Cutting Edge: Gillette's Journey to Global Leadership - Hardcover

McKibben, Gordon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0875847250 ISBN 13: 9780875847252

Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press, 1997

Synopsis

The Gillette Company has literally defined, as well as led, the world shaving market since the founding days of the enterprise in 1901. But more than that, Gillette--as revealed in McKibben's colorful history--has become a world leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer goods in men's and women's grooming products, writing instruments, and alkaline batteries. The modern-day Gillette serves as a shining example for today's managers of how to maintain a commitment to innovation, how to advertise creatively against competitors, and above all, how to translate a consistent vision of global growth into superior results in a competitive world marketplace.

Based on extensive interviews with Gillette insiders, Cutting Edge chronicles the successes, failures, and watershed moments in the evolution of a global powerhouse. McKibben's rich portrait serves as an enduring lesson for all competitors who aspire to be truly on the cutting edge.

About this title

Review:

Ever since a forward-thinking bottle-cap salesman named King Camp Gillette first grew tired of shaving with a dull razor more than 100 years ago, the company he then founded has prospered impressively--despite ongoing threats of hostile takeovers and downsizing--by continuing to explore new geographic markets and introduce fresh consumer products. Cutting Edge: Gillette's Journey to Global Leadership, by long-time business journalist Gordon McKibben, is a scrupulous, behind-the-scenes examination of the firm's history with an emphasis on the modern period that began around 1975 and solidified Gillette's deserved reputation as a worldwide powerhouse.

From the Inside Flap:

This is the story of one of the most successful--and most admired--U.S.-based global competitors in the history of modern organizations, as told by respected journalist Gordon McKibben. The Gillette Company has literally defined the world shaving market since its founding in 1901 by legendary salesman and inventor King Camp Gillette. But more than that, Gillette serves as a model for today's managers of how to maintain a commitment to innovation, how to advertise creatively against competitors, and above all, how to translate a consistent vision of global growth into superior results in the world marketplace.

Drawing on extensive interviews with Gillette insiders and executives on three continents, with particular emphasis on the company's recent past, Cutting Edge chronicles the successes, failures, and watershed moments in the evolution of a global powerhouse. From the creation of the first disposable double-edge blade, through the bitter fight for survival against Wall Street's hostile raiders of the 80s, to its success in the new and emerging markets of Eastern Europe and Asia, to the ongoing development of innovative products, Gillette emerges as a company that has leveraged revolutionary product design with shrewd marketing skill into a premier worldwide enterprise.

Moving quickly into new geographic markets--often in the face of significant business or political risks--defined Gillette's mission in its early days, and remains a hallmark of the company's strategy to this day. With nearly three-fourths of its employees working abroad, Gillette has developed a uniquely global "one-world" marketing strategy that distinguishes it from all other international business organizations. McKibben's rich and colorful portrait will serve as an enduring lesson for all organizations that aspire to be truly on the cutting edge.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0875847250
• ISBN 13: 9780875847252
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 427