These two factors--bulging inventory and vertical integration--help explain why Tiffany's net profit margin sits at 9.6% while Graff puts his at 12%.

FORBES: King of Bling

If that use case was applied to emerging technologies, albeit at a lower profit margin, Kodak could have been the leader in many of new imaging vertical businesses that emerged.

FORBES: The Entrepreneurial Failure of Eastman Kodak

These days vertical integration makes less sense for big players since refinery operations at the moment are dragging down the overall profit margin.

FORBES: Magazine Article