's how many companies worldwide managed to grow profits and revenues more than 5.5% over the 10 years ending in 2008 and earn back their cost of capital, according to Bain's updated global database of Sustained Value Creators. The moral of the story: Achieving sustained, profitable growth is very challenging, and the odds of success are low.


January 2010

Profit from the core: A return to growth in turbulent times
Harvard Business Press 1/19/2010
by Chris Zook and James G. Allen
In this updated edition of Profit from the Core, authors Chris Zook and James Allen show that a renewed focus on the core is more critical than ever as firms seek to rebuild their competitive advantage coming out of the downturn-and that a strong core will be the foundation for successful expansion as the economy recovers. Building on powerful and proven ideas to meet today's formidable business challenges, Profit from the Core is a back-to-basics field guide.

A return to growth in turbulent times
Results Brief newsletter 1/13/2010
by Chris Zook and James Allen
Companies seeking to rebuild their competitive advantage need a strong core to expand successfully as the economy recovers.

A return to growth in turbulent times - video transcript
Video transcript 1/13/2010
by Chris Zook
Read the transcript from a 10-minute video interview with Chris Zook--a partner at Bain & Company who co-leads Bain's Global Strategy practice. He is the author of the new book Profit from the Core: a Return to Growth in Turbulent Times.


January 2009

Beyond the Core selected as one of "The 100 Best Business Books of All Time"
800 CEO Read 1/21/2009
by Todd Sattersten
The second book of Chris Zook's core growth trilogy, Beyond the Core: Expand Your Market Without Abandoning Your Roots, was selected by the founders of "800 CEO READ" to appear in their upcoming book, The 100 Best Business Books of All Time. That book's co-author, Todd Sattersten, posted a 3 minute 30 second video testimonial on You Tube about the findings from Beyond the Core and why it was chosen to be on their list.
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