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

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"I think its interesting that they're going for a point of differentiation, aiming for the high-end of the e-ink market, " said Philip Jones, editor of the Bookseller magazine.

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High performance is traditionally measured against key business imperatives including competitive differentiation, sales, attracting and retaining talent, operational efficiency, return on investment and profitability.

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Her work will focus on a high throughput platform for label-free detection of biochemical pathways involved in the differentiation of stem cells.

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Companies like Kantar, IPSOS and GfK, who do not own significant high-margin database or currency products, are subject to pricing pressures that result from a lack of differentiation and newer marketplace tools.

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