Keeping the Edge

What is a company's balance point between the demands of its customers and the profit expectations of its shareholders? In the era of "lean and mean" operations, is quality service still the key to a business' bottom line? To answer these corporate life-and-death questions, Dick Schaaf, a leading authority on the subject and co-author of The Service Edge, goes back to the 101 companies he profiled in 1989 and reviews what has happened to them since. Ninety-nine of the original 101 are still in business, but all have had to learn valuable lessons along the way in order to keep, refine, and reinvent their edge in increasingly competitive markets. By looking at what has worked for corporations such as Home Depot, Merck, and McDonald's, and what has not for others such as American Express, Disney, and Acura, Schaaf reveals the new direction in service for CEOs, corporate managers, and small-business owners alike.