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Title: The Company of the Future by Frances Cairncross ISBN: 1-57851-657-9 Publisher: Harvard Business School Press Pub. Date: 15 January, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.56 (9 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Shaping tomorrow's company with today's technology or is it?
Comment: Cairncross does an excellent job in describing what she believes will be the real impact of the Internet, changing the structure and practices of corporations. The dotcoms failed but that does not imply Internet technologies will. A valid point but her analysis implies that these changes are yet to occur, when in fact for many companies, utilizing the Internet for supply chain or human resource management are commonplace. The point is that what she writes is not ground breaking but instead a nice summary of what has been taking place in the corporate world over the last several years.
Rating: 5
Summary: Insightful, Thought Provoking, Great Read
Comment: As a futurist, concentrating on workforce and workplace trends, I was eager to read this book. The author is the Management Editor at The Economist magazine and resides in London. Interesting...British author published by Harvard. I discovered that the book very effectively bridges American and British concerns, and much more. It's a global look, even in the generic sense of the word, at what companies will look like in the years ahead. The metamorphosis will be evolutionary, but many of the concepts of tomorrow will be revolutionary compared to where most employers are today.
The organization of this book-the chapters and the order in which they're presented, reveals the emphasis Cairncross believes will characterize companies in the future. Right out of the box, she focuses on management, information, and technology. Throughout the book, she observes that the development and increasing use of the internet will change the way we do business. The importance of knowledge, decision making, and innovation are emphasized early on, along with recognition of the vitality of customers and brands in the years ahead.
The human side of enterprise is well covered, though Cairncross doesn't really engage this topic until chapter 4. Since my personal bias is that people are the most important component, I found this curious, but then noticed how she concentrated on different parts of this aspect in chapter 4 (Recruiting, Retaining, and Training), chapter 5 (Communities and Corporate Culture), chapter 8 (Corporate Structure), and chapter 9 (Leading and Managing). So, the field is well-covered in these interwoven chapters, but her book organization puts people just a step behind information, innovation, and technology.
Chapters on purchasing and strategic suppliers bring out the growing importance of alliances and new relationships in the company of the future.
In the beginning of the book, Cairncross suggests that readers with time constraints read chapters one and ten first to gain a perspective of her views. When more time is available, the reader can delve into the other chapters. While that strategy would be effective, there is a richness of potent observation, vivid warnings of challenges to come, and a plethora of thoughts to stimulate your thinking throughout the book.
The Company of the Future is quite well-written, as you might expect from an editor of an internationally-acclaimed magazine. This is the kind of book you'll want to read first, then share with colleagues in your own organization...and in organizations where you have existing or developing alliance relationships. The book has an index, notes, and readable text-no graphs, pictures, or other tools of book designers. This one is pure, welcome, high-grade content.
Rating: 3
Summary: Rehash of "new economy" jargon
Comment: ... Cairncross is a very good writer whose prose is effective and lucid regarding the Internet's impact (and future) in business strategy. However, the author doesn't shed any new insights concerning the Internet's effects and value-creating abilities... Once again, I read about the marvelous Dell Computer's JIT process and how the Internet is leveraged to deliever superior value (vs. Company/HP). Who, having been up-to-date on business literature & strategy, hasn't touched on the Dell process?
Bottom line: Good refresher course on the Internet's impact, nothing extraordinary about the book's conclusions.
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