5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Blue-Print for Corporate Survival in the New Economy, 30 Jan 2002
This book is not about the nuclear industry. It is about what corporations have to do to survive massive changes that are about to happen to the world economy.
Books on the dot-com collapse are generally strong on hindsight but insight is far more useful and foresight is more valuable still. This book has both.
Its analysis of the dot-com era is brief but compelling. The authors contend - quite rightly in my view - that, dot-com madness notwithstanding, the digital economy is here to stay and that, in the next few years, it will continue to revolutionise the way we live, work and carry out business. The focus of this work is on the aftermath of the dot-com collapse.
The thesis is that scope for dot-this and dot-that entrepreneurs will continue to exist but that the true engines of the digital economy will be existing corporations. Clicks-and-mortar corporations will thrive in the new economy provided - and here is the thrust of the book - that they change to meet its demands. Camrass and Farncombe contend that these corporations will need to break up their constituent businesses into units that thrive in their respective market niches. Each will adopt an approach that better meets its customers' needs. This 'atomization' of the corporation is one-step beyond outsourcing. Its rationale is to benefit not just from cost-cutting but from forming partnerships in which both parties profit from their own assets and from the relationship itself. Leveraging profits from such relationships will be so key to the new economy, the authors contend, that a company's 'relational capital' will need to be taken into account when calculating its true shareholder value and new entities will spring forth to facilitate these relationships and thrive on the relational capital they engender.
This is both a thoughtful and a thought-provoking book. Its scope is broad but it is concisely written. Although it has copious notes, case studies and supporting information, the authors wear their expertise lightly. Anyone who has heard them speak on this area will not be surprised to learn that the book rattles through its briefly but precisely explained contentions with an often entertaining panache. This book is an important and enjoyable read for anyone who has a stake in the connected economy and that probably means you.
A complement to the 'Atomic Corpration' is Ricardo Semler's 'Maverick', who if Camrass and Farncombe are right, is a man twenty years ahead of his time.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Opeing Eyes, 14 Mar 2006
By A Customer
This review is from: Atomic: Reforming the Business Landscape into the New Structures of Tomorrow (Paperback)
One of those books that you know will have a profound effect on your life. This exposition of the future points the way to a brighter future for us all. Should be read by anyone working for a large organisation today so that they can see a better future. Ther is hope out there!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Universe in an Atom, 8 Dec 2001
The Atomic Corporation is without a doubt a rational proposal for uncertain times. Authors Camrass and Farncombe use 'chemistry' as the vehicle to explain their proposition and they do it very well. They show us 'a universe within an atom'. They show us why mega corporations will be compelled to break up into smaller business units or 'atoms' so that they can become more agile and adaptable to the demands of more powerful consumers. Corporations will devolve into complex and ever changing web of business-to-business connections or 'molecules'.
In many ways, it supports and confirms our book: Ecosystem: Living the 12 Principles of Networked Business. We use 'biology' as our vehicle, instead of chemistry. We both use stakeholder relationships in a holistic manner. We both focus on complexity and collaboration. Where we differ is in perspective. Camrass and Farncombe take the atomic (micro) perspective, whereas we take the ecosystem (macro) perspective and yet we reach not dissimilar conclusions. You cannot afford not to read this book.
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