This article in the September issue of the Harvard Business Review answers the question “What causes companies to fail spectacularly?” A recent study of 750 of the biggest U.S. business disasters of the past 25 years reveals that seven popular but risky strategies are often to blame. Drawing on that extensive research, Paul Carroll, a journalist, and Chucka Mui, a fellow at Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, describe seven sirens that lure companies onto the rocks. Click here to download an audio slideshow about how to avoid failure.