Abbott has also made some manufacturing and distribution process changes that are likely to drive margin improvements across its businesses.

FORBES: Quick Take

In the process it has transformed itself from a low-margin textile-manufacturing business into one that derived two-thirds of its revenues in 1997 from garments.

ECONOMIST: The changing fabric of Italian fashion | The

That could be why the company sought a greater margin of support from the family as the process entered its last days.

WSJ: Murdoch Wins His Bid for Dow Jones