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Title:
Business @ the speed of thought
Review:
You step into a scalding bath and it's "Ouch!"
and a swift withdrawal until it's safe to step in at a lower temperature. The
human nervous system has reacted through the rapid feedback of information. In
Bill Gates' latest book he introduces the analogous concept of a digital nervous
system which should enable a business to perceive and react quickly to its
environment, sense competitive challenges and customer needs and manage timely
responses.
Bill starts by looking at the philosophy of established
successful companies such as General Motors and notes how, long before the
introduction of computers to any aspects of the workplace, an unfettered two way
flow of information between factory floor, customers and top management enhanced
product development and marketing.
He argues that not only is information flow more important
today, it is essential for survival in the international business environment.
Indeed, the enourmous processing power of modern hardware and software should be
utilised to reduce the amount of paperwork and free staff for more analytical
tasks to encourage the development of new products and services and to respond
positively to customer feedback. I would certainly agree that "Analytical
software enables you to shift human resources from rote data collection to
value-added customer service and support where the human touch makes a profound
difference."
Bill suggests that progressive companies should each try to
develop a single information gathering and dissemination system which can act at
a general level as an interface with customers and at a more confidential level
as a company intranet. Email and Web browser techniques are of course integral
to this concept.
Although most of the practical examples given are drawn
from real American companies, other multinationals are included and most of Bill
Gates' recommendations are applicable to modern business practise worldwide.
Predictably the Internet and the World Wide Web and their
probable convergence with television (digital or otherwise) are seen as central
to domestic and business life as we pass the millennium. Generally Bill
perceives these trends as benign if a little homespun: "The Internet is
becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow."
I would like to think, along with Bill, that governments
will use the Web in a benign way to develop a positive dialogue with citizens.
Let's hope so and meanwhile this book will stimulate your interest in future
developments even though the most radical changes are often those we can't yet
foresee.
Free Pint Reviewer:
Rex Cooke is Editor of
Free Pint and a Fellow of the
Institute of Information Scientists (FIInfSc) and Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).
Readers Comments:
The average customer rating at Amazon for this book is 3.5
out of 5.
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