The Virtual Corporation: Structuring and Revitalizing the Corporation for the 21st Century

An analysis of emerging revolutionary business practices identifies the new industrial revolution occurring in business and focuses on new strategies that will determine the economic fate of nations in the next century. 50,000 first printing. $50,000 ad/promo. Tour.

In this worthwhile prognosis of the successful 21st-century business, Davidow, a venture capitalist, and Malone, a business writer, bring together findings on the effects of information technologies, organizational dynamics, and manufacturing systems on enterprises. The output resulting from these forces is the "virtual" product (most likely a service ) that "can be made available at any time, in any place, and in any variety." The authors' virtual corporation, epitomized by Lenscrafters, Taco Bell Express, and various semiconductor fabricators, harkens back to preindustrial artisans' crafting of pieces to customer specifications--but now with many times the responsiveness of those days. The authors see change as a nutrient in the organizations portrayed and say fostering trust and adaptability in employees will be vital in the new virtual corporation. Recommended for collections on modern business.
- Michael Stevenson, Harvard Business Sch. Lib.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.