The Support Economy: Why Corporations are Failing Individuals and the Next Episode of Capitalism: Amazon.co.uk: Shoshana Zuboff, James Maxmin: Books

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Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, co-author of Primal Leadership

'The Support Economy is a dazzling display of intellect with heart - brilliant, important, and sound. Read it or be left behind in the dust’

Thomas K. McCraw, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Straus Professor of Business History, Harvard Business School

‘The Support Economy is a superbly written tour de force ... a profound book that will affect the future of business practice’

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews

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4.6 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visionary, 17 Mar 2003

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"sarah45crow" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Support Economy: Why Corporations are Failing Individuals and the Next Episode of Capitalism (Hardcover)

Professor Zuboff's In the Age of the Smart Machine changed the way I have thought about technology, work and organisation. The Support Economy has changed the way I think about buisness, society and myself. With elegant clarity the book sets out the case that organisations have not changed as much as we ( individuals ) have, The reason, they are dominated by an inward focus that was necessary to make cars. This focus has existed for almost 100 years and has resulted in chasm between us and business. Management sits at the centre of this universe and we are on the outer rim of the solar system. We are treated as transactions, we are made to conform to the rules of the organisation. We are treated with indifference and contempt both as employee and as consumer, The Support Economy then calls for a revolution where the existing business models are abandoned and replaced by a system of distributed capitalism . In this system the individual is at the centre of the universe, organsiations as we know them disappear and career right belong to us. The essence of business is to supply us with levels of support that will allow us to live our lives the way we want to live them. The providers of support will be our advocates, they will be responsible for their actions and we wil have long term realtionship with them. The Support Economy may be one of the most important books written in the last 20 years, It shows where the new wealth is to be found, how techology can be used to create value rather than reduce cost and what will replace todays dysfuntional organisations. Thank you Zuboff and Maxim

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Conceptual Masterpiece, 30 April 2003

By

rick vel-lander (london) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Support Economy: Why Corporations are Failing Individuals and the Next Episode of Capitalism (Hardcover)

This is not your common everyday business book. This is a call to action from two people who have finally addressed the cause of poor customer service, goverance and why people are losing patience with organisations. The short story is: the capitalism of the 1920's ( managerial) was born of mass markets and mass production. It was so sucessful because it foused inward on the prduction of products, It created great wealth but it also created what Shosana Zuboff calls a new society of individuals - complex people who wants to take control of their lives. These new people have outgrown the old organisations which remain rooted in their inward product focus. This has created a chasm or gap between new people and old organisations. In this gap is rage and frustration that people cannot have their needs meet and cannot gain control of their lives. In this gap is also the source of future wealth- the desire of new people for support. Support is the new business purpose but it cannot be delived from centralised/concentrated business. It needs to be distrubuted. This is the new form of capitalism, the new hope for the future and the new source of wealth. Here value resides in you and me, we own our careers, control systems are distributed and we find a new business model. This is a challening book that has made me think again about what I took for granted. I also went and heard Shoshana and Jim speak in London and it was a simply brilliant experience. They were wonderful speakers full of knowledge, passion , homour and humility. We all should be thinking about what they have to say and join forces to makes their vision of the future come true

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A BRILLIANT INSIGHT INTO WHAT IS GOING ON, 1 Nov 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: After Institutions: Wealth, Wo (Hardcover)

This book is a must read. It takes the reader through an amazing journey that starts with a review of managerial capitalism and all it mertits and short comings and end with a outline of the next phase of wealth creation. It is markets not technology which creates revolutions. Yesterday it was Henry Ford's insight into the mass market. Now it is an insight into the' new markets of individuals' The old organisations cannot serve these new people and this is the source of the new wealth. To tap this market requires a new enterprise logic which Zuboff and Maxmin call distributed capitalism. This is a key to moving from the service to the support economy and really delivering what people want. This a truly compelling argument and one that will set traditional thinking on its head. This is for all CEOs,andpeople thinking about the future. It takes complex issues and makes them real, It has opened my mind to a new world.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars How and why capitalism must change
This original work by Harvard professor and intellectual Shoshana Zuboff, and philosopher and former CEO James Maxmin may seem utopian. And, to an extent, perhaps it is. Read more

Published on 6 April 2009 by Rolf Dobelli