<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Helvetica; line-height: 21px; "><div><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_51/b4113043336126.htm">http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_51/b4113043336126.htm</a></div><div><br></div><div>----- Begin clip -----</div><div><br></div>"As the proverb points out, influence has a shelf life, too. And it's probably getting shorter as the cycle of change accelerates. Companies that once wielded a seemingly unshakeable hold over their industries—General Motors (<a href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?symbol=GM" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 124, 213); text-decoration: underline; ">GM</a>), Sony (<a href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?symbol=SNE" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 124, 213); text-decoration: underline; ">SNE</a>), Microsoft (<a href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?symbol=MSFT" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 124, 213); text-decoration: underline; ">MSFT</a>)—now find themselves following the lead of more nimble players such as Toyota (<a href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?symbol=TM" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 124, 213); text-decoration: underline; ">TM</a>), Apple (<a href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?symbol=APPL" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 124, 213); text-decoration: underline; ">APPL</a>), and Google (<a href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?symbol=GOOG" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 124, 213); text-decoration: underline; ">GOOG</a>). "There's no standing still," notes veteran strategy guru Gary Hamel. "Influence is like water, always flowing somewhere."</span><div><br></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333" face="Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">----- End clip -----</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333" face="Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333" face="Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><br></span></font></div></body></html>