Overview

Years in the making and sweeping in scope, this major work explains how in every industry three major players emerge to dominate the market, with the balance filled by specialist niche players, and how this determines business strategy. In an indispensable guide to predicting trends in mergers, competition and profitability, Jagdish Sheth and Rajendra Sisodia offer crucial insights for businesses large and small. Based on extensive studies of market forces, they show that the vast majority of industries follow a distinct pattern and ultimately fall under the influence of 'the rule of three.' Evidence suggests that three full-line, volume driven competitors eventually emerge to capture between seventy and ninety percent of a given market. Documenting how markets evolve into two complementary sectors, generalists, which cater to a large, mainstream group of customers at both the high and low ends of the market, and any company caught in the middle is likely to be swallowed up or destroyed. Sheth and Sisodia show how most markets resemble a shopping centre with specialty shops anchored by large stores. Drawing wisdom from these markets, THE RULE OF THREE offers counterintuitive insights, which inform suggested strategies for the 'Big 3' players, as well as for mid-sized companies that may want to mount a challenge and for specialists who want to flourish

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Reviews

"Stan Davis author of ""Blur"" and ""Lessons from the Future"" These two know what they're talking about. This is not about a business fad. With a deceptively simple principle, ""The Rule of Three"" richly explains the evolution of industry structures and the appropriate strategic responses. It's built on solid research and powerful insight. I found myself underlining gems on every other page. Whether your company is a full-line generalist or a niche specialist, and especially if it is in the endangered middle, this book is a thoughtful and solid guide for everyone who intends to stay in business for a long time. Dr. William DavidsonCEO, MESA Research Every decade or two, a breakthrough book appears to shed light on business dynamics and show leaders a superior way to create value. This is that book. Read it sooner, rather than later. George FisherRetired Chairman & CEO, Eastman Kodak Company The authors bring together an impressive wealth of corporate market histories to present a valuable framework for thinking through corporate strategy. Identifying where a company is in this framework and laying one's strategies against the suggested rules for that position provides an extremely valuable, thought-provoking, and prescriptive tool for strategy development. If you can't clearly say that you are headed to be one of the three dominant generalist survivors in a market, or a strong product or market niche player, you will probably be in harm's way. Wherever you are, ""The Rule of Three"" will help you walk through the minefields and around the ditch. Philip KotlerNorthwestern University, Kellogg School of Management Sheth and Sisodia have written one of the most provocative and original business books to come out in years. Whether your company functions in your industry as a generalist, a specialist, or is stuck in a ditch, you will find a catalog of strategies for surviving, reviving, or prospering. Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeldauthor of ""The Hero's Farewell,"" Associate Dean, Yale School of Management Sheth and Sisodia present original research and analysis that reveal a Nobel-prize-quality realization of how mature markets work. No corporate leaders can wisely guide their enterprises through the turbulence of contemporary competitive markets without this book as their navigational map. Stan Davisauthor of ""Blur"" and ""Lessons from the Future"" These two know what they're talking about. This is not about a business fad. With a deceptively simple principle, ""The Rule of Three"" richly explains the evolution of industry structures and the appropriate strategic responses. It's built on solid research and powerful insight. I found myself underlining gems on every other page. Whether your company is a full-line generalist or a niche specialist, and especially if it is in the endangered middle, this book is a thoughtful and solid guide for everyone who intends to stay in business for a long time."

George Fisher<p>Retired Chairman & CEO, Eastman Kodak Company<p>The authors bring together an impressive wealth of corporate market histories to present a valuable framework for thinking through corporate strategy. Identifying where a company is in this framework and laying one's strategies against the suggested rules for that position provides an extremely valuable, thought-provoking, and prescriptive tool for strategy development. If you can't clearly say that you are headed to be one of the three dominant generalist survivors in a market, or a strong product or market niche player, you will probably be in harm's way. Wherever you are, The Rule of Three will help you walk through the minefields and around the ditch.<p>

Stan Davis author of Blur and Lessons from the Future These two know what they're talking about. This is not about a business fad. With a deceptively simple principle, The Rule of Three richly explains the evolution of industry structures and the appropriate strategic responses. It's built on solid research and powerful insight. I found myself underlining gems on every other page. Whether your company is a full-line generalist or a niche specialist, and especially if it is in the endangered middle, this book is a thoughtful and solid guide for everyone who intends to stay in business for a long time. Dr. William DavidsonCEO, MESA Research Every decade or two, a breakthrough book appears to shed light on business dynamics and show leaders a superior way to create value. This is that book. Read it sooner, rather than later. George FisherRetired Chairman & CEO, Eastman Kodak Company The authors bring together an impressive wealth of corporate market histories to present a valuable framework for thinking through corporate strategy. Identifying where a company is in this framework and laying one's strategies against the suggested rules for that position provides an extremely valuable, thought-provoking, and prescriptive tool for strategy development. If you can't clearly say that you are headed to be one of the three dominant generalist survivors in a market, or a strong product or market niche player, you will probably be in harm's way. Wherever you are, The Rule of Three will help you walk through the minefields and around the ditch. Philip KotlerNorthwestern University, Kellogg School of Management Sheth and Sisodia have written one of the most provocative and original business books to come out in years. Whether your company functions in your industry as a generalist, a specialist, or is stuck in a ditch, you will find a catalog of strategies for surviving, reviving, or prospering. Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeldauthor of The Hero's Farewell, Associate Dean, Yale School of Management Sheth and Sisodia present original research and analysis that reveal a Nobel-prize-quality realization of how mature markets work. No corporate leaders can wisely guide their enterprises through the turbulence of contemporary competitive markets without this book as their navigational map. Stan Davisauthor of Blur and Lessons from the Future These two know what they're talking about. This is not about a business fad. With a deceptively simple principle, The Rule of Three richly explains the evolution of industry structures and the appropriate strategic responses. It's built on solid research and powerful insight. I found myself underlining gems on every other page. Whether your company is a full-line generalist or a niche specialist, and especially if it is in the endangered middle, this book is a thoughtful and solid guide for everyone who intends to stay in business for a long time.

George FisherRetired Chairman & CEO, Eastman Kodak CompanyThe authors bring together an impressive wealth of corporate market histories to present a valuable framework for thinking through corporate strategy. Identifying where a company is in this framework and laying one's strategies against the suggested rules for that position provides an extremely valuable, thought-provoking, and prescriptive tool for strategy development. If you can't clearly say that you are headed to be one of the three dominant generalist survivors in a market, or a strong product or market niche player, you will probably be in harm's way. Wherever you are, The Rule of Three will help you walk through the minefields and around the ditch.

Author Information

Jagdish Sheth teaches at the Goizueta Business School of Emory University, where he is the Charles H. Hellstadt Proferssor of market strategy. He lives in Atlanta Georgia. Rajendra Sisodia is currently Trustee Professor of Marketing at Bentley College in Waltham Massachusetts. He lives in Lexinton, Massachussets.

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