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Getting Bigger by Growing Smaller

A New Growth Model for Corporate America

by Joel M. Shulman and Thomas T. Stallkamp

FT Prentice Hall, 2004

Category: Strategy

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Getting Bigger by Growing Smaller

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In this summary you will learn

  • How to extend your company’s lifecycle through Strategic Entrepreneurial Units
  • How to finance SEUs
  • How to shield them from entrenched bureaucracies that would otherwise destroy them

Why you should read Getting Bigger by Growing Smaller

"Bigger is not always better" sounds right, but the patina of sweat on executive foreheads in boardrooms worldwide stems from the mandatory requirement to increase short-term revenues constantly in ever greater amounts. The problem with the corporate fixation on bigness is that size often brings a less desirable quality: unresponsiveness. That helps explain why the lifespan of the average Fortune 500 corporation is about 50 years. Now comes author Joel M. Shulman to suggest a mechanism your company can use to avoid that burnout lifecycle. In a sophisticated book targeted to tactical thinkers, he proposes that you consider the Strategic Entrepreneurial Unit (SEU). He explains that establishing a diverse portfolio of small-scale entrepreneurial enterprises within a parent organization can help convert a large, unwieldy corporation into a more enterprising, forward-looking company. And, then, he tells you how. This capably written, insightful manual is very soundly based on practical business realities and experience. getAbstract.com recommends it highly to business strategists and executives who guide the long-term well being of their companies.

About the Authors

Joel M. Shulman is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at Babson College. He directs the global Shulman Review Program for investment professionals. He consulted for Ford, Freddie Mac, Kmart, Sears, UNISYS and the World Bank. His books include How to Manage and Evaluate Capital Expenditures. Thomas T. Stallkamp is vice chairman and CEO of MSX International, a provider of collaborative enterprise services. Stallkamp serves on the boards of Visteon Corporation and Baxter International. He teaches at Babson College’s Graduate Entrepreneurship Center.

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