Declaring that "speed is the pivotal competitive weapon" among corporations bringing new products to market, Cooper (marketing, McMaster U., Canada) offers advice on the strategies and tactics of corporate product portfolio management. Exploring the data about 2000 product launches, he identifies reason for success and failure in innovation and looks at development and implementation issues. He details a particular product process model, dubbed "Stage-Gate." Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR