Average customer rating:
|
America's Corner Store: Walgreen's Prescription for Success
John U. Bacon Manufacturer: Wiley ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0471426172 |
Book Description
Praise for America's Corner Store"Who would have thought the story of a drugstore chain could encompass so much vital and fascinating American history? With superb storytelling skills, John Bacon gives us a vivid and insightful chronicle of matters both large and small, from the birth of the milkshake to the rise of America's consumer culture. America's Corner Store is a genuine treat."
-James Tobin
the National Book Critics' CircleAward winner, and author of To Conquer the Air: The Wright Brothers and the Great Race for Flight
"Run the business with your head. Lead the family with your heart. Walgreens' history is filled with good values, strong principles, and immense courage. A family business classic."
-Howard "Howdy" S. Holmes
President and CEO, "Jiffy"® Mixes
"John Bacon has crafted a thorough, insightful, readable, and fascinating account of the development of Walgreens: one of the world's most compelling examples of the creation of shareholder value in conjunction with good corporate governance... all in a company run in a highly unique fashion as a `family' business. As the store that everyone knows, Walgreens has become the envy of corporate America and the darling of shareholders, consistently producing investor returns that place it at the very top among its peers. This book will be required reading in my private equity class at Michigan Business School."
-Professor David Brophy
Director, Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance, University of Michigan Business School
Download Description
The fascinating story of a company that has been at the forefront of American business for over one hundred yearsThe story of Walgreens spans over a century of U.S. history. It's the story of the most successful drugstore chain in the nation, an industry leader from the 1920s right up to the present. Today, the company still surpasses its competition in both size and profitability.
America's Corner Store details the incredible story of this innovative company, from its inception as a family-run store in 1901 to its transformation as one of the largest food and drug retailers in the world. Readers will learn how superb management, modern merchandising, innovative store design, fair pricing, outstanding customer service, and an exceedingly high-quality pharmacy fueled Walgreens astounding growth and continued success. From their invention of the malted milkshake to their creation of drive-thru pharmacies, Walgreens has set the standard for the industry. Through firsthand accounts of company executives and extensive research, John Bacon has created the most accurate and up-to-date account of this storied franchise.
John U. Bacon (Ann Arbor, MI) has written on a variety of business and feature topics that have appeared in national publications such as the New York Times, Time magazine, and Men's Journal. He was also the host of his own radio talk show for more than a year. Previously, Bacon was a sports writer for the Detroit News.
Customer Reviews:
How did the corner drug store evolve?.......2006-12-17
Nothing really new.......2005-09-27
Great book on a surprisingly abosrbing subject!.......2004-06-02
A Wonderful History of a Great Business.......2004-05-13
Average customer rating:
|
Designing the Global Corporation
Jay R. Galbraith , and Jay A. Galbraith Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0787952753 |
Book Description
If there's anything more challenging than designing a company, it's designing a global company. Balancing strategy and structure becomes even more daunting when geography, foreign governments, and worldwide customers and products are thrown into the mix. And no single design works for all organizations. In this book, internationally recognized expert Jay Galbraith shows companies how to match their own strengths and strategies with proven design options. Whether they're exporting their first product or already operating around the world, Galbraith gives companies the information they need to build flexible, global networks. And through real-world examples, he shows how successful international businesses are already navigating the global environment.
Customer Reviews:
Full of valuable insights for managers and scholars alike.......2003-06-24
Geography is History!!.......2002-11-27
Synopsis: Jay Galbraith begins his book by arguing against the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) of organizational design. He recognizes that increasing foreign direct investment (FDI), breakdown of trade barriers and improved communications via media like the Internet along with a corporations need to reach customers globally have increased the complexity of doing business. Corporations could fight this complexity and simplify their operations, or learn to accept, manage and in fact use this complexity as a competitive advantage against simpler competitors.
He then goes on to inject great precision into the concept of a globalization for a corporation and defines 5 different levels of international development in increasing order of complexity. A corporation may develop a competitive advantage in its home country and then try to export this advantage to international destinations, evolving through different levels of international development. Or, a corporation like Logitech, may be designed as a transnational corporation from its very inception, with hardware R&D located in Switzerland, software development in California, manufacturing in Taiwan and sales in every country. Evolution from level 1 to level 5 may not be inevitable and/or desirable, with many companies deciding to settle into a particular niche depending upon the nature of their business and their long-term goals.
The rest of the book is devoted to a very clear, well-illustrated nuts and bolts description of designing global corporations with different levels of internationalization. The geographical entity headed by a country manager, multinational single business units and the multinational multi dimensional organizations are described in great detail. Underlying theme of this entire discussion is that the structure of the organization has to cater to its overall strategy, and the former has to change as the latter evolves.
The author spends considerable time and space on the need and means for developing informational and decision-making networks within such complex organizations. Here again he describes 5 different types of networks in increasing order of complexity beginning with informal voluntary communication and going up to a formally structured matrix organization. He discusses the advantages and limitations of each and how such networks may be used to propagate the agenda of the corporation. As a corporation increases its level of internationalization, it has to deal with increasingly complex networks that transcend geography, business function and culture.
He ends the book by describing the 5 dimensions that a global corporation must learn manage in order to remain successful. These 5 dimensions are managing functions, geographies, product lines (or business units), customers and solutions.
Finally, he writes, "Regardless of whether globalization continues, stalls, or even reverses, the models described in this book should continue to guide organizing choices.....and as businesses struggle to compensate and thrive on their ever expanding journey, the ideas and structures presented in this book can serve as a road map."
Critique: The author has presented his ideas very clearly and illustrated them with many examples from real companies. The organization of the book follows a logical flow of thoughts and the language used makes it fairly readable. Having said that, the complexity of many of the concepts presented in this book precludes it from being a casual bedtime reading, rather it demands full concentration and a careful attention to detail from the reader.
Highly Recommended!.......2001-03-15
Organizations of third-generation strategies........2000-10-02
In this context, Jay R. Galbraith:
* highlights some of the reasons for adopting a global organizational capability as well as some of the inherent challenges in doing so, and also spotlights some of the managerial and business-environment mind-set that can prevent these strategies from being embraced and employed to full advantage.
* argues that the global organizations are complex and multidimensional networks as a result of balancing many strategic factors; and then describes these factors in four categories: level of international development, amount of cross-border coordination, activity of host local institutions, and diversity of international business porfolio.
* argues that the level of international development-one of the strategic factors that influence how a company organizes its international operations-consists of three dimensions: the role of subsidiaries, the mode of participation in the local economy, and the proportion of assets and employees located outside the home country; and then defines the different types of competitive advantages, and focuses on the different levels of international development and how a firm changes from one level to another.
* argues that after exporting, the next level of international development is investment in foreign countries with a partner; and then focuses on the partnering process itself and the organizational skills-particularly the organization design.
* describes six tasks of geographical division: (1)transfer advantages from existing geography, (2)localize the success formula, (3)build a local business, (4)communicate with and educate the home country, (5)champion the new subsidiaries, (6)build international capabilities; and also describes the organizational design decisions involved in performing these tasks.
* reviews the variety of multidimensional structures chosen by companies, like Nestle, ABB, HP, and DuPont, by varying strategic factors, like fixed costs, markets, products, customers, competitors, transportability, and portfolio diversity.
* defines the lateral organization as an informational and decision-making process that coordinates activities whose components are located in different organizational units, and describes different types and amounts of lateral network coordination related to the strategic factors.
* argues that the easiest lateral organization is the informal or voluntary organization, and management's role in this self-organizing process is to create the appropriate context and remove any barriers to free-flowing contacts. In the next level, management-building on the informal networks-designs formal cross-border groups to manage shared functions, coordinate business units, and create global products; and then describes what makes the groups formal, and discusses the design issues involved in creating formal groups that coordinate across borders.
* discusses the factors that are creating transnational form as the last level of international development, and then elaborates organizational-design issues of this in an example.
* argues, the full complexity facing many companies involves simultaneously managing functions, geographies, product lines (or business units), customers, and solutions-at the very least. These companies must use multidimensional structures, with the dynamics of global business requiring that these multiple dimensions be reconfigurable. Different customers require the services of different combinations of business units and country subsidiaries; to be competitive, a company must be able to configure and reconfigure its profit centers to create value for customers. And then presents the framework for organizing around multiple dimensions, with focusing on the customer and customer solutions in cases of Citibank and IBM.
Finally, he writes,"Regardless of whether globalization continues, stalls, or even reverses, the models described in this book should continue to guide organizing choices. The most likely new level of international development will probably be a consrtium or some type of electronic or virtual combination of local companies".
I highly recommend this invaluable study.
A Compass and a Map...Not a Blueprint.......2000-08-08
In a very real sense, Galbraith functions as both a management consultant and an architect. The emphasis on the principles of "design" is intentional and eminently appropriate. Here are some of questions he answers:
What is the challenge of organizational complexity? How to overcome it?
How to organize the global corporation?
What are the levels of international development?
What does partnering require? When and why is it beneficial?
What is the significance of geographical division?
Which multidimensional structures are most important? Why?
What are the most effective strategies for coordination between and among networks?
What are cross-border formal networks? What are their significance?
What are the most effective ways to shift power across networks?
What is the "transformational form"? What is its significance?
What is a "multidimensional multinational"?
What are the most effective organizational strategies to serve the global customer?
What is a "front-back hybrid organization"?
After "A Look Ahead", Galbraith provides an Appendix ("The New Global Process of New-Product Delopment") which, all by itself, is well worth the price of the book. To repeat, I consider it "must reading" for organizations already embarked upon globalization or which are now preparing to begin that perilous journey. There is another category of organizations which can also derive substantial benefit from this book: Those who now do business with or plan to do business with others now active in the global marketplace. With all due respect to Galbraith, there is no single "design" which is appropriate for all or even for most organizations. Moreover, today's appropriate design may well prove inadequate in the near future, if not by tomorrow. Therefore, I suggest that you use Galbraith's book to identify the questions which must be asked and then answered, to take full advantage of the advice he provides and of the guidelines he suggests, and to view the design process as a unique opportunity to energize (or re-energize) everyone involved. Galbraith asserts (and I agree) that companies CAN transform themselves to design local products or devise local services that capture global scale yet fit local-market requirements. Only those which do will prosper. The choice is theirs. It really is.
Average customer rating: |
Transgenic Animals: Generation and Use
Manufacturer: CRC ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 9057020696 |
Book Description
During the past 20 years, transgenesis has become a popular technique and a crucial tool for molecular geneticists and biologists. Transgene expression is now better-controlled and even specifically inducible by exogenous factors. While these techniques have quite significantly transformed the experimental approaches taken by biologists, the applications are more limited than expected and concerns have arisen regarding biosafety as well as physiological, social, and philosophical issues. Transgenic Animals: Generation and Use contains articles on the techniques used to generate transgenic animals and a section on the preparation of vectors for the optimally controlled expression of transgenes. It also examines the use of transgenic animals in the study of gene function and human diseases, the preparation of recombinant proteins and organs for pharmaceutical and medical use, and the improvement of genetic characteristics of farm animals. Finally, it discusses more recent problems generated by transgenic animals including conservation of transgenic lines, specific database patenting, biosafety, and bioethics. Drawn from both academia and industry, the contributors to this monograph present in one concise volume all the relevant information on the different aspects of transgenesis. This book can be used as both a reference book and a textbook for specialized university courses and will be of interest to everyone involved in basic research in animal biology, molecular genetics, animal biotechnology, pharmaceutical science, and medicine.
Average customer rating:
|
The Jung Cult : Origins of a Charismatic Movement
Richard Noll Manufacturer: Touchstone ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0684834235 |
Book Description
In this provocative reassessment of C. G. Jung's thought, Richard Noll boldly argues that such ideas as the "collective unconscious" and the theory of the archetypes come as much from late nineteenth-century occultism, neo-paganism, and social Darwinian teachings as they do from natural science. Noll sees the break with Sigmund Freud in 1912 not as a split within the psychoanalytic movement but as Jung's turning away from science and his founding of a new religion, which offered a rebirth ("individuation"), surprisingly like that celebrated in ancient mystery cult teachings. Jung, in fact, consciously inaugurated a cult of personality centered on himself and passed down to the present by a body of priest-analysts extending this charismatic movement, or "personal religion," to late twentieth-century individuals.Noll carefully reconstructs the intellectual currents of fin-de-siecle Germany which influenced Jung. In conjunction with his scientific training in medicine, Jung was drawn equally to these other ideas and teachings of the time: the vitalist school in biology associated with Naturphilosophie, the evolutionary biology and monistic religion of Hackel, racialist speculations on Aryan origins and character, Nietzsche's theory of the "new nobility," neo-pagan sun worshippers, and the speculations of philologists and archeologists on prehistoric cultures and their matriarchical religions. Many of the themes and symbols of these volkisch beliefs were used by the National Socialists and have become so identified with Hitler and the Nazis that it is difficult to disentangle the sources from this later use. Noll deftly uncovers the worldview of early twentieth-century German culture and firmly separates Jung and his teachings from the later National Socialist movement.
Richard Noll's groundbreaking work of historical reconstruction brings scholarship on C. G. Jung to a new level of sophistication. Noll's book does for Jung what Frank Sulloway's Freud: The Biologist of the Mind did for modern Freud studies. Written for the general reader this book will also be an important source for historians of science and psychiatry and will form the basis of all future Jung criticism.
Customer Reviews:
Read this book.......2005-07-31
Right on.......2005-07-30
Well, so what?.......2003-05-20
noll peered at his inner self and didnt like what he saw.......2003-04-06
The Would-be Messiah of Zurich.......2003-02-26
In "The Jung Cult," Richard Noll has brilliantly placed Jungian analysis in its historical context. He has also, in the process, shed much light on Freud and a number of his other disciples. Psychoanalysis was to a large extent the product of German philosophical and literary thought, and had much to do with the collapse of orthodox religious belief amongst the educated classes. German romanticism, the radical nihilism of Nietzsche, Haeckel's efforts to construct a modern "scientific" structure of ethical thought along religious lines, a "völkisch" hearkening back to Nordic paganism (as in Wagner's operas), and late nineteenth-century occultism as exemplified by H.P. Blavatsky, were all ingredients of the bouillabaisse out of which analysis emerged. These elements were (and remain) obscured by the trappings of science and medicine, which serve principally to give psychoanalysis an intellectual respectability it would otherwise lack.
While Freud, who described himself as a "godless Jew," believed that religion was the problem, and its elimination the solution, Jung concluded that the moral stringency of orthodox Christianity had to be replaced by another type of religious belief, ecstatic and archaic in character. In the Jungian view, the dominant philosophical background is mystical and magical, as Noll documents. He argues persuasively that Jung viewed himself as a religious figure, and that he was in some sense the founder of a kind of religion.
Noll's book has been portrayed by some Jungians as a hatchet job. While it is not written from a sympathetic point of view, it is far from that. It is thoroughly documented and copiously annotated. I found it a fascinating exercise in intellectual history. Jung stands between Joseph Smith and L. Ron Hubbard in the dubious pantheon of the founders of modern religions. For what it is worth, he accomplished what he did with far more eclat and subtlety than either of these "neighbors."
Average customer rating: |
Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement
Richard Noll Manufacturer: Princeton: Princeton University Press, [1994]. 1st Printing. [xvi]+387+[3]pp. 6 text figures. Green cloth with gilt spine lettering. A very good copy in dust jacket. 1 pound 12 ounces = 812 grams. 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches = 24 x 16 x 3cm. eng. ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000SVMCYS |
Average customer rating: |
The Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement
Richard Noll Manufacturer: Free Press Paperbacks ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000JVDY94 |
Average customer rating: |
Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement
Manufacturer: Princeton 1994. ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000IG1YDI |
Average customer rating: |
The Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement
Richard Noll Manufacturer: Free Press Paperbacks ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000NWWR5Q |
Books:
Recommended Books