In terms of cost differentiation between duplicate funds, Fuhr said investors need to be careful in understanding that often annual costs are adjusted based on level of assets in the fund.

FORBES: In ETF Space, Not Easy Fending Off The Copy Cats

In practice, managers shift their focus from producing low-cost or high-differentiation offerings to satisfying customers.

FORBES: Radical management: it's happening!

During the 2000s, companies lost interest in IT as a source of competitive differentiation and focused on trying to make it more efficient by shifting basic functions to lower cost countries.

FORBES: As Corporate IT & iPad Demand Rise, Dell's Up, HP's Down