Contending that the rate of change in the market has clearly outstripped the speed at which a conventionally managed company can respond, Day makes a compelling case for first creating customer value, without which there can be no shareholder value. He presents a proven market-driven approach to formulating and implementing competitive strategy at the business-unit level-- "in the trenches"-- based upon materials that have been empirically tested and critiqued in more than 200 internal executive programs and strategic planning sessions at such companies as U.S. West, General Motors, Marriott, Kodak, and General Electric, where he is director of the Product Planning Program.

Day introduces the five critical, interdependent choices that managers must make to create a market-driven organization in the 1990s. With dozens of examples from companies such as Otis Elevator, GE, H.J. Heinz, IKEA, Nestle, Acuson, and 3M, he shows how forward-thinking companies select their markets, differentiate their products, choose their communication and distribution channels, decide on the scale and scope of their support activities, and select future areas for growth.

Finally, Day persuasively documents that at these winning companies there is a commitment to thinking and planning processes that harness the power of bottom-up understanding of customers and competitive realities with top-down vision and leadership. A powerful vision is a shared intention that creates a winning atmosphere throughout the organization. By focusing attention on a desired leadership position, measuring progress against that achievement, and continually seeking new ways to gain competitive advantage by serving customers better, the actions and aspiration of the organization are given meaning.