US microelectronics firms face one of the most intensely competitive business environments in the world. Like a host of other industries, its stakes are the rich US domestic market and a burgeoning global market as well. Foreign firms often come to the fray with government subsidies and tariff barriers, while the US competitors typically must go it alone amidst high wages, high capital costs, price pressures and torrid technological change. But the electronics environment isn't unique; it is only the leading edge of competitive circumstances becoming widely visible on all sides. In automobiles, textiles, steel and other basics, as well as newer service businesses, intense global competition from increasingly skilled rivals is a fact of life. In suchmarkets, success lies in repeated, successful innovation coupled with effective business control. The Innovation Marathon explodes several myths: This book offers guidance from the experience of successful firms on how to achieve...
