Big Media, Big Money: Cultural Texts and Political Economics

Book Description

Bettig and Hall present a lively and scathing critique of the contemporary communications industry. They explore recent news events and challenges posed by the Internet and the effects of copyright control, as well as growing corporate influence in the newsroom and the classroom. The authors conclude that current interconnections among media, big business, government, and education reflect capitalism's trend of concentration of wealth and power--posing a serious threat to democratic communications.

Customer Reviews:

Essential for Understanding the Media Oligopoly.......2003-10-06

This academically intense book deals with the issue of media concentration and control by the corporate giants - a concern that of course has been dealt with in the more famous books "The Media Monopoly" by Bagdikian, "Manufacturing Consent" by Herman and Chomsky, and numerous others. But Bettig and Hall's book has the advantage of cutting edge coverage of the contemporary (for the time being) effects of the lack of diversity in the media, and a fast-paced and thought-provoking writing style. This is most evident in the authors' research into how modern media reports on itself, especially the internal reactions from media players to the mega-mergers of the late 90's. Up-to-date examinations of the movie and music industries are another plus, including the ongoing debate over piracy and how that populist craze has inevitably succumbed to humble copyright laws, regardless of the big-money corporate crackdown. Great insights in the second half of the book include how advertising is designed to preach the ideology of consumerism, with the media (and recently, the schools) being used by advertisers as compliant tools in a nearly religious quest for unyielding capitalism. The book wraps up with a bang as Bettig and Hall examine the media's hideously one-sided treatment of globalization protesters, which of course supports the position of the corporate media oligopoly. This short but jam-packed book is essential for the understanding of the dire cultural, political, and economic effects of the corporate concentration of the modern media. [~doomsdayer520~]

Book Description

This book represents the full spectrum of Alan Walters's contribution to economics over thirty years, from academic debate to close involvement in British policy making. It includes not only his earlier contributions to applied monetary economics but also his work on political economy which generated much interest following his appointment as economic adviser to Margaret Thatcher. The volume charts the development of Alan Walters's thinking on money, monetary policy and macroeconomics. It makes special reference to his work on the demand for money and the money multiplier, money and the business cycle and the political economy of money. The book opens with an introduction by Kent Matthews in which he provides an overview of Alan Walters's work in the context of the so-called 'monetarist counter-revolution'. He also offers an introductory discussion on each of the essays, which include: the quantity theory of money, consistent expectations, the time lag effects of money, supply-side policies, foreign exchange rates and anti-inflation policies. These essays offer important policy prescriptions, some of which are particularly timely in the light of increasing European economic and monetary integration. The Economics and Politics of Money will be welcomed by business and government as well as professional economists, social scientists and researchers interested in monetary economics and political economy.

Book Description

Having an e-commerce Web site is no longer a competitive advantage--it's now a competitive imperative. But constructing a profitable and effective e-commerce site involves much more than simply adding shopping-cart capabilities to an existing Web site. It requires an understanding of rapidly evolving issues and the integration of complex technologies. Developing e-Commerce Sites leads you step-by-step through the process of building a sophisticated e-commerce Web site. This book brings you up to speed on the latest technologies and shows you how to integrate them into a customized e-commerce site that serves your organization's specific needs. Details and instructions are reinforced by carefully crafted code examples that incorporate empowering technologies. The examples are included on the accompanying CD-ROM. In addition, the authors describe a complete e-commerce solution, illustrating system design, user interface, and utility classes. Developing e-Commerce Sites demonstrates actual implementation of the five requisite functions of an e-commerce site: inventory management, profiling, ordering, shipping, and reporting. You will find clear, practical information on such topics as: Java language basics Servlets and JavaScript SQL and JDBC XML and how it can be used in e-commerce Credit card verification Security Inventory management Customer profiling Ordering, shipping, and reporting With this book as a guide, technical professionals and managers charged with deploying an e-commerce site will learn the important issues, underlying technologies, and practical skills needed to accomplish this formidable task successfully.

Customer Reviews:

Developing e-commerce sites by Vivek Sharma et al.......2001-05-24

This book is already outdated and offers topics which are well dealt by the vendors in an authorative manner. The book is poorly deals with the topics with many errors.

Just another "See what I did" book.......2001-04-16

This book is just a walkthrough of an simple example eCommerce site implemented in Java. The farther you go in the book, the more you begin to wonder just how many eCom sites the authors have really built.

If you are really looking for a book titled something like "Look How I cobbled Together My First e-Commerce Site Using Java" then this book is for you. Otherwise, skip it.

A good book on integration of non-Microsoft Web products ..........2000-07-20

This book does a good job in demostrating how an ecommerce web site can be implemented using most of the inexpensive non-Microsoft web site development tools (except for Oracle.)

It introduces (just that--an overview) the readers to HTML, XML, CGI, Perl, Java, Servlets, Javascript, etc. Yes, the spectrum is broad but all of them are necessary. The brief overviews and the application of each to an ecommerce web project, informs the reader what role each plays in the development process including their current limitations.

While its strength lies in the demonstration of the integration of several web development tools, it also contributes to its weakness--particularly to its claim that the reader needs minimal technical background. Yes, that would be true if the technically challenged were to skip the example sections and stick strictly with the descriptive sections. For the technical reader, a foundation in Java, Javascript, basic HTML, etc. is essential. In fact, the authors, themselves mention in the opening chapter, that the book intends to integrate several techniques even though the reader might have mastered each of the techniques independently. The primary focus is on the demostration of how the web techonologies for ecommerce site development can be integrated. While it may cover several tools/techniques/technologies, this book is not a comprehensive study of each and all of them. So, learn the tools/techniques/technologies first to be at least at the intermediate level, and then purchase this book to see how you can bring all of them together to work for you.

Average customer rating:
Developing e-Commerce Sites: An Integrated Approach
Vivek Sharma
Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OOR5O6

Average customer rating:
High Profit Financial Management for Your Small Business
Suzanne Caplan
Manufacturer: Dearborn Financial Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Finance | Accounting & Finance | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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How to Really Start Your Own Business : A Step-By-Step Guide, 3rd Edition (How to Really Start Your Own Business)

ASIN: 1574101285

Book Description

Presentations for Decision Makers provides a practical system for developing strong persuasive content to get buy-in from decision makers as well as clear guidelines for creating visual support - both of which made the first two editions so popular. This new edition has been expanded and revised to address the roles played by emerging technologies, heightened expectations, and increasing global communications in business presentations today.

Presentations for Decision Makers shows you how to use new technology to your advantage, provides guidelines for learning about different cultural mores you may encounter, and considers how to recognize and relate to people with differences in thinking styles in a meeting. It addresses each step in the process, from planning the presentation through creating visuals, rehearsing, preparing for questions, and managing participation in formal, informal, and video conference settings. You will come away with clear, effective strategies for getting your message across.

Features new to the 3rd Edition are:

Tips for making the most of new presentation technologies
How-to information on presenting to an international audience
Checklists to gauge the effectiveness of your presentation

A companion disk containing templates for computer-generated presentations Topics include:

Focusing on the audience
Criteria for solving the problem and conveying the message
Building a logical structure
Designing the presentation
Creating compelling visual aids
Setting the stage
Rehearsing and delivering the presentation
Managing audience participation
Persuading people in informal meetings, negotiations, and one-on-one
Speaking in public
Videoconferencing
Presenting globally

No matter what your role in business, if your job involves communicating with others, you'll find a wealth of practical, usable advice in Presentations for Decision Makers.

Customer Reviews:

Decision Makers.......2000-06-16

I think it is a great book when you want to sell it to high level , it will be useful, espcially for sales

Presentations for Decision Makers, 3rd edition (Industrial Engineering Ser.)

Average customer rating:

Presentations for Decision Makers, 3rd edition (Industrial Engineering Ser.)
Marya W.; Stein, Judith K. Holcombe
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KX7JZ6

Average customer rating:

Practical job hunt aid!

perhaps a good example on how to get a job you're not qualified for

Very organized, step-by-step approach to job hunting

Increased Confidence

Wonderful Roadmap for Getting a Job

10 Insider Secrets to a Winning Job Search: Everything You Need to Get the Job You Want in 24 Hours-Or Less
Todd Bermont
Manufacturer: Career Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Guides | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Job Hunting | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Interviewing | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search: The Proven Program Used by the Worlds Leading Career Services Company

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Monster Careers : How to Land the Job of Your Life

ASIN: 1564147401

Book Description

10 Insider Secrets to a Winning Job Search offers a complete step-by-step roadmap on how to get the job you want--fast--even in tough times! This book will motivate you, increase your self-confidence, and show you how to sell yourself so companies want to hire you. You'll have an unfair advantage when searching for a job! Todd Bermont shares with you the secrets he has learned to find a job in any economy, secrets that he used to get six job offers his senior year of college, to land three job offers in one week during a recession, and to earn numerous job promotions since. Additionally, having also been a hiring manager, Todd gives you a behind-the-scenes look into the hiring process that will give you another unfair advantage. With this book you'll: * Develop and maintain a winning attitude throughout your job search. * Convince companies to hire you...even when no positions are available. * Write attention-grabbing resumes and cover letters. * Network and market yourself to maximize your job opportunities. * Be prepared for any job interview. * Learn how to negotiate your job offers to receive top dollar.

Customer Reviews:

Practical job hunt aid! .......2007-09-16

I have used this book in a couple job searchers in the past 3 years and have always found it helpful. The concise advice and easy to read layout make it a good tool for refreshing you on the job hunt. I think if you're a first time job hunter then maybe get What color is your parachute, but this book will be an excellent refresher and quick read for those of us who have done this a few times.

I especially liked the examples of thank you letters and the interviewing section was the most helpful for me!

perhaps a good example on how to get a job you're not qualified for.......2007-06-27

I checked two books out of the library on how to search for a job, and this was definitely the poorer book. I recommend you get The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search: The Proven Program Used by the Worlds Leading Career Services Company instead. It is a much better book and really helped me get my job search rolling.

Very organized, step-by-step approach to job hunting.......2005-12-31

I loved the book. I was always afraid b/c I knew I wasn't prepared and had no idea how to prepare. I was very good at collecting information on what to do, but not so good on doing it. It was very overwhelming. 10 Insider Secrets to a Winning Job Search helped me not only be better prepared and knowledgeable, but it was done in a very organized, step-by-step manner, which I needed, to keep me from getting overwhelmed and quitting. Thanks for the book.

Increased Confidence.......2005-12-27

In the twelve years I've been employed at my present job, everything has changed. I've gotten too comfortable and lost my edge. I have been far to complacent. I needed to update my skills, and understand the rules of the job hunt game in order to be competitive with younger candidates. This book showed me how to compete in today's challenging job market. I feel far more confident now and feel that I have a solid game plan after reading 10 Insider Secrets to a Winning Job Search.

Wonderful Roadmap for Getting a Job.......2005-11-13

I have gained much perspective from reading this step by step book. It has reminded me of the importance of having a plan of action. Everything from reflecting on my needs, setting my goals to mapping out a job exploration plan and preparing for an interview has broadened my awareness of what is needed for a successful job search. I find myself refering to the lessons just to help friends and family get through various stages of lifes challenges! Thanks so much for the insight and the outlined process of self-development!!!

10 Insider Secrets To Job Hunting Success! Everything You Need To Get The Job You Want In 24 Hours -- Or Less!

Average customer rating:

Excellent Book!
Great book... now for one better!
Excellent Roadmap
There are better books on the subject out there...
falls short of expectations

10 Insider Secrets To Job Hunting Success! Everything You Need To Get The Job You Want In 24 Hours -- Or Less!
Todd Bermont
Manufacturer: 10 Step Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guides | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Job Hunting | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Interviewing | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

You are about to begin the journey to job hunting success! Whether you want a position in a large corporation or a small entrepreneurial firm, after reading this book, you will jump into the job hunt like a champion and interview to win!

A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Job Hunting Success!

This book is written to be your complete job hunting road map. The directions are logical, easy to follow and designed to show you how to get you the job you want as quickly as possible!

In reading this book you'll:
- Increase Your Confidence and Self-esteem
- Identify Your Key Selling Points
- Define Your Ideal Job
- Create Resumes and Cover Letters That Stand Out
- Find Job Opportunities… Even When They Aren't Advertised
- Get Interviews… Even Where No Jobs Are Available
- Prepare For The Interview So Nobody Can Defeat You
- Learn The 8 Traits Of Ideal Candidates
- Master The 6 Phases of a Successful Interview
- Get Excited About the Job Hunt and Interview to Win

Learn How to Compete in a Tough Job Market!

In any business there is competition and job hunting will be no exception. This book will show you how to distinguish yourself so you, not your competition, get the job you want!

Discover How to Sell Yourself!

You'll see the many similarities between job hunting and selling. The interesting thing about job interviewing is, while you are the salesperson, you are also the product.

This book will help you balance both roles to get the sale -a great job offer!

Eliminate Interviewing Anxiety!

You'll feel so confident in yourself and have such a good game plan, that you'll actually look forward to interviewing and enjoy the process.

Get Your Dream Job As Quickly As Possible!

That's the goal. This book will show you how!

Download Description

The most up-to-date and essential tips and techniques you need to get the job you want - even in tough times! Literally 8 books in 1, this is your first and most important step to a successful job hunt.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Book!.......2005-01-11

During my job search, I did all the common job search strategies, like posting my resume on job search boards, submitting my resume in response to the classified ads in the newspaper and asking your parents for a job within the company. Times have changed and you need to adapt to the changing job market.

I would highly recommend "10 Insider Secrets to a Winning Job Search" to anyone searching for a job. This book is easy reading and outlines proven strategies to successfully land a job in any job market you are up against.

This book is a must have and will be beneficial in your job search. As a testimony, this book has been proven to be very resourceful and beneficial in landing my current job.

Thank you Todd.

Great book... now for one better!.......2004-04-03

Greetings, I am the author of "10 Insider Secrets to Job Hunting Success." I want to thank each and every one of you who purchased my original, self-published book. Because of your support, the book has remained in the top 1% of Amazon's sales for the last two years.

My reason for posting this review is to inform you that as a result of your support, one of the top publishers in the career category, Career Press, has just brought out a new, updated and completely revised version of my original book. The new book is called "10 Insider Secrets to a Winning Job Search: Everything You Need to Get the Job You Want in 24 Hours - Or Less!"

This new book has all of the great information of the original book, plus I have added even more content and insider secrets to make the new book, in my humble opinion, the best job-hunting book ever written. If you liked the original book, you will love the new book "10 Insider Secrets to a Winning Job Search."

Again, I would like to thank you for your support as without readers like you this new book could not have happened. Please check out the new book "10 Insider Secrets to a Winning Job Search" now available on Amazon.com. Best wishes for much success! I know you will succeed!

Excellent Roadmap.......2004-02-17

I found this book to be a tremendous roadmap to finding my ideal job. This is the first job-hunting book I have seen that gives you the total package from getting motivated to writing resumes to answering the toughest interview questions.

Granted some of the information is basic, however I found that I wasn't doing some of the basic things this book suggested. I think this book far surpassed Parachute and some of the others I have read. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a new job.

There are better books on the subject out there..........2004-02-17

This book is a very quick read, just a couple of hours. It is mostly motivational with little of substance. Most of the book is simple common sense. His top **Insider** places to find job opportunities are the newspaper and Internet job sites. Wow, hadn't thought of those.

Skip this one and find something better.

falls short of expectations.......2003-06-24

this book is great as a motivational tool that can be read in a matter of hours but that's about as far as its success will take you. If you truly want to feel prepared for an interview and only want to spend money on one book I wouldn't recomend this one. Instead take a little more time and read The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Interview, so-so title when it comes to ego but much more informative for your unemployed buck.

Customer Reviews:

Reduce your financial stress by concentrating on creating value.......2006-01-27

Money will not solve all of your problems. You are always going to have some stress in your life. But if you can reduce your financial stress, you can reduce some of the overall stress in your life. Bruce Eaton, a former Wall Street Stockbroker who now specializes on the subject of financial stress, has created a five-point plan for reducing your everyday financial stress.

1. Concentrate on creating value, not money. You create value by combining your time, energy and resources. The key is to use what you have, not to wait until you get what you think you need. Start thinking about your life as a cycle of generating, exchanging, and preserving value.
2. Get a handle on what you really need. Learn to separate the things that you need from the things that you want. Create a list of the things you need. Prioritize this list, by the items that would reduce your financial stress the most.
3. Take immediate action to meet your needs. Set objectives that work.
4. Consider what you can get for your money. Analyze the function, quality, enhancements and image of purchases you need to make. Then ask yourself: "What would this enable me to do, and what can't I do without it?" Are there other things you already have that can fulfill these same functions? Exchange value wisely.
5. Preserve Value. You must decide and commit to saving. Be realistic in determining what percentage you will save. Identify specific savings objectives and prioritize them to reduce your stress. Take a cautious approach to investing.

Good common sense, but a little tedious in parts........1999-09-22

I found this book to be full of good, common sense on how to get your life (both financial and non-financial aspects) in order by taking a value added approach. Very comforting to the reader. Some points, however, seemed to go on forever (probably because the author was trying to drive them home), so the book was a little tedious in parts. (I would say to myself, "Enough already!") Still a good read, just jump ahead when you get bored (you've probably gotten the point).

it's more than about making money........1998-06-17

Bruce Eaton's book, Conquering Your Financial Stress, provides a detailed road map that will guide the reader directly to a place called financial piece of mind. While many so-called financial self-help books provide seductive, angles for acquiring wealth, CYFS shows how people often already posess the tools, resources, and yes, the cold hard cash, to alleviate the financial stresses plaquing so many Americans today. Eaton communicates clearly the key steps in avoiding the rocky coast of spiraling debt, eternal dissatisfaction, and the stresses created by always wanting "more." Eaton's book is effective because he has in-depth knowledge on the subject, is wise beyond his years, and really cares about the subject. Rather than picking up the next tome on getting rich quick, try a pleasant and worthwhile detour with Conquering Your Financial Stress. Thanks to Eaton, the reader may find the grass is greener right under his/her own two feet.

This book is humorous, witty and practical!.......1998-06-15

This book was a complete paradigm shift on the essense of money. It takes the focus off of "things" and puts the focus on things of "true value". The author shows you how to reassess what you are working so hard to achieve in comparison to the quality of your life. I really enjoyed his humor.

Amazon.com

America is just waking up to the vast potential of the wireless Web. In Japan, nearly a third of the population already works, plays, and shops with wireless, continuously connected to a universe of data, services, and communities. The force responsible is a young company with a name that means "anywhere" in Japanese: DoCoMo. Another case study that examines a specific corporation for management lessons it can share with others, DoCoMo--Japan's Wireless Tsunami takes a riveting look at the world's second-largest mobile phone service that has, after only two years, a customer base as big as AOL's. Don't think of this book as an apology for the languishing telecom industry. Instead, it's an inside look at how creativity and innovation were nurtured at one of the world's stodgiest companies--Nippon Telephone and Telegraph--and how a small team of committed visionaries never said "Never" and created DoCoMo's extraordinarily popular I-mode technology.

For those who've read of the importance of "intrapreneurship" in corporations, here is a real-life exploration of that principle in action. Noted business strategists John Beck (The Attention Economy) and Mitchell Wade give us story upon story of the dynamic personalities behind I-mode, from NTT Chairman Kouji Ohboshi--who saw DoCoMo through a series of crises that would have meant early death for most U.S. startups--to CEO Keiji Tachikawa, whose post-WWII childhood gave him a keen grasp of the economics of disparity.

With chapter headings like "People-People Who Need People" and "Passion Is Destiny," this book sends the strong message that every successful business model depends so heavily on the human factor--a point that seems lost in the venture-capital-dominated model of the West. With lessons for all business leaders, in any industry, this book stands as a testament to the pivotal role of conviction, integrity, and personal passion in business success. --Charles Decker

Book Description

Almost a quarter century after their core management principles put them in nearly unassailable positions of market dominance, Japanese firms like Toyota, Sony, and Honda are still the standards to which other corporations aspire. Today, Japan's NTT DoCoMo is on the verge of attaining equal stature. DoCoMo is the world's second-largest mobile phone operator and, with its I-mode system, the first to roll out real, viable third-generation applications like Internet-ready mobile phones. This quantum leap in technology will very soon change the way we all send and receive information, from e-mail, paging, and voice to graphic business applications and entertainment. But DoCoMo's success came not as a result of following the hard-and-fast models of its illustrious predecessors. In fact, it is much more a reflection of the ability of DoCoMo's management to carve out a creative niche within the confines of legendarily traditional Nippon Telephone and Telegraph.

Beck (co-author, The Attention Economy) and Accenture senior consultant Wade examine the enormous risks that DoCoMo took in pursuing a "bleeding edge" technology which analysts thought was superfluous, and how their daring almost single-handedly brought an entire global market into existence. It is this extraordinary story and the simple, powerful management themes ingrained in it that will drive companies the world over to emulate DoCoMo as they did the previous giants of Japanese industry.

Customer Reviews:

simply the worst.......2005-10-01

Chapter one of this pathetic book begins by informing us that "Business cases aren't romance novels. Things begin, and end, with the numbers". Not so this book. As well as seemingly endless diversions into such eclectic themes as post war land reform in Japan, General MacArthur's victorious cavalcade into Tokyo, hitch hiking in New England, some unfathomable nonsense about the "mystic Southwest" of the United States, a reference to Mary Poppins, a couple of paragraphs on Bruce Springsteen, the problems of mowing lawns in Utah, the relatively high mortality rates of upper class Britons during both world wars, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the usual sociological drivel of upwardly pointing nails getting hammered down in Japan, some buzz words from complexity theory, some tips on putting golf balls and interminable pages of insipid tips on how to turn your (non Docomo related) work into fun, we are given six shallow chapters respectively titled Love, Inequality, Impatience, Luck, Fun and Strength with a further appendix called Intimacy and M-Commerce. That is followed by a mercifully short interview with Docomo President Kouji Ohboshi, which, because it was originally carried in 1996, is, like the entire book, totally irrelevant to the current market conditions Docomo faces.
Although the book's blurb claims the authors had unprecedented access to Docomo's top executives, there is no evidence of that in this over priced book. We are, however, told that Ohboshi "looks like a conventional Japanese executive. He is tall". We are also told that he has the style of a cockroach, meaning that he is impatient and hurries around a lot. Because cockroaches tend to get stamped on, it is a dangerous and, at best, very silly metaphor to describe a dynamic CEO of a thriving company.
It is almost as silly as the 20 or so pages given to the digital experiences of Yasuko Sato who, we are told, had to overcome the sad fact that "Mama and Papa Sato lovingly, relentlessly instilled good old-fashioned analog values in their daughter." Although Mama and Papa Hayes did the same, I have used mobile phones in the jungles of the Golden Triangle and the Andes Mountains as well as in a fishing trawler 300 miles off the coast of Iceland. Talking about the wonders of i-mode or mobile phones in the tones Mitch and John (as they annoyingly call themselves throughout the book) is like talking of the wonders of black and white TV; they are old news.
To impress on us how successful Docomo has been, we are supposed to be amazed that its headquarters are in "a skyscraper so large that each elevator holds sixty-three people. Sixty-three! In just one elevator!" As if that was not penance enough for us to bear, the authors appeal to our vanity by telling us that we are the new "cosmopolitan, global kind of thinker" because we are reading a "whole book" on Docomo.
Instead of giving us a "whole book" on Docomo, all they serve us up is the most shameless padding that would make the laziest high school student blush. Only two paragraphs after mentioning "those alphabet soup economics equations that make so little sense to most of us", we read "Okay, enough about boring economic theories" and we are back to the problems of mowing the lawns of Utah.
Technical details are also, we are told on page 127, "perennially boring" even though they are vital to understand Docomo's short history as well as its prospects for future success. The mobile telephony industry Docomo finds itself in is a young industry, one that will mature in time just as wireless, television and the Internet did before it. Until that happens, the industry's many intangibles will complicate our best efforts to predict the industry's future trends. Instead of trying to identify those intangibles, the authors let us know that "what we can tell you, after years in think thanks and universities and high-powered consulting firms" is that luck is paramount in a successful business.
This is easily the worst business book I have ever read, let alone reviewed.

Why the Japanese are so in love with Technology........2005-03-20

I've been looking for literature that explores why Japan is so technology obsessive, they have to have the latest of everything and feel utterly out of touch if they dont. Technology is fashion.

Having lived there a year i instantly recognised the name 'DoCoMo' and thought it was the perfect forum to analyse this exact phenomena, DoCoMo is the mother of all technology companies over there and really has become a part of the way of life there.

This book separates into chapters based on emotion, an odd idea, but one that works quite well. For me the Love and Fun chapters accurately depict the passion the Japanese have for technology and how DoCoMo capitalized on that.

However I wasn't looking at this book as an example of a business model. I skipped most of the facts and figures, though they are easy to read and very relevant. People who are skepical of this books practical use offering a business model that has a totally different approach, probably havent spent enough time in Japan to see how successfully DoCoMo has been. I believe this may be the future of the business model. But essentially i think this book would fit much better in the 'Technologies Influence On Society' section of the bookshelf.

Those who are researching technology as part of society are the ones who will really get a kick out of this book, there are so many interviews with developers, users, fanatics and novices, it is a feast of information that explains just why the Japanese are atleast a year ahead in the Mobile Industry. And why the Japanese are so passionate about their gadgets.

Not bad. Not amazing.......2004-11-07

I picked up this book with the hope that it would share some insight into why i-mode was such a big success. It did that only.

This is an extremely 'business/management' style of book. Full of hullabaloo, simple to read and gets somewhat preachy at times.

However I did enjoy reading it, although I sometimes doubt validity of some speculations made (Such as Singapore eradicating paper and coin based money entirely by the year 2008).

I'll give it 3 stars because it did give me the answer I was looking for but it wasn't a life changing experience reading it. Sorry.

Packed with important business insights.......2003-03-06

How has Japan's NTT DooMo become as big as AOL's customer base - five times as fast? This is Japan's mobile phone service, who grew to second-largest in the world in just to years. Insights into industry secrets, Japanese business, the wireless and computer worlds like make DoCoMo--Japan's Wireless Tsunami: How One Mobile Telecom Created a New Market and Became a Global Force a book difficult to easily categorize, but packed with important business insights. Highly recommended for all readers.

Not really about about DoCoMo.......2003-02-16

This book doesn't give a clear understanding of DoCoMo and it's mechanisms.
It's more of an unctious eulogy about people at Do-Co-Mo and the enterprise itself.
What we learn: Keichi Tachikawa had a keen sense of inequality, former Chairman Ohkochi is impatient, impatient etc., Keichi Enoki seems to be the lucky guy.
This is a latter day celebration of a Japanese enterprise. The rendering of the story could have been influenced heavily by the style of a communist storyteller, writing a biography of communist saint Breshnew or marshal Shukow.

Few facts. Tons of incense. Sprinklings of modern management thought.

Not devoid of facts, but these are incoherently interspersed into a rambling storytelling about all and everything.
This book did waste my time and continuous factless ramblings made me feel angry at times.

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