Members with This Book
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“What do Tetra aquarium supplies, Elector-Nite sensors, and Nissha touch panels have in common? They are typical "hidden champions" – medium-sized, unknown companies (with annual revenues under $4 billion) that have quietly, under the radar, become world market leaders in their respective industries. Hermann Simon has been studying these hidden champions for over 20 years, and in this sequel to his worldwide bestseller, Hidden Champions, he explores the dramatic impact of globalization on these companies and their outstanding international success. ”
Soundview Executive Book Summaries wrote this review Tuesday, November 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is a book about "hidden champions," defined as companies that are #1, 2 or 3 in terms of their global market, have less than $4 Billion in revenue and a low level of public awareness. Herman Simon, chairman of Simon-Kucher (a premiere strategy, marketing and pricing consultancy) does a good job of exploring what makes these companies successful. His database of hidden champions is about 2,000 companies, 80% of which come from the German-Scandinavian region (about 500 from the USA). Approximately 10% of these companies have failed in the past 10 years. Simon contends that most management research is focused on large, well-known companies, yet there is hidden knowledge to be gleaned from these hidden champions.
Ron B wrote this review Saturday, October 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
There are some interesting observations, but after reading The Halo Effect and The Management Myth (both reviewed herein) you have to take all this with a grain of salt. There's not one path to success, and the knowledge to be learned from these companies is all about the past. Entrepreneurship, on the other hand, deals with the future. I did like Simon's emphasis on innovation and globalization as the key drivers to growth, and how "growth without profit is lethal." There are some interesting observations about pricing (Simon is a prominent pricing consultant), and it seems even these hidden champs struggle with pricing for value. If you deal with any of these hidden champions, you'll probably enjoy the profiles contained in this work. Otherwise, it's just another business book loaded with financial performance and common sense observations.
”
displaying 1-2 of 2
