- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: The Free Press; First Edition edition (1 Mar 1990)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0029152917
- ISBN-13: 978-0029152911
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 16 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 141,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Competing Against Time
and over 900,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Today, time is on the cutting edge. In fact, as a strategic weapon, contend George Stalk, Jr., and Thomas M. Hout, time is the equivalent of money, productivity, quality, even innovation. The ways leading companies manage time - in production, in new product development, and in sales and distribution - represent the most powerful new sources of competitive advantage. Time consumption, like cost, is quantifiable and therefore manageable. Today's new generation companies recognize time as the fourth dimension of competiveness and, as a result, operate with flexible manufacturing and rapid-resource systems, expanding variety and increasing innovation. Factories are close to the customers they serve. Organization structures enable fast responses rather than low costs and control. Companies concentrate on reducing if not eliminating delays and using their response advantages to attract the most profitable customers. As Stalk and Hout explain, virtually all businesses can use time as a competitive weapon. Using examples of leading Japanese and American companies they illustrate the processes involved in becoming a time-based competitor and how managers can open and sustain a significant advantage over the competition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
In the competitive environment of the latter twentieth century, innovations in competitive strategy have life cycles of ten to fifteen years. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In the competitive environment of the latter twentieth century, innovations in competitive strategy have life cycles of ten to fifteen years. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Articulation of the Case for More Speed,
By Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 110,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)
This review is from: Competing Against Time: How Time-based Strategies Deliver Superior Performance (Hardcover)
Today's readers will think that this book is simply stating the obvious. That shows how much influence the book has had. Prior to the book's publication, most people felt that "getting things right" was more important than speed. This book points out that speed can actually be helpful in getting things right by encouraging you to improve your management processes so you do things right the first time. Many companies have had trouble implementing this concept in the way it is articulated. They simplify their process, but may not improve it. This may mean that new products arrive in the market that are not really ready for the customers. That can be all right if you can quickly fine-tune the products in beta tests and the customers have that expectation because you are giving them so much benefit anyway. If you do this with me-too products that don't work, the results can be disastrous in terms of damage to your company's reputation and customer relationships. The authors do not spend enough time on helping people understand how to improve their processes, and how to create more speed without killing stress on the people involved. For many companies, this book can be dangerous. I think this book could use a new edition that would address these two areas in more detail. On the other hand, if you have any doubts about the potential benefits from speedier action, you should read this book. It will change your mind using excellent examples. Have a speedy read!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classical MBA litterature,
By Roland Buresund - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Competing Against Time: How Time-based Strategies Deliver Superior Performance (Hardcover)
In 1990 this book was revolutionary. Today, it is mostly interesting as the first book on the subject. Nobody in todays (business) world can have missed out on the concept that time is (or can be) a competitive advantage. If you have missed this basic fact, do read this book, it explains in rather boring terms why it is so. Personally I think they put to much emphasis on time as a competitive advantage, and tend to disregard other factors, equally important. A more relevant reading would in my opinion be D'Aveni's Hypercompetition, that takes the concept to its logical conclusion, which Hoult and Stalk misses. Unfortunately, neither of the authors are very entertaining writers, especially as this book is usually mandatory/recommended reading in most MBA classes on strategy. In conclusion, good, once revolutionary, but today mostly over-rated. 7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Articulation of the Case for More Speed,
By Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Competing Against Time: How Time-based Strategies Deliver Superior Performance (Hardcover)
Today's readers will think that this book is simply stating the obvious. That shows how much influence the book has had. Prior to the book's publication, most people felt that "getting things right" was more important than speed. This book points out that speed can actually be helpful in getting things right by encouraging you to improve your management processes so you do things right the first time. Many companies have had trouble implementing this concept in the way it is articulated. They simplify their process, but may not improve it. This may mean that new products arrive in the market that are not really ready for the customers. That can be all right if you can quickly fine-tune the products in beta tests and the customers have that expectation because you are giving them so much benefit anyway. If you do this with me-too products that don't work, the results can be disastrous in terms of damage to your company's reputation and customer relationships. The authors do not spend enough time on helping people understand how to improve their processes, and how to create more speed without killing stress on the people involved. For many companies, this book can be dangerous. I think this book could use a new edition that would address these two areas in more detail. On the other hand, if you have any doubts about the potential benefits from speedier action, you should read this book. It will change your mind using excellent examples. Have a speedy read! 5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
superior insight on how to change a cost focus to time,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Competing Against Time: How Time-based Strategies Deliver Superior Performance (Hardcover)
Simply put, an oustanding book that has all the nuts and bolts needed to allow a company to transition to a time based focus from a cost based one. Easy to read, the logic is perfect. A must buy to have on your shelf (better yet ... on your desk). I read it first when I received my MBA ... read it again this last week .... and gave copies to top management I know around the country.
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Business, Finance & Law > Biographies & Histories > Business & Economic History
- Books > Business, Finance & Law > Biographies & Histories > Company Histories
- Books > Business, Finance & Law > Management > Management Science
- Books > Business, Finance & Law > Management > Management Skills > Decision Making
- Books > Business, Finance & Law > Management > Management Skills > Time Management
- Books > Business, Finance & Law > Management > Quality Assurance & Total Quality Management
- Books > Business, Finance & Law > Sales & Marketing > Advertising
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Self Help > Time Management
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
