A well-researched, albeit dry and repetitive chronicle of the decline of one of America's most famous ``independents.'' Ward (History/Univ. of Tennessee) takes the reader on a 60- year historical ride, from Packard's introduction of the Model A in 1899 to its dissolution in 1958. It is a tragic journey, and Ward meticulously traces the financial mishaps culminating in the Packard's fall. Still, many questions remain unanswered. Should Packard have abandoned its centralized paternalistic management structure? Did Packard wait too long in seeking out strategic alliances (and possible merger) with other independents? Was it a mistake for Packard to compete with the Big Three in the ``economy'' class market? After stating in the opening pages that Packard's failure was caused by ``unforeseeable and uncontrollable events,'' the author presents mounds of company data supposedly impacting on Packard's demise, most of which could easily have been relegated to a few charts and graphs. And many of the factors are not firm-specific: For example, Packard was not the only industrial corporation that was adversely affected by postWW II price controls, raw material shortages, inflationary pressures, and labor unrest. The most interesting passages are ancillary to the book's central themethe intriguing bits and pieces of information relating to automotive personalities, e.g., George Mason's role in the formation of the American Motors Corporation, the infighting at Ford between ex-Packard president James J. Nance and soon-to-be secretary of defense Robert McNamara, and, probably the most unusual, the fact that Robert Teague, one of Studebaker-Packard's most innovative designers, played a girl in a few television episodes of Our Gang. At the end, one is left without an inkling as to whether Packard's collapse was an inevitable consequence of the radical industrial changes America experienced over the last century or merely an unfortunate series of avoidable managerial blunders. (51 illustrations, not seen)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-8047-2457-1
Page Count: 264
Publisher: Stanford Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1995
A welcome contribution from a newcomer who provides both a different view and balance in addressing one of the country's...
A fresh, provocative analysis of the debate on education and employment.
Up-and-coming economist Moretti (Economics/Univ. of California, Berkeley) takes issue with the “[w]idespread misconception…that the problem of inequality in the United States is all about the gap between the top one percent and the remaining 99 percent.” The most important aspect of inequality today, he writes, is the widening gap between the 45 million workers with college degrees and the 80 million without—a difference he claims affects every area of peoples' lives. The college-educated part of the population underpins the growth of America's economy of innovation in life sciences, information technology, media and other areas of globally leading research work. Moretti studies the relationship among geographic concentration, innovation and workplace education levels to identify the direct and indirect benefits. He shows that this clustering favors the promotion of self-feeding processes of growth, directly affecting wage levels, both in the innovative industries as well as the sectors that service them. Indirect benefits also accrue from knowledge and other spillovers, which accompany clustering in innovation hubs. Moretti presents research-based evidence supporting his view that the public and private economic benefits of education and research are such that increased federal subsidies would more than pay for themselves. The author fears the development of geographic segregation and Balkanization along education lines if these issues of long-term economic benefits are left inadequately addressed.
A welcome contribution from a newcomer who provides both a different view and balance in addressing one of the country's more profound problems.Pub Date: May 5, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-547-75011-8
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
An informative and creatively multilayered Google guidebook from the businessman’s perspective.
Two distinguished technology executives share the methodology behind what made Google a global business leader.
Former Google CEO Schmidt (co-author: The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business, 2013) and former senior vice president of products Rosenberg share accumulated wisdom and business acumen from their early careers in technology, then later as management at the Internet search giant. Though little is particularly revelatory or unexpected, the companywide processes that have made Google a household name remain timely and relevant within today’s digitized culture. After several months at Google, the authors found it necessary to retool their management strategies by emphasizing employee culture, codifying company values, and rethinking the way staff is internally positioned in order to best compliment their efforts and potential. Their text places “Googlers” front and center as they adopted the business systems first implemented by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who stressed the importance of company-wide open communication. Schmidt and Rosenberg discuss the value of technological insights, Google’s effective “growth mindset” hiring practices, staff meeting maximization, email tips, and the company’s effective solutions to branding competition and product development complications. They also offer a condensed, two-page strategy checklist that serves as an apt blueprint for managers. At times, statements leak into self-congratulatory territory, as when Schmidt and Rosenberg insinuate that a majority of business plans are flawed and that the Google model is superior. Analogies focused on corporate retention and methods of maximizing Google’s historically impressive culture of “smart creatives” reflect the firm’s legacy of spinning intellect and creativity into Internet gold. The authors also demarcate legendary application missteps like “Wave” and “Buzz” while applauding the independent thinkers responsible for catapulting the company into the upper echelons of technological innovation.
An informative and creatively multilayered Google guidebook from the businessman’s perspective.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-1455582341
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Business Plus/Grand Central
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
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