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Death Knell for the Category Killers?

Harvard Business Review

The focus that made them so powerful in the 1980s and 90s is creating the conditions for their current struggles. During the current recession, overall consumer spending has declined or held flat, sales per square foot have not improved significantly, and retailers' return on invested capital (ROIC) has suffered dramatically.

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How Companies Can Use Investors to Their Advantage

Harvard Business Review

Yet investors can be a powerful strategic resource, providing not only capital but also less-biased insight into the threats and opportunities that a company encounters. It would implement targets linked to shareholder value, including ROE and ROIC.