The Agenda	Following the Internet craze, companies are now rediscovering the virtues of basic operational improvement practices. Is this simply the return of reengineering? No, it’s more than that. In The Agenda, Michael Hammer invites managers to think bigger than they did in the nineties, offer total customer solutions rather that just great products, and optimize the entire supply chain rather than just internal processes.
Michael Hammer, Crown-Business, 2001.
Simplicity Marketing	Consumers are increasingly stressed by the complex choices they must make every day. Companies have flooded the market with a proliferation of product types and varieties, price options and brand names. Simplicity Marketing speaks against this trend, and recommends a return to simplicity. The authors recommend that companies adopt a proactive strategy to simplify product ranges, brands, pricing and communication. The fact that this strategy makes customers happier and cuts costs for the company are certainly two big advantages.
Steven M. Cristol & Peter Sealey, The Free Press, 2000.
Managing Customer Value	The author observes that the customer value proposition could be managed more effectively in many companies, and that successful companies are perceived by customers as offering more value than their competitors. Based on this observation, the book describes a whole set of methodologies to identify and compare perceived proposition value, as well as measures to help focus company efforts on effective improvement priorities.
Bradley T. Gale, The Free Press, 1995.
Meeting of the Minds	This book analyzes two traditional product development approaches, i.e. the ÒpushÓ model, which uses the latest research developments to win markets; and the ÒpullÓ model, which consists primarily of responding to customer demand. After showing the limitations of each approach, the author proposes a third path that combines the advantages of both push and pull, and describes its impact on marketing organization functioning.
Vincent P. Barabba, Harvard Business School Press, 1995.
Power Pricing	The book presents the following five methods that allow companies extract the maximum value from their customers by optimizing their products and services in several ways while differentiating on price: introduce slight product differences; control access to information; adapt products to specific customer needs; play with time; link several products together.
Robert J. Dolan and Hermann Simon, The Free Press, 1996.
When Lean Enterprises Collide	This book, principally devoted to cost control techniques, offers interesting thoughts on the strategic impact of lean production methods. The author shows that it is illusory for companies to pursue sustainable differentiation, and consequently recommends that they acquire management skills required to succeed in a context of direct competition.
Robin Cooper, Harvard Business School Press, 1995.