Performance Without Compromise: How Emerson Consistently Achieves Winning Results

This book clearly lays out the Emerson business planning model, which is the process used to run the business. I work at Emerson, so i aready know a lot about this planning cycle. I think the average reader will not find this book that interesting, but it will useful to know the great information inside it. I wish that Mr. Knight would have shared some more stories about inside the board room and some of the more exciting history of his career. It would also have been interesting to get more about what he personally went through at Emerson and before. Finally, he should have included more about management and the HR side of developing the people.

Very good book.

This book is a clear exposition of why Charles Knight is one of the great CEO's of the last fifty years. Emerson is a focussed, consistently profitable company. Any manager, or person who wants to be a manager, deserves to read this book and learn how it's done.

Nice and high quality book

Provides insight into the mindset and energy (no pun intended) into the Emerson organization. Anybody engaged in business decisions and management would benefit from the thought process presented in the book.

Ordered paperback, got hard cover instead. No complaints!

Good insights into how a diverse industrial manages it's strategic planning and transforms as the market forces demand

Charles Knight clearly has an enviable track record - he and his predecessor achieved 43 consecutive annual increases in Earnings Per Share and Dividends Per Share at Emerson Electric (St. Louis, MO.) During Knight's tenure the firm grew from 12 divisions with less than $1 billion in annual revenues to over 60 divisions exceeding $15 billion. Getting there involved over 200 acquisitions, and an executive turnover rate of less than 4%.The bad news is that reading this book will not make you into another Charles Knight. Some pointers are there, but far more is needed - Larry Bossidy's "Execution," and "Confronting Reality" provide much greater detail and operational advice.The good news is that if you follow the points provided (eg. identifying growth areas to meet targets, rather than simply accepting the growth in existing markets; setting a goal of becoming the best cost producer - worldwide - also leads to best quality, if done correctly; summarizing plans in writing, and providing regular follow-up) - your firm WILL improve (unless is already is doing quite well).

Emerson Elecricは1956年から毎年売り上げ、利益ともに連続して前年を上回るというアメリカ企業の中でも賞賛されている優秀企業である。同社の2004年の売り上げは156億ドル、利益は12億ドルで全世界に245箇所の製造拠点を持ち、107,800人を擁している。決して華々しい製品を持っているわけでなくモータを応用した機器を多種販売している。同社は経済誌にたびたび取り上げられたし、100年史も刊行されているので経営史研究者には詳しい方もあると思う。しかし同社の経営システムについてはいままで明らかにされてこなかったが、本書は1973年から2000年までCEOを勤めたKnight氏と経営史が専門のDavis Dyerの共著により書かれたものである。表題のごとく”妥協なき成果”を求めて、同社は緻密な計画と徹底したコントロールで成功を収めてきた。そして頻繁にM&AとＤ（部分売却）戦略を駆使してきたことがわかる。同社のFisher部門（オーディオ）は三洋電機に売却されている。地味で堅実が同社の経営姿勢であり、決定は最も現場に近いところで行う、など、本書から学ぶべきことは多い。