A repeatable formula for success
Industry Week 3/16/2010
by Jill Jusko
To achieve profitable growth in an unstable economic recovery, Chris Zook and James Allen, Bain & Company senior partners, outline five principles that can help successful companies create a repeatable formula to remain focused and profitable in the re-release of their 2001 book, Profit from the Core: A Return to Growth in Turbulent Times. These principles were designed from the results of a 10-year study performed by Bain of more than 2,000 companies.
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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.

The simple (but not easy) task of focusing
Financial Times 2/16/2010
by Stefan Stern
Given the complexity of running and maintaining a business successfully, many consider the role of chief executive an impossible job. However, in the reissue of his 2001 book, Profit from the Core, Chris Zook, a senior partner with the strategy consultants Bain & Company, details five key design principles that successful companies implement in order to most effectively utilize their core competencies.
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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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Focus on your core: it's the mantra at the heart of every big business success story
The Times 2/9/2010
by Angela Jameson
The idea that businesses should focus on their core is so well entrenched in corporate culture that it seems surprising that it can be traced back to a book published less than ten years ago. The book summing up the philosophy - Profit From The Core - was written at the height of the internet bubble by two of Mr Ringer's colleagues at Bain & Company, Chris Zook and James Allen. Times have changed dramatically since then, so Bain is reissuing the book for a new era and a new generation of business managers.
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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.