--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As MBA professors endlessly tell their…" description: "\"As MBA professors endlessly tell their students, companies do best when they stick to what they do well. There's a reason Apple doesn't make blenders. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16c/jeffrey-kluger-4109_apple_as-mba-professors-endlessly-tell-their-s_1471976.png" --- # As MBA professors endlessly tell their students, companies… ![“As MBA professors endlessly tell their students, companies do best when they stick to what they do well. There's a reason Apple doesn't make blenders. There's a reason Haagen-Dazs doesn't sell meat. And there's a reason drug companies should focus on saving and improving lives - not jeopardizing…” quote by Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16c/jeffrey-kluger-4109_apple_as-mba-professors-endlessly-tell-their-s_1471976.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16c/jeffrey-kluger-4109_apple_as-mba-professors-endlessly-tell-their-s_1471976.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16c/jeffrey-kluger-4109_apple_as-mba-professors-endlessly-tell-their-s_1471976.png) > “As MBA professors endlessly tell their students, companies do best when they stick to what they do well. There's a reason Apple doesn't make blenders. There's a reason Haagen-Dazs doesn't sell meat. And there's a reason drug companies should focus on saving and improving lives - not jeopardizing them.” [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Specializing in core competencies leads to superior performance and avoids costly diversification. **In simple terms:** Focus on what you do best. Key Takeaway Stick to your strengths. Themes strategy focus competence risk management industry specialization Mood cautious analytical Type business advisory When to use this quote - business planning - career decisions - product development - investment choices Key Concepts core competency comparative advantage resource allocation Questions to Reflect On - Are you allocating resources to non‑core areas? - How can you leverage your strengths without becoming stagnant? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on focus can cause missed opportunities in emerging markets. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apple/) [Apples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apples/) [Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best/) [Blenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blenders/) [Companies Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companies-focus-1617656/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Drug companies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug-companies/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Improving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improving/) [Mba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mba/) [Mba Professors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mba-professors-5344183/) [Meat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meat/) [Professors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professors/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Apple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-apple-260642/) [Saving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Sticks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticks/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Students Companies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students-companies-5344182/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like the iPad is because we've always tried to be at the intersection of technology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-the-ipad-is/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The reason Apple is really good, I think, and the reason their stores succeeded, is not just 'cause we know the big idea, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-johnson/the-reason-apple-is-really-good-i-think-and-the-reason-their-stores/) [Ron Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-johnson/) > [The reason why Apple computers have worked so well over time is that, unlike Microsoft, they don't bend over backward to be compatible with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/the-reason-why-apple-computers-have-worked-so-well-over-time-is-that/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [“The reason Apple resonates with people is that there’s a deep current of humanity in our innovation. I think great artists and great engineers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-reason-apple-resonates-with-people-is-that-there-s-a-deep-current/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [Companies that only focus on expense reduction are all but dead as they will find themselves sooner or later unable to reduce anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-cardone/companies-that-only-focus-on-expense-reduction-are-all-but-dead-as/) [Grant Cardone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-cardone/) > [Too often, companies focus on systems and structures that facilitate cultural change at the mid-management level, overlooking problems closer to the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/too-often-companies-focus-on-systems-and-structures-that-facilitate/) [Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/) > [High tech companies that focus on research, development and production will learn that they can be the perfect complement to our world-renowned agriculture heritage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-autry/high-tech-companies-that-focus-on-research-development-and-production/) [Alan Autry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-autry/) > [An important re-engineering principle is that companies should focus on their core competence and outsource everything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/an-important-re-engineering-principle-is-that-companies-should-focus/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Well, well-run companies always have a focus on growth and the two lines, which includes profit. The key thing during, I think, tough times,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/well-well-run-companies-always-have-a-focus-on-growth-and-the-two/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [We need to reengineer companies to focus on figuring out who the customer is, what's the market and what kind of product you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/we-need-to-reengineer-companies-to-focus-on-figuring-out-who-the/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [I have shifted my mindset in terms of how companies should... focus on building amazing products. If you have amazing products, the marketing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-feld/i-have-shifted-my-mindset-in-terms-of-how-companies-should-focus-on/) [Brad Feld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-feld/) > [Science fiction is like a blender - you can put in any historical experience and take influences from everything you see, read or experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/science-fiction-is-like-a-blender-you-can-put-in-any-historical/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [I'm not really caught up with celebrity women. I think a regular girl that goes to school or works at a Complex or Spin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wale/i-m-not-really-caught-up-with-celebrity-women-i-think-a-regular-girl/) [Wale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wale/) > [When you can't draw chameleons and you can't draw blenders, it's a bad idea to write strips where chameleons become blenders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/when-you-can-t-draw-chameleons-and-you-can-t-draw-blenders-it-s-a-bad/) [Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/) ## More by Jeffrey Kluger > [Learning to speak was the most remarkable thing you ever did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/learning-to-speak-was-the-most-remarkable-thing-you-ever-did/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [You do not want to talk to me on the phone. How do I know? Because I don't want to talk to you on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/you-do-not-want-to-talk-to-me-on-the-phone-how-do-i-know-because-i/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [Overspending is as certain a part of the holiday season as overeating. But pushing away from both the table and the cash register at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/overspending-is-as-certain-a-part-of-the-holiday-season-as-overeating/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [Certainly, people can get along without siblings. Single children do, and there are people who have irreparably estranged relationships with their siblings who live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/certainly-people-can-get-along-without-siblings-single-children-do/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [Marketers have long known that a name can make all the difference when you're trying to move the merch. The kiwifruit was once the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/marketers-have-long-known-that-a-name-can-make-all-the-difference/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [Everybody loves to spend money at least some of the time - because everybody loves the stuff you can buy with it. The key…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/everybody-loves-to-spend-money-at-least-some-of-the-time-because/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [Members of royal families are born into a world of indulgence and entitlement, and the princelings who grow up that way may never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/members-of-royal-families-are-born-into-a-world-of-indulgence-and/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [Older fatherhood isn't all bad: testosterone rates drop about 1% per year as men age, making them less reactive and more patient, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/older-fatherhood-isn-t-all-bad-testosterone-rates-drop-about-1-per/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [There may be no more-radioactive term in the English language than what we now almost always refer to as the 'n-word' - itself a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/there-may-be-no-more-radioactive-term-in-the-english-language-than/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [There's no such thing as downtime for your brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/there-s-no-such-thing-as-downtime-for-your-brain/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [At the root of the shy temperament is a deep fear of social judgment, one so severe it can sometimes be crippling. Introverted people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/at-the-root-of-the-shy-temperament-is-a-deep-fear-of-social-judgment/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [As the National Football League and other pro sports increasingly reckon with the early dementia, mental health issues, suicides and even criminal behavior of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/as-the-national-football-league-and-other-pro-sports-increasingly/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [There's only one thing harder than living in a home with an adolescent - and that's being an adolescent. The moodiness, the volatility, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/there-s-only-one-thing-harder-than-living-in-a-home-with-an/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [Even the best computer in the world has no idea that it exists. You do. No one knows what creates that ineffable awareness that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/even-the-best-computer-in-the-world-has-no-idea-that-it-exists-you-do/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [Marriage is a lot of things - a source of love, security, the joy of children, but it's also an interpersonal battlefield, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/marriage-is-a-lot-of-things-a-source-of-love-security-the-joy-of/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) [Explore all 116 Jeffrey Kluger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) ## More Apple quotes > [“Neither's the one you get, less you want me to see if your apple's ripe, yet. - Yoren”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/neither-s-the-one-you-get-less-you-want-me-to-see-if-your-apple-s/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“Most people believe the apple merely represented Knowledge. But we know better. It was the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-beverly-whittemore/most-people-believe-the-apple-merely-represented-knowledge-but-we/) [Miranda Beverly-Whittemore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-beverly-whittemore/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“An apple with a rotten core can only last so long,” he”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-rice/an-apple-with-a-rotten-core-can-only-last-so-long-he/) [Morgan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-rice/) > [I'm not only a fan of Apple products, I have stock in the company. I think Steve Jobs has started one of the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-rock/i-m-not-only-a-fan-of-apple-products-i-have-stock-in-the-company-i/) [Kid Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-rock/) > [When Apple introduced its game-changing iPhone in 2007, Nokia was caught sleeping on the job. Although it had actually developed an iPhone-style device -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/when-apple-introduced-its-game-changing-iphone-in-2007-nokia-was/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [I like to make pies. That's kind of my new obsession - peach, blueberry, apple, strawberry. I make a really good pumpkin pie with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-saylor/i-like-to-make-pies-that-s-kind-of-my-new-obsession-peach-blueberry/) [Morgan Saylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-saylor/) > [I love to eat an apple after a meal, just to cleanse my teeth - they always look polished afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/i-love-to-eat-an-apple-after-a-meal-just-to-cleanse-my-teeth-they/) [Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/) > [Back in my school days, when I would scuttle off with a cheese roll, an apple, a box of Sun-Maid raisins and a Penguin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-khoo/back-in-my-school-days-when-i-would-scuttle-off-with-a-cheese-roll-an/) [Rachel Khoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-khoo/) > [As far as Apple goes, it was a different company every few years from the time I joined in 1984.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/as-far-as-apple-goes-it-was-a-different-company-every-few-years-from/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) > [“You are the apple of Love’s eye.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/you-are-the-apple-of-love-s-eye/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [Like a satellite in orbit, Apple is perpetually falling. It just happens to miss Earth every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-dediu/like-a-satellite-in-orbit-apple-is-perpetually-falling-it-just/) [Horace Dediu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-dediu/) > [Positive thinking is so firmly enshrined in our culture that knocking it is a little like attacking motherhood or apple pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srikumar-rao/positive-thinking-is-so-firmly-enshrined-in-our-culture-that-knocking/) [Srikumar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srikumar-rao/) > [To the extent that anyone anywhere does anything interesting, the question is: 'Why isn't Apple doing that; why is Apple behind in that?' We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-federighi/to-the-extent-that-anyone-anywhere-does-anything-interesting-the/) [Craig Federighi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-federighi/) > [I read the Steve Jobs book, and that kind of changed everything. I've been, like, an Apple geek my whole life and have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/i-read-the-steve-jobs-book-and-that-kind-of-changed-everything-i-ve/) [G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/) [Browse all 889 Apple quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apple/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As MBA professors endlessly tell their students, companies do best when they stick to what they do well. There's a reason Apple doesn't make blenders. There's a reason Haagen-Dazs doesn't sell meat. 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