Focus: The Future of Your Company Depends on It: Amazon.ca: Al Ries: Books

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From Publishers Weekly

While he doesn't go so far as to say that small is beautiful, Ries (Positioning) levels a commonsense critique at the compulsion for growth that drives corporate America. Growth for its own sake, particularly when it involves diversification into products unrelated to a company's original business, Ries says, causes many companies to become unfocused, confuses customers and loses money. The frenzy for acquisitions that spread many a well-known brand name over a diversity of products has proved untenable, with the result that companies that grew fat are regaining their original focus by slimming down. Sears, Roebuck, a once focused retailer that expanded unwisely into real estate, stock brokering, business system centers and credit cards, is having to divest itself of all but its original retail chain. Managers seeking to focus or refocus their companies will find helpful examples here, drawn from a broad range of enterprises. $50,000 ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Ries, whose previous books were authored with Jack Trout, writes his latest with research assistance from his daughter. Together they go after the management of some of the world's most easily recognized firms, including PepsiCo and IBM. The authors use companies' experience as evidence that "focus" on the core businesses or products is the key to success in today's business environment, arguing that companies that remain focused, e.g., Volvo or McDonald's, have a substantially better track record than those that have strayed from their "core" businesses. This thesis, which is illustrated liberally with examples from the business world, is thoroughly developed. The reader may not always agree with the authors' statements, but they are well made and worth considering. For all management collections and for libraries that support all types of business, large or small.
Littleton M. Maxwell, Business Information Ctr., Univ. of Richmond, Va.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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4.5 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)

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3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining . . . Informative . . . Sometimes Shallow, May 13 2000

By

"guy-72" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Focus (Paperback)

In this book, Al Ries defines corporate focus as an organization's "necessary" and relentless pursuit to specialize within its industry. For example, one of Ries' examples, PepsiCo, should've focused on its core competency (the Pepsi cola brand), and spun off all other divisions such as its food chains division (KFC, Pizza Hut, Del Taco) and its snack foods division (Frito Lay). PepsiCo, he claims, will lose the war with Coca-Cola unless it focuses on just one enemy (Coke) rather than several. Interestingly enough, Ries's prophecy towards future focus within organizations happens to have become the biggest hit on Wall Street in 1997, and in the case of PepsiCo, came true.

Overall, Ries's call for corporate focus makes a lot of sense. He provides some wonderful examples throughout the book where companies have lost steam through a lack of focus, and then regained it through refocusing. In fact, probably the greatest contribution of this book comes from Ries's expansive milieu of business examples to support his focus-centered thesis. However, this book's downfall becomes apparent in its mid-section where Ries exposes his ignorance about other business philosophies that he imagines are different than his own. For example, his discussion of quality-based management (TQM) is hopelessly misinformed and biased, which will become obvious to even the neophyte in TQM philosophy. It is through his discussion of quality-based management where Ries's bias towards only his way of doing things is exposed. Also exposed is the fact that Ries's area of expertise is marketing, and he consequently pays less respect to others areas of business (namely, operations and support areas).

Although I enjoyed the many excellent business examples that Ries provides for the reader, and would recommend the book for that reason alone, I would not recommend the book as a whole. I believe that Ries's focus-centered thesis has trapped him to focus only on his way of focusing. To put it another way, Ries's focus will help a company perhaps attain its desired financial and market results, but can not contribute to the overall growth and development of the organization. As experienced here at JOICO, the word focus (without proper understanding) can be used in a multitude of different ways. Furthermore, we may focus on a certain type of product or market niche so much that we may miss the changing trends in the world that will someday make our focus and market dominance irrelevant. For example, Ries encourages Kodak to concentrate on its core competency, chemically processed film, and leave the digital stuff to another company. That may be good for Kodak's focus, but will probably kill Kodak in the long-term when chemically processed film becomes a thing of the past.

This book is very interesting, but I would not recommend it to the easily swayed business reader. Ries' is a sweet-talking salesman when it comes to his point of view, and it takes a well-educated outside view to see through some of his arguments.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Timelesss classic on branding, April 24 2007

By

Reg Nordman "(K)nights on the Road" (Vancouver, BC Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Focus: The Future of Your Company Depends on It (Hardcover)

Yes, 1996! Found this in a book-bin and realized that although I have read his successive books on marketing I never read the original book where he presented all his and Laura Reis' research. This is a trip back in time, but his predictions are uncanny! Lesson learned, he suggested IBM should move to "open source" long long ago. I defy you to read this and not have second thoughts about brand, message, and marketing today. Absolutely timeless book, despite the examples being all over 11 yrs old! Great for the bookshelf and a regular reference book. Pretty cheap these days!

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2.0 out of 5 stars Focused, but undisiplined, April 24 2004

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James Damschroder (Ft. Collins, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Focus (Paperback)

I believe this book makes a valid point for the pularity of companies today. There are just enough tidbits to make the read worthwhile. However, I found the book frustrating. The author suffers from disclipine. He makes poor use of analogies and the book, while chock full of examples, could many times be examples of the contra opionion: diversification. The author would benifit from application of scientific rigor that would add depth and credibility to his copious but superficial use of examples. Perhaps exploring a corporate strategy of diversification would of given him the credibility I needed to swallow all his claims. Without it he comes off as someone who makes up his mind what position he wants and then grasps anything possible to support his ideal. For those interested in the subject I relay the maxim, "Concentrate when in control otherwise diversify."

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good book
I have not finished this book yet, but I believe I am already benefited from the book. I won't be as puzzled and frustrated as I was, facing distractions and many seemingly... Read more

Published on April 3 2004 by Z. Yu

5.0 out of 5 stars Either You Love It Or Hate It!
Too many CEOs & businessmen did and are still doing the opposite.

"Focus" is easy to be convinced and same easy to be forgotten. Read more