Business @ The Speed Of Stupid: Building Smart Companies After The Technology Shakeout - Hardcover

Burke, Dan; Morrison, Alan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0738205427 ISBN 13: 9780738205427

Publisher: Basic Books, 2001

Synopsis

Reading the headlines, one could easily conclude that many of today's technology-driven ventures are dying because of a lack of funds or a shortage of business opportunities. But what really lies at the root cause of their demise is a technocentric disregard for strategy and general management principles.Business @ the Speed of Stupid brings to light many of the myths that stymie unwary investors, entrepreneurs, and managers who are seeking to turn a profit in the digital economy. It highlights why smart entrepreneurs buy into dim-witted business beliefs and exposes the "big lies" that have crippled so many companies. With ultimate know-how, verve, and humor, Dan Burke and Alan Morrison reveal why brilliant engineers don't always make brilliant business leaders, how innovation is far less important than customers and quality, and that, yes, you do need to be profitable to survive on the Web. Bringing realism and experience to the table to counteract the lingering technology industry hype, Business @ the Speed of Stupid explains how to survive and profit in the next phase of our technology-driven economy.

About this title

About the Author

Alan Morrison is co-founder and CEO of Executive Thought, a consulting and coaching firm for executive leaders. He has held several technical support and management positions at NCR Corporation, Lockheed Martin, and ABF Freight Systems and has consulted with such companies as Citibank, Entergy, JDEdwards, KBkids.com and USA.net. Previously, he served as a military officer and fighter pilot, first with the United States Marine Corps and then the Air National Guard, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He lives in Castle Rock, Colorado. Dan Burke is CEO of Influence Direct, a marketing firm that specializes in helping companies reach consumers on the Internet. He held various executive roles for the Denver-based software company IQdestination, was Director of Consulting Services and Director of E-Commerce Solutions for Raymond James Consulting, a national technology and management-consulting firm. Burke has consulted for such corporations as Microsoft, JDEdwards, and IBM, and currently serves on the board of eSubjects and Projectricity. He lives in Parker, Colorado.

Reviews

Burke and Morrison, consultants and Web strategists, set out to provide readers with the tools and wisdom to thrive in our technology-driven world. The authors explain how smart people using technology didn't look at all the issues and made dumb mistakes. They didn't recognize the complexity of their systems or their interconnectedness; they trusted the common technology "hype"; or they neglected to check references of vendors, consultants, and service providers. Part 1 includes a series of case studies, which are stories from the authors' experiences that document failed technology initiatives. Part 2 takes the problems identified in the first section and analyzes them for lessons learned and includes the "Executive Thought Framework," a guideline for strategic thought. Recommendations include the need for process, risk analysis and management, and leadership ability, including critical-thinking skills. This is a thought-provoking book that teaches the reader how to think about the utilization of technology--a twenty-first-century necessity for managers in all industries. Mary Whaley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Burke and Morrison, founding partners of Executive Thought, an executive management consulting firm, have written this book to provide insight into the mistakes that companies make when trying to introduce technology into their business. Profiling anonymous companies with whom the authors have consulted, the first ten chapters outline both the players and the projects (e.g., developing a corporate web site or implementing a technology-based marketing plan) and conclude with an analysis of what went wrong and what should have been done to increase the chance of success. The second half of the book presents the authors' framework for helping executives through the thought process of project development. The framework is a loosely connected set of generalizations drawn from the authors' experience, but it does provide a pragmatic set of guidelines that can help businesses avoid some of the pitfalls associated with new technology. Recommended for corporate and academic libraries. Stacey Marien, American Univ., Washington, DC
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0738205427
• ISBN 13: 9780738205427
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272