Systems capable of capturing and processing such data are expensive, but the rewards can be handsome.Given scale and a solid brand, firms can expand more easily into related businesses and start sub-branding.
Now they are taking a more pragmatic approach, buying solid firms in fast-growing markets and filling gaps in their product lines.For example, Kirin, a big Japanese brewer, is acquiring a majority stake in Schincariol, a Brazilian one, for $2.6 billion.
The bottom 20% of the market by this ratio is an eclectic bunch: Some are solid firms whose shares are beaten down by fear or apathy, while others are simply dogs.
Nevertheless, he rejects the idea that solid firms cannot survive an attack by them because of anti-China bias in the market.
Mr Buffett's proven formula has been to seek solid firms with good defences against competitors, leave their managers to run them as before, and hang on to them for the long term.
But solid firms with diversified exposure to the broad economy, such as banks, finance companies and insurers, remain quite safe.
REUTERS 2010 a Solid Year for Buyout Firms | Both American and European private equity firms showed their investors a little more of the money in 2010, recording nearly double the amount of exits during the year compared with 2009, according to a new study from Ernst & Young.
HPM project offers a solid foundation to manufacturing firms to enhance the capability of their manufacturing processes, particularly processing of new materials to acquire competitive performance.
If we as users feel confident that individual firms are doing their best to be transparent about their policies and are handling our data in responsible manners, then putting our trust (and data) in the hands of those firms is a solid bet.
