In search of the secrets of success -- The customer-value competition is pushing many companies to the limit of their possibilities -- Changing market dynamics: the profitability of many companies is increasingly at risk -- Key strategic challenges as seen by decision-makers -- Success of the optimisers in the customer-value competition -- Summary conclusions to phase 1 -- Unanswered questions -- The IMP model: the strategies of winners -- The IMP model -- The result: explaining 50 per cent of corporate success is a lot, but at the same time not to much -- Core findings -- What makes top performers different? -- What makes top performers different? -- Top performers never settle for today's success -- The most senior executives are themselves the innovation drivers in the company -- Top performers succeed in combining forward-looking market knowledge with sustained competence management -- Top performers show an impressive understanding of innovation -- Top performers rely more on uniqueness than on market share -- Top performers put strong emphasis on culture development -- Market orientation: understanding markets, shaping the future -- Sourcing market knowledge: the new sources of innovation -- From simple to complex markets: understanding the rules of the game -- The new role of market research -- The sales determine the course, not the wind -- The market-based view versus the resource-based view -- The sources of core competences -- Managing core competences -- Corporate culture: the latent potential -- Values and identity as a basis for commitment -- The entrepreneurship culture -- Innovation: improving existing things, creating new things -- Delighting customers with something new -- Cost competition: redesigning processes -- Gearing processes towards the customer -- Developing new business models -- Top management: the architects of success -- Leadership, innovation and change -- The ability to be lucky -- What do top companies do differently? -- The insights of great leaders -- Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman and CEO, Nestl' SA -- Markus Langes-Swarovski, Member of the Executive board, Swarovski -- Prof Dr Michael Popp and Dr Uwe Baumann, Bionorica AG -- Stefan Pierer, CEO, KTM Sportmotorcycle AG -- Ren Obermann, CEO, Deutsche Telekom -- Michael Mirow, former head of strategic planning, Siemens AG -- Peter Lorange, President of IMD Business School -- Hans-Joachim Reck, Partner, Heidrick & Struggles, Germany -- Bibliography -- Notes.