"No one can possibly achieve any real and lasting success or get rich in
business by conforming to conventional practices or ways of thinking. "
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated
above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own
experience, observations, or reading.

Whether a conformist can achieve lasting success or "get rich" in business
depends primarily on the type of business involved. Iconoclasts rise to the
top in newer industries and in those where consumer demand is in constant
flux. Conformists ultimately prevail, however, in traditional service
industries ensconced in systems and regulations.
In consumer-driven industries, innovation, product differentiation, and
creativity are crucial to lasting success. In the retail and media sectors,
for example, unconventional products and advertising are necessary to catch
the attention of consumers and to keep up with the vagaries of consumer
tastes. Those who take an iconoclastic approach tend to recognize emerging
trends and to rise above their peers- For example, Ted Turner s departure
from the traditional format of the other television networks, and the
responsiveness of Amazon.com to burgeoning Internet commerce propelled
these two giants to leadership positions in their industries. And in
technology, where there are no conventional practices or ways of thinking
to begin with, companies that fail to break away from last year s paradigm
are soon left behind by the competition.
However, in traditional service industries-such as finance, accounting,
insurance, legal services, and health care-lasting success and riches come
not to non- conformists but rather to those who can deliver services most
effectively within the confines of established practices, policies, and
regulations. Of course, a clever idea for structuring a deal, or a creative
legal maneuver, may play a role in winning smaller battles along the way.
But such tactics are those of conformists who are playing by the same
ground rules as their peers; winners are Just better at the game.
In conclusion, while non-conformists tend to be the wildly successful
players in technology-driven and consumer-driven industries,
traditionalists are the winners in system-driven industries pervaded by
policy, regulation, and bureaucracy.