Fast Second

Why Big, Established Companies Should Aim to Be Fast Second Rather Than Pioneers of Radically New Markets If your organization aspires to create or conquer the new markets of the twenty-first century, Fast Second offers concrete advice on how to go about achieving this. Internationally acclaimed strategy experts Constantinos Markides and Paul Geroski explore: How radical innovation creates new-to-the-world markets What the structural characteristics of early markets are and the implications for prospective new entrants How established firms can enter these markets and when is the right time to make their move What smart successful firms do to scale up new markets How to position one's company in markets that are being consolidated How to evaluate if your organization should be a pioneer or a fast-second consolidator This is more than just an interesting new business book. It is a bold challenge of the pervasive conventional wisdom of building breakthrough, innovative capability as a foundation stone of competitive advantage. Through their strong and clear argument and their richly detailed examples, these leading strategic thinkers present a provocative set of ideas that no manager (or management teacher) can afford to ignore. - Christopher A. Bartlett, Thomas D. Casserly, Jr. Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School Fast Second will force cutting-edge leaders of big, established companies to totally rethink radical innovation. Conquering radical new markets is about timing and a smart strategy for scaling them up, not creating them. - Kathleen M. Eisenhardt, Stanford W. Ascherman M.D. Professor, Stanford University, and coauthor, Competing on the Edge: Strategy as Structured Chaos