Narrative and Numbers: The Value of Stories in Business (Columbia Business School Publishing)

by Aswath Damodaran

Table 3.1 Types of Business Stories Business story Type of business Investment pitch The bully Company with a large market share, a superior brand name, access to lots of capital, and a reputation for ruthlessness They will steamroll competition to deliver ever-increasing revenues and profits. The underdog Company that is a distant second (or lower) in market share in a business, with claims to a better or cheaper product than the dominant company They will work harder than the dominant player at pleasing customers, perhaps with a kinder, gentler corporate image. The eureka moment Company that claims to have found an unmet need in the market, usually in a serendipitous way, and then has come up with a way of meeting that need They will succeed as a business by filling the unmet need. The better mousetrap Company that contends it has a better way of delivering an existing product or service that will be more desirable and better suited to the need They will eat into the market share of the existing players in the market.