The Limits of Strategy : Lessons in Leadership from the Computer Industry

Ernest Von Simson

ISBN 10: 1440192588 / ISBN 13: 9781440192586

Published by Author Solutions Inc Apr 2010, 2010

About this Item

Neuware - 1992 was a killing year for the fourcomputer companies most important to business buyers overthe decade. All four had been dominant suppliers ofminicomputers for the past fifteen or twenty years. But onJuly 16, the CEOs of both Digital Equipment and HewlettPackard were pushed into retirement. On August 8, WangLaboratories declared bankruptcy. In December, IBM halvedits dividend for the first time ever, forcing theresignation of its CEO a month later. How did this happen All four CEOs were clever and experienced. Two were foundersof their companies; the other two highly successful careerexecutives in their respective companies. All four weresimply overwhelmed. And while there was no singleexplanation for what happened, there were definite commonthemes. They recur again and again in the many stories ofthis book. Are the deadliest changes unavoidable becausestrategy is too easily thwarted by cluster bombs liketechnological velocity, cultural inertia, obsolete businessmodels, executive conflict, and investor expectations Theyear 1992 is the fulcrum of this book, but the underlyingtheme is company transitions in the face of massive changesin markets, technologies, or business models - or, in otherwords, the limits of strategy.

Seller Inventory # 9781440192586

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Limits of Strategy : Lessons in Leadership from the Computer Industry
• Publisher: Author Solutions Inc Apr 2010
• Publication Date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1440192588
• ISBN 13: 9781440192586
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 235W x 157H x 30D millimeters 235 millimeters width by 157 millimeters height by 30 millimeters depth
• Weight: 869 grams

About this title

Synopsis

1992 was a killing year for the four computer companies most important to business buyers over the decade. All four had been dominant suppliers of minicomputers for the past fifteen or twenty years. But on July 16, the CEOs of both Digital Equipment and Hewlett Packard were pushed into retirement. On August 8, Wang Laboratories declared bankruptcy. In December, IBM halved its dividend for the first time ever, forcing the resignation of its CEO a month later. How did this happen? All four CEOs were clever and experienced. Two were founders of their companies; the other two highly successful career executives in their respective companies. All four were simply overwhelmed. And while there was no single explanation for what happened, there were definite common themes. They recur again and again in the many stories of this book. Are the deadliest changes unavoidable because strategy is too easily thwarted by cluster bombs like technological velocity, cultural inertia, obsolete business models, executive conflict, and investor expectations? The year 1992 is the fulcrum of this book, but the underlying theme is company transitions in the face of massive changes in markets, technologies, or business models - or, in other words, the limits of strategy.

About the Author

With his wife, Naomi Seligman, Ernest von Simson ran the Research Bureau, the quietly powerful think tank that observed, shaped, and guided the development of the computer industry. They got to know and admire the giants of those years -- including Michael Dell, Bill Gates, Andy Grove, and many more.